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House Ethics Committee Extends Inquiry Into Rep. Mike Collins and His Chief of Staff Amid Staffing and AI-Ad Scrutiny

The House Committee on Ethics has extended an inquiry into Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) and his chief of staff, Brandon Phillips, after a referral from the Office of Congressional Conduct dated Oct. 7, 2025. The committee stressed that an extension does not imply wrongdoing and said it will outline next steps by Jan. 5, 2026. Specific allegations have not been disclosed, though prior reporting raised questions about a staff hire and Collins’ campaign use of an AI-generated video. Collins called the referral "bogus," while his opponent’s campaign condemned the deepfake.

08:52 AM, 11/22/2025Politics
House Ethics Committee Extends Inquiry Into Rep. Mike Collins and His Chief of Staff Amid Staffing and AI-Ad Scrutiny

The House Committee on Ethics announced on Friday that it has extended an inquiry into Representative Mike Collins (R-GA) and his chief of staff, Brandon Phillips. The extension relates to a matter transmitted to the committee by the Office of Congressional Conduct on October 7, 2025. The panel said it expects to set forth a plan of action by January 5, 2026.

The committee statement, issued by Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS) and Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), emphasized that the existence of a referral or an extension "does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the Committee." The same notice applies to Phillips.

Officials have not publicly disclosed the specific allegations under review. A July report claimed that Phillips hired a significantly younger romantic partner to a staff position, but the Ethics Committee’s announcement did not identify or describe any allegations.

A spokesperson for Collins called the inquiry politically motivated, describing the referral as "bogus" and an attack by political opponents. The committee is evenly divided along party lines, with five Democrats and five Republicans serving as members.

Collins, who is campaigning to challenge Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) next year, has drawn heightened attention recently. Earlier this year a campaign ad from Collins went viral after it misspelled the name of his state. Separately, reports on Friday said Collins' campaign circulated an AI-generated video that portrayed Senator Ossoff appearing to mock farmers; the video included only a small disclaimer identifying it as artificial.

In response to the AI video reports, Ossoff’s campaign said: "The only reason a candidate would need to use a deepfake to make up an opponent’s words is if they didn’t think they could win on their own."

The Ethics Committee did not provide further details about the inquiry or when additional information might be released beyond the January timeline. Observers say the extension ensures the committee has sufficient time to review the referral and determine next steps.

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