Carter, Collins throw elbows in Georgia Senate GOP debate

Reps. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) and Mike Collins (R-Ga.) traded barbs while former college football coach Derek Dooley largely stayed above the fray during Sunday’s Georgia Senate GOP primary debate — one day before early voting begins. Carter, Collins and Dooley alongside former Senate candidate John Coyne and retired Brig. Gen. Jonathan McColumn are vying for the Republican nomination to take on Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) in Georgia’s Senate primary next month. All five Republican candidates participated in Sunday’s forum as a part of the Atlanta Press Club’s Loudermilk-Young debate series. The Georgia Senate race, despite its Democratic lean , is largely seen as one of the best pick-up opportunities for Republicans, and President Trump’s possible endorsement looms large ahead of the crowded May 19 GOP primary. Though the debate was mostly cordial, Carter took several swipes at Collins, particularly over a House Ethics Committee probe into allegations that his congressional office hired an intern who had a relationship with Collins’ then-chief of staff and purportedly did not do any work for the House Republican. “Mike, we all know, as has been stated, that you’re under federal investigation by your own Republican colleagues for misuse of taxpayer funds … and with your aide,” Carter told Collins during the debate. “If taxpayers can’t trust you to properly steward their money, how can they trust you to be a U.S. …