In the latest in a string of violent incidents, the man reportedly chosen by incoming Georgia Republican Congressman Mike Collins was arrested last month on animal cruelty charges and is out on $1,200 bond pending a trial, Politico reports.
Brandon Phillips, 36, was arrested after an August 23rd incident where he kicked a dog belonging to a Georgia woman. Wearing boots, Phillips kicked the dog so violently, he opened a wound in the dog’s stomach. The warrant doesn’t specify the circumstances behind Phillips kicking the dog, but nothing in the report indicates the dog was violent or aggressive, unlike Phillips.
This is not the first time Phillips has exhibited a violent streak: he was forced out as the head of Donald Trump’s 2016 Georgia election campaign after reports arose of a 2008 incident in which Phillips was charged with battery and felony criminal damage after he attacked a man, causing “cuts and bruises to the head and torso.” In the same incident, he grabbed a woman’s computer and threw it. He was sentenced to three years of probation, 50 hours of community service and fined $1,567 after taking a plea bargain.
Later that same year, he was charged with simple assault and battery after he opened the door of his apartment and pointed a gun at a woman in the common area of the building. Phillips claimed he had heard banging on his door, a claim that was not substantiated, and he grabbed his gun for protection. Why he decided to play Dirty Harry and not just stay in his apartment when he thought there was a dangerous situation outside is unknown.
Although Phillips’ appointment was not announced, he has attended events for incoming freshman members of Congress and their staff, including a GOP caucus meeting. Three members of the GOP Congressional caucus confirmed his appointment to Politico.
Many times in a dog attack, the attacker is euthanized, although that is unlikely to happen in this case.