Congressman Duncan Hunter Revives Hate Campaign for 2020
San Diego’s Democratic House members are reportedly drafting a statement, according to Politico, rebuking Congressman Duncan Hunter in response to a fundraising letter suggesting his likely 2020 opponent is advancing an Islamist political agenda.
The pitch for contributions claims challenger Ammar Campa-Najjar’s last bid was buoyed by “supporters of the Palestinian Liberation Organization,” adding a claim that the Democrat’s grandfather was involved with planning the terrorist attack on the 1972 Munich Olympics.
“He’s just trying to fearmonger,” Campa-Najjar told POLITICO, calling Hunter’s claims “totally devoid of moral character and facts” and an effort to “distract from his criminal indictment.”
The claims echo Hunter’s TV ads during the 2018 campaign, which insinuated his Democratic opponent was part of an attempt by Muslims to “infiltrate” the U.S. government. The messaging was widely denounced, with critics citing its racist overtones.
Campa-Najjar has repeatedly rebutted allegations that he is aligned with political Islam by noting that he is a Christian, he never knew his Palestinian grandfather — and has disavowed the Olympics attack — and that he had to obtain a security clearance to work in the Obama White House.
https://twitter.com/SaraLibby/status/1110300475738382337
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The county’s last Republican in Washington narrowly won re-election in 2018, under the cloud of a 60 count indictment alleging he and his wife used campaign coffers to the tune of $250,000 as if they were personal bank accounts and falsified Federal Election Commission campaign finance reports to cover their tracks.
Beginning in 2009 and continuing through 2016, the Hunters are accused of illegally using campaign money to pay for such things as family vacations to Italy, Hawaii and Boise, Idaho, school tuition, dental work, theater tickets and smaller purchases, including fast food, tequila shots, golf outings and video games.
A trial date for the Hunters, who have pled not guilty to all the charges, is set for September 10, 2019. In the meantime, the Congressman has been stripped of all committee assignments and has turned to social media to try and stay relevant.
The former Marine was first elected to Congress in 2008, succeeding his father, also named Duncan Hunter, who represented the area for nearly 30 years.
From Politico:
The battle for Hunter’s seat promises to again be competitive: the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has rallied behind the race, designating it one of two “offensive battlefield targets.” Campa-Najjar has followed up on last year’s 3.4 point loss by announcing that he raised over $345,000 in the first quarter of this year.
Hunter, meanwhile, has been politically hamstrung by the federal case hanging over his tenure. House leadership has stripped him of his committee assignments, a situation the DCCC has sought to highlight.
A significant part of the congressman’s quest for visibility has involved his supposed connections and influence with President Trump.
Hunter was quick to highlight a Saturday morning Twitter message from the President ordering the Navy to modify the detention of Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher charged with war crimes.
From the Navy Times:
Military prosecutors contend that he murdered an unarmed and incapacitated teenage ISIS detainee receiving medical aid on May 3, 2017, near the Iraqi city of Mosul before later posing with the corpse during a macabre re-enlistment ceremony.
They also allege Gallagher gunned down unwitting civilians with his sniper rifle, bragged about racking up the kills and threatened to intimidate and publicly out fellow members of SEAL Team 7 who complained to superiors and investigators about him...
…Because of the serious nature of his alleged crimes and claims that Gallagher sought to intimidate SEAL witnesses and obstruct justice, he was placed in the brig by California-based SEAL Group 1 before he was arraigned.
The President’s order followed a Capital Hill rally, where various conservative Congressmen alleged Gallagher was being held “with sex offenders, rapists and pedophiles”
Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and an Iraq war veteran, continues to call on President Donald Trump to intervene in Gallagher’s case.
“I would ask for this whole case to be dropped,” he said. “It’s time we stop persecuting our warriors who go overseas and do what we ask them to do. Maybe if we persecuted them less, we wouldn’t be in Afghanistan 18 years later, still with no end in sight.
“There’s a reason we’re not winning these wars, and it’s because we go after our own guys.”
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https://twitter.com/Rep_Hunter/status/1114277907189260288
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A Union Tribune analysis of Hunter’s recent fundraising reveals a $2,000 contribution from the backer of an anti-immigration hate group.
A Seattle-based group called Respect Washington, which has fought against “sanctuary” cities that decline to cooperate with federal immigration officials, according to the Seattle Times.
The King County sheriff and a Burien City Council member fear an inaccurate flier mailed to some residents listing purportedly undocumented immigrants’ names, addresses and crimes will incite violence.
The flier by Respect Washington, an organization opposed to sanctuary cities, listed 16 last names and alleged crimes from 2008-2017, such as murder and rape. It also had a map purportedly showing where some of the people lived and stated that some were gang members.
King County Sheriff John Urquhart received the flier Thursday from a concerned citizen. He discovered some of the people named haven’t been convicted of the crimes listed and some of the addresses are outdated, with family or perhaps new residents living there.
“I think it was to instill fear in the community and divide the community even further and incite vigilantism,” he said.
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Finally, there’s the question of what the San Diego Republican party will do should Hunter be convicted for the campaign fraud charges, assuming he agrees to relinquish the office (which he does not have to do!)
From the Union-Tribune
"If (the legal case) is resolved in his favor and he is found not guilty, I anticipate he'll run for re-election," said Tony Krvaric, chairman of the Republican Party of San Diego County. "If not, it kind of resolves itself. Everybody who is running is running in case Duncan doesn't run."
The actions so far of the three Republican candidates who have filed to run – Temecula Mayor Matt Rahn, El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells and retired Navy SEAL Larry Wilske – reflect a similar sentiment. They don't criticize Hunter, but they express a need to have a realistic outlook on his situation.
"Right now, I think that is the plan," Rahn said of his candidacy. "We don't want to convict someone in the court of public opinion, but we recognize that with what has been said and included in the indictment ... there is serious doubt about his ability to serve in the future."
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Lead image: Screengrab from Fox News (Modified)