Five days after Chris Collins was charged with insider trading, Tom MacArthur’s Republican House colleague Andy Barr (KY-06) caved to political pressure and finally gave away the money that Collins contributed to his campaign.

However, MacArthur is still hanging onto the $1,000 he accepted from Collins’s political action committee, the House Republican In Service PAC, since 2015.

American Bridge called on MacArthur to give up Collins’s dirty money.

“Tom MacArthur is so desperate to defend his record of selling his constituents out to the rich that he won’t even part with

funds

he got from the alleged insider trader who’s become the poster child for Republican corruption,” said American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates.  “New Jerseyans will not stand for the culture of corruption that has festered in Washington under full GOP control, and MacArthur’s out-of-touch refusal to do the right thing will only fuel voters’ eagerness for new leadership.”

WUKY NPR Lexington: Barr To Donate Money Received From Embattled GOP Congressman
By JOSH JAMES

Amid calls to return campaign dollars from the political action committee of embattled Congressman Chris Collins, Sixth District Rep. Andy Barr says he’s planning to donate $3,000 to a veterans’ charity.

Last week, progressive PAC American Bridge urged Barr to return an alleged $3,000 contribution from the PAC of New York Republican Rep. Chris Collins, who has been indicted on charges related to insider trading. Collins suspended his re-election campaign on Saturday.

Asked about calls to return the funds, Barr told WUKY he’s going to donate the money.

“Of course we respect our system of innocence until proven guilty… but our intention is, in light of these developments, to donate $3,000 to a veterans’ charity,” Barr said. “We have not yet determined what charity, but we are moving toward that goal.”

Federal prosecutors charged Collins and two others with conspiracy, wire fraud, and other charges. The congressman has denied any wrongdoing.

Barr is running for re-election against Democrat Amy McGrath, a retired marine fighter pilot, in a closely-watched 2018 congressional race.