The Los Angeles Times editorial board has had enough of Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA).
“Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) should resign from Congress so he can spend more time with his lawyers,” the Times’ editorial board wrote in a scorching editorial published on Wednesday. “He’s really going to need it.”
The board argued that Hunter “can’t possibly be an effective representative for his district” as he fights a criminal indictment accusing him of campaign finance fraud, therefore: “He should resign immediately and clear the way for a special election.”
“If Hunter were an honorable man, he would have taken a leave of absence last year after being indicted and suspended his re-election campaign,” the board wrote. “Not as an admission of guilt, but as an acknowledgement that such serious criminal charges are a distraction from the important job of serving in the House of Representatives.”
In August 2018, federal prosecutors charged Hunter with misusing hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds for personal use, including extramarital affairs with five women. Hunter has pleaded not guilty.
Margaret Hunter, the congressman’s wife, was indicted along with her husband. She reversed her “not guilty” plea to “guilty,” and she will now cooperate with prosecutors as part of her deal.
