Republican Rep. Chris Collins resigns House seat ahead of guilty plea to insider-trading charges
Last edited Mon Sep 30, 2019, 02:41 PM - Edit history (2)
Source: Washington Post
NEW YORK -- Rep. Chris Collins is resigning from Congress and expected to plead guilty to insider-trading charges on Tuesday, following
allegations last year that the Republican from New York schemed with his son to avoid significant losses on a biotechnology investment. Collins, President Trump's first congressional supporter, allegedly tipped off his son to confidential information about an Australian biotechnology company, Innate Immunotherapeutics, that he learned as a member of its board. Collins and several others used the information to avoid more than $700,000 in losses, according to prosecutors.
He is scheduled to change his plea Tuesday afternoon in a Manhattan federal court.Collins's son, Cameron; and another family member are scheduled to change their pleas on Thursday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) received a letter of resignation from Collins on Monday, a senior Democratic aide said. The resignation will be effective when the letter is officially filed at a scheduled House session Tuesday. Collins' attorney did not respond to an email and phone call seeking comment.
Collins, who once called the charges against him "meritless," has since 2013 represented New York's 27th Congressional District, which encompasses suburban and rural areas stretching east of the Buffalo metropolitan area.Collins won reelection last year after initially suspending his campaign, then reversing that decision despite pressure from Republicans to step aside and allow another GOP candidate on the ballot. Collins was sworn in for a fourth term in January but was not seated on any House committees pending resolution of his indictment.
Several candidates have announced campaigns to challenge Collins in 2020, including GOP state Sens. Chris Jacobs and Rob Ortt as well as Democratic lawyer Nate McMurray, who came about 1,000 votes shy of unseating Collins last year. Should Collins resign, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) would set a special election for the coming months.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/09/30/rep-chris-collins-expected-plead-guilty-insider-trading-case/
Original article -
September 30, 2019 at 1:58 p.m. EDT
BREAKING: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) received a letter of resignation from Collins on Monday, a senior Democratic aide said. The resignation will be effective when the letter is officially filed at a scheduled House session Tuesday.
This is a developing story. It will be updated.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/09/30/rep-chris-collins-expected-plead-guilty-insider-trading-case/
Hekate
(90,616 posts)gademocrat7
(10,650 posts)dem4decades
(11,282 posts)Back a criminal, they don't seem to care.
BumRushDaShow
(128,706 posts)That is what was wild about that district.
And I remember they were slow to call that race too because it was so close but he still won the district by about 1100 votes over the Democratic challenger. The fact that it was close in a +25 Drumpf district means that it might really be competitive.
DinahMoeHum
(21,783 posts). . .regardless of what pollsters are claiming; that the odds of the NY-27 seat remaining in the GOP have increased since this news.
Collins' margin of victory last year was 49.12 - 48.74
https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=832991
To help McMurray's campaign: https://votemcmurray.com/
https://twitter.com/Nate_McMurray?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
https://www.facebook.com/nate.mcmurray27/
Progressive Jones
(6,011 posts)Doreen
(11,686 posts)IronLionZion
(45,403 posts)especially if it will be a blue wave
Jose Garcia
(2,592 posts)pbmus
(12,422 posts)BumRushDaShow
(128,706 posts)but got distracted.
beachbumbob
(9,263 posts)bucolic_frolic
(43,115 posts)A pustule on the human genome
tblue37
(65,269 posts)I sense a pattern.
BumRushDaShow
(128,706 posts)Sessions was the first in the Senate - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/alabama-s-jeff-sessions-becomes-first-senator-endorse-trump-n527661
(and he has literally disappeared into his really deep underground elf troll hole )
dalton99a
(81,426 posts)The longtime Alabama senator has largely kept a low public profile since leaving office last year as AG in the Trump administration in which Sessions was a frequent target of criticism by the president.
The Leo K. Thorsness Freedom Award will also be presented at the dinner.
The event is also a fundraiser for the Madison County GOP to help re-elect President Donald Trump and defeat Sen. Doug Jones, who won the seat in a special election in 2017 to complete Sessions' term. A post on the party's website described Jones as "one and done."
Electing state legislators and other district representatives as well as winning Madison County seats are also an agenda item.
The event will be at 7 p.m. at the Jackson Center on the campus of HudsonAlpha Center for Biotechnology in Cummings Research Park. Tickets are $50.
https://www.al.com/news/2019/09/former-ag-jeff-sessions-to-speak-in-huntsville.html
BumRushDaShow
(128,706 posts)is with respect to salvaging the Senate seat and not in support of the guy who removed him!
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(107,837 posts)kwolf68
(7,365 posts)eom