House Democrats: Collins arrest shows ‘fish rots from the head’ in Trump era

Looking to capitalize on Rep. Chris Collins’ legal problems, House Democrats on Thursday said the New York Republican’s arrest for insider trading shines a bright light on the corruption that has infected the GOP on President Trump’s watch and gotten in the way of good governance.

Republican lawmakers and administration officials have been dogged by scandals and have taken their behavioral cues from President Trump, whose vows to “drain the swamp” has proven to be empty rhetoric, the Democrats said.

In a conference call with reporters, Rep. John Sarbanes, chair of the House Democrats’ “Democracy Reform Task Force,” said the charges leveled against Mr. Collins, an early Trump supporter, is another example how the “fish rots from the head.”

“We have a president who is the most ethically blind president we’ve ever seen,” said Mr. Sarbanes, Maryland Democrat. “He is as far away from Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt as you can possibility be.”

The FBI on Wednesday charged Mr. Collins with insider trading, accusing him of dumping stock of a pharmaceutical company for which he was a board member and the biggest shareholder after learning that the clinical testing on a key drug turned out to be a complete “failure.”

They said Mr. Collins alerted his family before the news went public, and together they saved $760,000 by dumping Innate Therapeutics stock.

Mr. Collins pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and denied any wrongdoing.

“The charges leveled against me are meritless and I will mount a vigorous defense in court to clear my name,” Mr. Collins said at a press conference Tuesday while his wife stood at his side.

Democrats viewed it as a chance to promote their “Better Deal for Our Democracy” agenda — particularly their vows to strengthen the nation’s ethics laws and bring more transparency to government.

Democrats are doing everything they can to convince voters they deserve another chance to run the House ahead of the midterm elections, where both chambers of Congress are up for grabs.

“This has got to be a wake-up call for all Americans,” said Rep. Cheri Bustos, co-chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. “We, the Democrats in Congress. are saying this is enough. We think it is time for Washington to work for the people.

“We as Democrat pledge to the American public that should they chose to put their faith back in us, and I hope that they will, that our party is with them,” the Illinois Democrat said.