Feds: Duncan Hunter Did Something So Bad Disclosing It Would Taint the Jury Pool
There were stories popping up all over on Tuesday afternoon based on a court filing arguing for the admissibility of Rep. Duncan Hunter’s (five, count’em) extramarital affairs as evidence in establishing motive about the misuse of campaign funds for personal use.
As juicy as the details were, what was more interesting was what wasn’t said. Apparently there’s more bad behavior, so bad even the prosecution says it could keep him from getting a fair trial. My first guess would be references to Peruvian Marching Powder being consumed. Allegedly. (I did live in DC for a couple of decades or so, and saw a lot of things.)
The District 50 Republican was indicted in 2018 on charges for improperly using tens of thousands of dollars of campaign funds to pay for personal expenses, charging the campaign for luxury vacations and groceries.
His wife of 21 years, Margaret Hunter, was also charged, but has agreed to a plea bargain including testimony against the congressman. Exactly nobody was surprised by this turn of events, given that the congressman all but blamed his wife on Fox news shortly after learning of the charges.
Hunter, who won re-election in 2018 despite the charges, is still denying the allegations, now saying the charges against him were "politically motivated."
“You have criminally political prosecutors in this case on a personal smear campaign,” he told POLITICO. “This is the most political case in the world.”
An attorney for the California congressman did not immediately return a request for comment.
The Department of Justice also filed a motion to exclude any evidence of Hunter’s good behavior, including his military service, and other evidence that might suggest his use of campaign funds is routine among members of Congress.
The filing comes shortly after Hunter’s legal team asked for the case to be dismissed, alleging that the prosecutors are biased against him because they supported former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. In response, the Justice Department asked for any claims of political bias to be excluded.
In a motion to dismiss the case, Hunter’s attorney argued he was being targeted because he endorsed Trump.
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And, now, the details as revealed this weeks filings…
Hunter went so far as to actually live with one of his lovers, identified as Individual 14.
“Although the pair kept their romance under wraps, taking care not to be seen together in public, they found excuses for occasional outings or getaways together. As their relationship grew more serious, Hunter began living with I-14 at her D.C. area home.”
An employee of a member of the then-GOP controlled House leadership, was named as Individual 15. Their relationship began during the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida
“Over time, their relationship grew more serious, although once again Hunter was careful that the pair were not seen together in public. They often spent time together at I-15’s D.C.-area home, and as the relationship developed, Hunter began staying there nearly every night.”
Individual 16 was a woman who started working in for Hunter’s office in January 2015. They occasionally spent nights together at his office, going out with friends “using campaign funds to pay for their dates.”
Both Individuals 17 and 18 were lobbyists the congressman knew professionally and socially. The filing says Hunter used his campaign credit card for food, drinks, hotel stays and Uber rides to and from his girlfriends’ homes.
I’ll bet all those Republican supporters of his in District 50 are real proud of how hard their Representative was working for them. (Pun intended)
Prosecutors actually tried to work a deal with Hunter, allowing the defense to stipulate to his extramarital activities without making the government go into detail.
A footnote in the filing says he declined the proposal. Then things get real interesting.
Additional potentially secretive conduct
In addition to pursuing intimate personal relationships, Hunter improperly used campaign funds to pursue other clearly non-work related activity during get-togethers with his close personal friends. As with the evidence described above, the United States has offered to craft a factual stipulation that would eliminate the need to introduce this potentially sensitive evidence at trial. With respect to this evidence, Hunter has indicated he may seek such a stipulation; the parties are discussing specifics. (Emphasis added)
Public disclosure of this additional activity runs the risk of improperly tainting the jury pool before the trial begins. Accordingly, in the event the parties are unable to reach a stipulation on this matter, the United States respectfully requests that the Court grant leave to: (1) file a motion on this topic outside of the previously set deadlines; and (2) file the statement of facts related to this motion under seal.
Hunter’s trial is scheduled to start on September 10. On Monday (July 1), he is scheduled to appear for a hearing to consider legal arguments from prosecutors and the defense.
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In other news, Mayoral Candidate Barbara Bry has gone over to the dark side. At least that’s what’s being said on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/SaraLibby/status/1143525882687979520
https://twitter.com/evaposner/status/1143559619945517056
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Email me at DougPorter@WordsAndDeedsBlog.com