Two indicted sitting Members of Congress were reelected by their constituents tonight, sending a signal that partisanship is more important to voters than ethics in government.
Less than three months after FBI agents arrested him on charges of insider trading, Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) was reelected for a fourth term in Congress.
Collins, one of Donald Trump’s earliest supporters and once considered a remarkably safe incumbent with an unimpeachable perch in New York’s most conservative district, found himself in a surprisingly competitive race.
According to federal prosecutors, Collins let his son know about a failed test for a new drug, allowing Cameron and his father-in-law to avoid $750,000 in losses by selling the company’s stock before it dropped.
Collins was charged with securities fraud, conspiracy, wire fraud, and making false statements.
California Rep. Duncan Hunter, also indicted, won reelection in his San Diego district.
Hunter and his wife had been under investigation for misuse of campaign funds for well over a year.
The 60-count indictment on charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, falsification of records, and prohibited use of campaign contributions shows the Hunters misusing hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign bucks to fund their own lifestyles.
The 47-page indictment lists the many, many campaign-cash expenditures for video games, computers, a “Star Wars droid knit beanie,” football games, iPods—a lot of trips to Best Buy here!—not to mention charges at hotels, the race track, the dentist, the movies, a speakeasy, the grocery store, the golf course, the hair salon, Dick’s Sporting Goods, a restaurant for Mother’s Day brunch, and many bars.
Rep. Steve Stivers, who heads the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement, “These are troubling charges leveled against Congressman Hunter. I trust our judicial system and eagerly await more facts surrounding the case.”