July 2026Extremism — family ties
Son-in-law revealed as a white-nationalist influencer broadcasting to 1.5M followers
Reported by CNN's KFile (July 16, 2026). The conduct is the son-in-law's, not Collins's own, and no wrongdoing by Collins is alleged. Scheer did not respond to requests for comment; the campaign did not address the posts, saying Collins's “lifelong support for Israel is unquestionable.”
CNN's KFile reported that Collins's son-in-law, David Alan Scheer II — married to his daughter Summer — is a white-nationalist social-media influencer with more than 1.5 million followers across TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Telegram, posting Nazi imagery, antisemitic conspiracy theories, calls to deport Muslims, warnings that white people are “going extinct,” and promotion of Patriot Front, the white-supremacist group. The ties are close and documented: Scheer appears in family photos on the campaign's website, attended Collins's Senate-primary victory party, helped produce promotional videos for Collins Trucking, and is registered to vote at a Collins-owned property beside the congressman's home. It is the second report tying Collins's inner circle to white-nationalist figures, after the May 2026 group-chat story involving his chief of staff.
Sources
May 2026Extremism — staff ties
Chief of staff in white-nationalist group chat; vowed to use his office to free a Holocaust denier
Reported by Slate; Collins himself was not in the chat. His chief of staff, Kip Talley, says he acted “in a personal capacity” for a mistreated acquaintance and remains in the role. Not adjudicated.
Slate reported in May 2026 that Collins's chief of staff, Kip Talley, took part in a group chat — titled “Research Group—Johnson '28?” and including white nationalists Nick Fuentes and Richard Spencer — in which he wrote that he wanted to “use the levers of the legislative branch” to help free Charles C. Johnson, a far-right activist and Holocaust denier jailed in late 2025 on a contempt charge. Talley, then Collins's deputy chief of staff (promoted to chief of staff in January 2026), said he was “reaching out to my people at FBI and DOJ” to get Johnson out. He called it a personal effort for a mistreated acquaintance and kept his job; the episode fueled Sen. Jon Ossoff's depiction of Collins as an “antisemite” and “extremist.”
Sources
November 2025Ethics — congressional investigation
Under House Ethics Committee investigation over use of office resources
Investigation ongoing; allegations unproven
The House Ethics Committee announced in November 2025 that it found “substantial reason to believe” Collins used congressional resources for unofficial or unauthorized purposes — including about $5,000 paid in 2023–24 to an intern, Caroline Craze, who allegedly performed no work and was the girlfriend of Collins's then-chief of staff, Brandon Phillips (now a senior adviser to his campaign). Investigators said Collins, Phillips and other staff did not cooperate and recommended subpoenas. The allegations have not been adjudicated.
Sources