ATLANTA — On Monday night, President Donald Trump announced several new members to his defense team for the impeachment trial.
Alongside the president's attorneys, eight House Republicans are now on his team -- including Georgia Rep. Doug Collins.
The impeachment proceedings have officially moved from the House to the Senate, but by being named to the president's defense team, Collins will continue to be involved.
"I don't think there was anything wrong with the call," Collins said.
Even before the House impeachment hearing, Collins became a public defender of President Donald Trump's call to the president of Ukraine which became the focus of the impeachment proceedings.
"They can't get over the fact that Donald Trump is President of the United States," Collins said.
And as the ranking Republican member of the House Judiciary Committee, Collins would be the top Republican House member during the impeachment hearing.
Collins holds credentials that put him in a position to be at the center of the impeachment process.
A House member since 2013, Collins holds a political science and criminal justice degree, and established his own legal practice in 2010 in the Gainesville area.
In Georgia's 9th Congressional District, which covers 20 counties in northeast Georgia, Collins and Trump also find plenty of support.
In 2016, Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in 19 of the 20 counties in Collins' district, and facing a challenger in three out of the past four election cycles, Collins easily won those election challenges by an average of 79 percent.
"I appreciate the support I've received from the president," Collins said.
Collins' close ties to President Trump took center stage with political insiders in late 2019, saying that President Trump wanted Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to select Collins as the replacement for retiring U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson.
Instead, Kemp picked Kelly Loeffler for the seat.
The White House announced Collins as part of the impeachment trial defense team on Monday night, along with seven other Republican representatives, writing in part, "Throughout this process, these Members of Congress have provided guidance to the White House team," and "The President looks forward to their continued participation."
Collins tweeted Monday night that he is honored to continue fighting on behalf of the president.
A spokeswoman for Collins told 11Alive the congressman's role will be that of an advisor. She said Collins will be using his legal background and familiarity with the impeachment process to assist in preparing documents and briefs for the president's legal team that will be on the Senate floor during the trial.
"We're excited to be a part, as we have been already, in making sure this is, hopefully, put to bed very quickly," Collins said when reached for comment on Tuesday evening.
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