Duncan Hunter Pleads Guilty to Just One of 63 Criminal Charges
The ‘witch hunt’ is over for Congressman Duncan Hunter.
A hearing notice was posted Monday morning on San Diego’s federal court docket announcing a change of plea for the California Republican on Tuesday. Not long after, Hunter appeared on KUSI News to make it official.
“The plea I accepted is misuse of my own campaign funds, of which I pled guilty to only one count,” Hunter said on the air. "I justify my plea with the understanding that I am responsible for my own campaign and my own campaign money.”
I have a feeling that any of us peons facing a 63 count criminal indictment wouldn’t be skating with a guilty plea to just one charge.
Politico reported that a source close to the case said Hunter's plea agreement will be "virtually identical" to the deal made by Margaret Hunter, who was prepared to testify against her husband in court.
We won’t get to see her testify about the $250,000 in campaign funds alleged to have been spent on household expenses, along with more than one extra-marital affair.
Hunter, who narrowly won reelection last fall despite his indictment, has long claimed that he was the subject of a political witch hunt. Hunter alleged that the prosecutors were biased against him because they supported former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and he was an early endorser of President Donald Trump.
Prosecutors accused Hunter of improperly using campaign funds to pursue numerous romantic affairs with congressional aides and lobbyists.
Prosecutors urged the judge in Hunter's case to "admonish" the lawmaker to stop attacking them as politically biased. Hunter, they said, had attempted to connect his case to Trump's claims of an FBI "witch hunt" against him.
The Congressman’s lawyers are expected to cite Hunter’s military and public service records in asking for a reduction in the recommended (8 to 14 months) federal sentencing range for this felony charge.
Had the case moved forward, the trial was slated to start January 22. A motion at the appellate court level seeking to dismiss the charges and a House Ethics Committee investigation will be dropped.
Should the plea deal require Hunter to resign, Gov. Gavin Newsom will have 14 days to call for a special election to fill the vacancy. California election law requires special elections to be held at least 126 days but not more than 140 days after a governor's proclamation, meaning the special election to replace Hunter could coincide with the March 3, 2020 primary.
Speaking of indicted Republicans, NY Congressman Chris Collins will be appearing in court on Tuesday to plead guilty to insider trading. Collins was the first House Republican to endorse Trump’s candidacy. Duncan Hunter was the second one to do so.
The San Diego County Registrar’s offices lists eleven candidates declaring an intention to run for the 50 Congressional District seat occupied by a member of the Hunter family since 1980.
Ammar Campa-Najjar, who came relatively (it’s a very red district) close to unseating Duncan Hunter in 2018 has for all practical purposes cleared his field, and is the only Democrat with name recognition in the race.
Better known Republican contenders include former 49th District Congressman Darrell Issa, who is reportedly favored by House minority leader Kevin McCarthy, former City Councilman/gadfly Carl DeMaio, and State Senator Brian Jones, who has the advantage of actually representing constituents in East San Diego County.
The San Diego Union-Tribune, whose investigative reporters uncovered much of the malfeasance leading up to the indictments, ran with its fourth editorial calling on the Congressman to resign.
Here’s the opening salvo:
Deny, deny, deny. Deceive, deflect, delay.
That’s how Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, has handled the campaign finance scandal that’s swirled around him for three and a half years.
It’s despicable, especially because we all knew this day would come. Finally, mercifully, it has.
It’s gotta be a sweet moment for those working at San Diego’s daily paper, who endured much of the abuse coming from Hunter.
https://twitter.com/SDuncovered/status/1201635503411318784?s=20
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