A high-ranking aide to a Republican Senatorial candidate arranged for his girlfriend to receive a paid position, the Daily Mail has learned exclusively.

Brandon Phillips, 39, who serves as the chief of staff for Georgia Representative Mike Collin, recruited Caroline Craze, 26, for an internship at the Representative’s district office.

Former Collins staffers revealed to the Daily Mail that Craze, despite getting paid thousands, rarely showed up for work.

Caroline Craze earned $5,044 for a two-month internship, from November 4, 2023, to December 31, 2023, according to the congressional salary tracker, Legistorm.

She was also paid $5,244 for interning in the district for three months between October 7, 2024, and December 5, 2024. 

When Jessica Hayes, the former district director, asked Phillips about his girlfriend’s role after being contacted by the office’s financial department, she was let go shortly thereafter.  

‘On the advice of counsel, I’m not in a position to discuss anything related to my former employment at this time,’ Hayes told the Daily Mail when reached for comment. 

‘The nerve to hire his girlfriend, which he did, is one thing. But to remove a beloved district director when she began asking questions is beyond the pale,’ a former Collins aide said to the Daily Mail. 

‘When Ms Hayes was contacted by the office’s finance staffer asking her to confirm Caroline Craze’s employment, Ms Hayes had no clue who that was,’ the former aide disclosed. 

‘She had never worked in the district office and no one even knew her name. When Ms Hayes discovered it was the Chief of Staff’s girlfriend, Ms Hayes asked about it and soon after was let go.’

In addition to the staffing change, the aide who used to work in Collins’ office told the Daily Mail that Phillips granted himself the max salary allowed for chiefs of staff and regularly used official funds for his and his girlfriend’s travel to Washington, DC, and Georgia.

The current max salary for chiefs of staff in the House of Representatives is $212,100 per year, a level which was voted on in 2021 under former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Members of Congress make just $174,000 annually.

‘Adding his girlfriend to official payroll and using official funds to shuttle her back and forth from Atlanta was a slap in the face,’ the Collins aide said. 

‘Brandon Phillips consistently engaged in unhinged behavior, often putting his desire for growing Collins twitter clout above Constituent service. Rep. Collins was often made aware that his office’s revolving door of staff was due to the unhealthy environment Brandon fostered.’

Messages reviewed by the Daily Mail show that several former staffers were upset with how Phillips operated the lawmaker’s office.  

But Collins’ office vehemently denied any wrongdoing. 

‘Congressman Collins’ office is one of the most enjoyable and sought after offices on the hill, maintaining one of the lowest turnover rates for a freshman office,’ a spokesperson told the Daily Mail. ‘These claims are nothing more than two disgruntled, terminated employees, sore from having their government gravy train ride come to an end and want revenge.’

‘Ms Craze was an excellent team member handling numerous tasks and assisting multiple other coworkers. No funds were ever used to shuttle Ms Craze back and forth as alleged and that claim is baseless.’

The spokesperson continued, adding that ‘Mr Phillips is a traveling chief and has followed all rules and protocols when using the MRA [congressional office funds].’ 

Phillips and Craze did not respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment. 

The chief of staff previously spurred a batch of negative headlines in 2022 for kicking a dog and facing charges for it. 

Phillips was arrested on November 17, 2022, on a misdemeanor charge for animal cruelty. He was held on $1,200 bond and was later released, Politico reported at the time. 

He was accused of kicking a dog and injuring its stomach, according to court files. The chief of staff subsequently pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge, reports indicate. 

In 2016, when Phillips worked for Donald Trump’s campaign in Georgia, he was resigned after it was revealed he had a criminal history. 

That year he was arrested by a local sheriff in Georgia on battery and felony criminal damage charges after an altercation with two other people. 

However, Phillips later pleaded guilty to lesser chargers for criminal trespassing and battery, according to local reports.