ATLANTA — Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins could soon be the subject of a House ethics committee investigation.
The Office of Congressional Conduct referred a case to that committee but did not release the reasons why.
Collins is also running for U.S. Senate, looking to unseat Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026.
In a statement, Collins’ spokesperson called the referral “bogus and frivolous,” and expects the complaint will be dismissed.
Collins currently represents Georgia’s 10th District in the House of Representatives.
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Collins’ campaign was behind the recent release of an AI-generated deepfake ad of Ossoff, which portrays a fabricated version of the senator making controversial statements.
“In a very negative ad, maybe some voters would hear that, well, that’s exactly what I thought that candidate, that scoundrel was, and hear it come out of his own mouth saying these things,” Dr. Charles Bullock, a political science professor emeritus at the University of Georgia, told Channel 2 Action News in a previous interview.
The ad is raising concerns, highlighting the growing use of artificial intelligence in political campaigns.
Because the ethics committee did not release a reason for the investigation, it is unclear if it has anything to do with the AI video against Ossoff.
Georgia Democrats released a statement late Friday afternoon, saying:
“While the investigation of Mike Collins is still ongoing, it doesn’t take a formal review to know that he is entirely wrong for Georgia and can absolutely not be trusted to do right by Georgians in the United States Senate.”
Channel 2’s Richard Elliot contributed to this article.
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