Former Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) sees a bright side to Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) changing his plea to guilty in his campaign finance fraud case.
According to a San Diego Union-Tribune interview Thursday, Issa floated the idea of Trump extending clemency to Hunter if he is sentenced to prison on March 17 and argued that it would “balance the public good” by saving imprisonment costs.
“It’s not my decision. It’s the President’s decision,” Issa told the Union-Tribune. “But I would certainly say the commuting of sentencing… has a certain ability to balance the public good. Are we better off spending $60,000 a year to put him behind bars or are we better off with him doing community service and going on with his life with the likelihood of him committing a crime in the future being pretty low?”
In August, Issa announced that he had launched an exploratory committee to consider a potential bid for Hunter’s seat, which prompted him to withdraw his nomination by Trump for a trade post.
The Union-Tribune noted that unlike other challengers running for Hunter’s seat, Issa has not criticized the embattled Republican congressman.
On Thursday, the House Ethics Committee urged Hunter to “refrain from voting on any question at a meeting of the House or of the Committee of the Whole House,” citing a House rule regarding convicted lawmakers.
Read the San Diego Union-Tribune’s report here.
