More than a month after pleading guilty to lining his pockets with campaign dollars, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) still represents more than 700,000 Californians in Washington, D.C.
Hunter pleaded guilty on Dec. 3 to conspiring with his wife to use more than $150,000 in campaign money for personal expenses. He said on Dec. 6 that he would resign “shortly after the holidays.” Congress will reconvene after its holiday break on Tuesday but so far, Hunter hasn’t answered questions on when exactly he’ll leave his seat.
Hunter’s deputy chief of staff and spokesperson Mike Harrison referred TPM to the congressman’s previous statement, as he did to the Associated Press and other outlets last week.
“I do not have any additional information to provide at this point beyond the statement put out by Congressman Hunter on Dec. 6,” he said.
Hunter and his wife Margaret Hunter were initially co-indicted on the campaign finance charges, accused of using campaign funds for a bevy of personal expenses including vacations, private school tuition and plane tickets.
A few months after Duncan threw Margaret under the bus — arguing that she “handled my finances” — she pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and began cooperating with the government. Prosecutors later introduced evidence that the congressman used campaign funds to pursue extramarital affairs.
The AP pointed out that members of Congress receive a paycheck on the first day of every month; Hunter presumably pocketed a new check at the start of the new year.
For his efforts, a panel of esteemed judges awarded Hunter TPM’s 2019 Golden Duke award.
