WASHINGTON, D.C. — Particulars have emerged in regards to the ethics allegations towards tenth Congressional District Consultant Mike Collins and his chief of employees, Brandon Phillips.
In a 33-page report launched by the Workplace of Congressional Conduct (OCC), which is a nonpartisan watchdog entity tasked with reviewing allegations of misconduct, Phillips is accused of misusing taxpayer funds by hiring his girlfriend, Caroline Craze, as an intern.
The report says that seven unnamed witnesses, all of whom have been both present or former members of Collins’ Washington D.C. or district workplaces, declare that Craze didn’t carry out any precise work.
“The knowledge supplied by these witnesses—together with testimony supplied in formal, transcribed interviews—corroborates the allegation that Ms. Craze by no means carried out any duties in or for Rep. Collins’s District Workplace in 2023—regardless of being paid as a District Intern from November 4, 2023, to December 31, 2023,” per pages 14 and 15 of the report. “The knowledge supplied to the OCC by these witnesses equally signifies that Ms. Craze didn’t carry out any duties in or for Rep. Collins’s District Workplace in 2024—regardless of being paid for a second time as District Intern from October 7, 2024, to December 5, 2024.”
Regardless of reportedly not fulfilling any work for Collins’s workplace, Craze was paid $5,044 in 2023 and $5,244.44 in 2024, in response to the report. She was listed as a “District Workplace Paid Intern,” regardless of objections from lots of the witnesses that that they had by no means seen her working in an workplace.
Lots of the witnesses mentioned that Craze didn’t match the standards for an intern, as many interns have been college students or latest graduates. As of Might 28, 2025, Craze’s LinkedIn web page listed her place of job as Cox Communications, per the report. That very same web page didn’t record her work with Collins’ workplace.
Moreover, allegations of Phillips misusing Members Representational Allowance (MRA) funds for marketing campaign functions have been talked about within the doc. However because of the pair’s lack of “direct cooperation” with the workplace’s evaluation, a agency judgment was not made.
“With none direct cooperation from Mr. Phillips or Rep. Collins, the OCC was not in a position to attain a dedication right now on whether or not there’s a substantial purpose to imagine the extra allegations regarding Mr. Phillips’s attainable use of Home sources for marketing campaign functions,” per web page 31 of the report.
The pair’s legal professional, Russell Duncan, submitted a response on Dec. 31, 2025. Duncan petitioned that the committee dismiss the evaluation, citing two “disgruntled, former members” of Collins’ employees as those who supplied the knowledge.
Duncan added that Craze supplied “helpful help” in her function as an intern.
“The momentary hiring and the small quantity paid to the intern from accessible funds within the final quarter of the yr have been in recognition of the providers the intern had supplied all through each years,” Duncan wrote. “The intern has continued this necessary work in 2025.”
Moreover, Collins’ workforce denied the allegations introduced forth towards them.
“This bogus grievance is a tragic try to derail certainly one of Georgia’s simplest conservative legislators in Congress,” an announcement from Collins’ workplace learn. “Rep. Collins seems to be ahead to offering the Home Ethics Committee all factual data and placing these meritless allegations to relaxation.”
Regardless, the OCC board voted 6-0 to undertake the report.
“The Board recommends that the Committee additional evaluation the above allegation regarding Mr. Phillips as a result of there’s substantial purpose to imagine that Mr. Phillips discriminated unfairly by allotting particular favors or privileges by collaborating within the retention of an worker with whom Mr. Phillips had a private relationship,” per web page 1 of the report.
The OCC additionally really helpful subpoenas for Collins, Phillips, Craze and three different staffers who have been listed as non-cooperative within the evaluation.
The Home Ethics Committee, which acquired the report in October, introduced it might be extending its evaluation of the grievance.
Collins, a Republican who represents components of Newton County within the tenth congressional district, is getting into the ultimate yr of his second time period within the Home of Representatives. He has entered the race for a U.S. Senate seat, the place he’s a prime contender within the Republican main.
Collins will face off towards different Republican challengers, together with fellow State Consultant Buddy Carter and former soccer coach Derek Dooley, in Might. The winner of the Republican nomination will face Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff in November.
As for Phillips, this isn’t the primary time he has confronted controversy.
In 2016, Phillips selected to step down as President Donald Trump’s Georgia marketing campaign director after two prior arrests for battery and felony injury costs in 2008 have been publicly revealed. He later pled responsible to felony trespassing and battery costs after he admitted to destroying one particular person’s laptop computer and slashing a second particular person’s tires, in response to The Related Press.
