The Update Desk: Chris Collins, One Last Time

How many times have we talked about former Rep. Chris Collins, the disgraced former Buffalo-area congressman who denied and then pled guilty to insider trading and other charges? There have been more than a few updates, for sure - take a look. 

First, there was this:

Collins, you have likely heard, has been charged with insider trading; the charges stem from him being on the board of an Australian pharma company, and him allegedly using information he learned about the failure of one of the company's drugs, which he then allegedly shared with his son (perhaps as he attended a White House gathering, if the timeline is correct), and his son allegedly shared the information with his soon-to-be father-in-law. 

And, there was this announcement: 

After extensive discussions with my family and my friends over the last few days, I have decided that it's in the best interests of the constituents of NY-27, the Republican Party, and president Trump's agenda for me to suspend my campaign for re-election to Congress.

I will fill out the remaining few months of my term to assure that our community maintains its vote in Congress to support president Trump's agenda to create jobs, eliminate regulations, reduce the size of government and lower taxes.

I will also continue to fight the meritless charges brought against me and I look forward to having my good name cleared of any wrongdoing.

 But then, we're in New York, so

Buffalo-area congressman and Trump first responder Chris Collins is going to be on the ballot for his congressional seat in November after all.

Unfortunately, it seems, trying to get off the ballot under some grand scheme being worked on by Erie County Republicans and Collins could jeopardize his defense against the federal criminal charges filed against him mid-summer, and could have led to a lawsuit by NY Democrats fighting against the plan to replace him on the ballot. It might even have jeopardized his bail, attorneys thought.

And, we're in New York so, he won re-election. Which brought us to this.

Collins is in the news again, for a couple of reasons. First, the House is going to reopen their ethics investigation into his case, which was suspended back when he was indicted on federal charges. But not to worry -- the House has promised the Department of Justice that they'll not interfere with the criminal case against him.

And that led to this.

Well, he's back, and now news is breaking from his hometown newspaper, the Buffalo News: 

WASHINGTON – Rep. Chris Collins resigned Monday, a day before he is expected to plead guilty Tuesday to federal charges stemming from an insider trading scheme that prosecutors first detailed in an indictment nearly 14 months ago.

And finally, we are here, with this latest update from his hometown paper. 

Chris Collins cried so hard that many of his words got lost in his anguish.

But that act of contrition meant only so much to US District Court Judge Vernon S. Broderick, who on Friday sentenced Collins to 26 months in prison for launching an insider trading scheme with a call to his son from a White House picnic in June 2017.

Saying that he believes "there is a need to both show respect for the law and to inflict just punishment," Judge Broderick added a $200,000 fine and a year of supervised release to the prison time, ending what the paper called "an unusually long three-hour sentencing hearing" which included a very emotional statement from Collins in which he said, among other things,

I violated my core values...  People feel sorry for me. They shouldn't. I did what I did. 

He spoke of the damage to his son's reputation, the problems caused for his son's in-laws, and for his own family, and said of former colleagues who reached out to him that morning,

I let them down -- and the president of the United States.

Broderick pointed out that, in addition to the damage Collins himself called out, he had also left his district unrepresented for months.  And US Attorney Geoffrey Berman, who prosecuted the case, said this.

Lawmakers bear the profound privilege and responsibility of writing and passing laws, but equally as important the absolute obligation of following them. Collins' hubris is a stark reminder that the people of New York can and should demand more from their elected officials, and that no matter how powerful, no lawmaker is above the law.

And sadly, that's a message that New Yorkers have had a hard time mastering, as we've seen so many times before.

We need to do better, we really do.