The chief of staff for Republican Georgia Rep. Mike Collins is facing ethical concerns after a report from a nonpartisan congressional watchdog alleged the aide used congressional resources to hire and pay his girlfriend as an office intern, where she “did no work.”
Brandon Phillips’ romantic partner, Caroline Craze, was paid in 2023 and 2024 as a district intern for Collins, but “has never worked a day in the district office,” the Office of Congressional Conduct wrote in a report released Monday.
“The OCC received multiple submissions of information alleging that an individual paid by Rep. Collins’s office as a district intern did no work for the member’s district office,” the report states.
An attorney representing Collins and Phillips did not immediately respond to a request for comment from HuffPost. However, in a letter dated Dec. 31, 2025, the attorney requested the House Committee on Ethics vote to dismiss the allegations.
The attorney said the OCC got its information from two “disgruntled, former members” of Collins’ staff and that Phillips’ decision to hire Craze was “proper.”
