GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter, Wife Indicted for Allegedly Misusing $250K in Campaign Funds for Personal Expenses

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) and his wife, Margaret, have been indicted for allegedly misusing $250,ooo in campaign funds on personal expenses and filing false finance reports, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday. The personal expenses include family vacations to Italy and other domestic locations, school tuition, dental work, theater tickets, and travel costs for relatives, according to the DOJ. They also spent “tens of thousands” of dollars on coffee, groceries, movie tickets, home utilities, and expensive meals, expenses that were listed in reports to the Federal Election Commission under false labels. CNN reports that the myriad charges against the Hunters—which include wire fraud and conspiracy to commit offenses against the U.S.—come after a yearlong investigation, throughout which Hunter has insisted upon his innocence. The lawmaker has admitted that “there was wrong campaign spending,” but maintained that “it was not done by me.” His lawyers said last year that “[if] any mistakes were made they were strictly inadvertent and unintentional.” In 2016, Hunter reimbursed his campaign $65,000 after the FEC questioned his use of campaign funds on video games. Hunter is a representative of California’s 50th District, which has traditionally been a safe seat for Republicans but likely now faces a tough election in November.