Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., declared Wednesday that he is “not going anywhere” after a federal court charged him with dozens of crimes, including charges of breaking campaign finance laws by using over $250,000 in campaign funds to pay for personal expenses and filing false Federal Election Commission reports to cover up the payments.
Hunter said in a lengthy statement that he is being targeted by a “politically motivated” Department of Justice that is going after both him and President Trump.
“The fact is that there is a culture operating within our Justice Department that is politically motivated,” Hunter said in the statement. “We are seeing this with President Trump; we are seeing this with my case.”
Speaking to a local TV station, Duncan further accused the Justice Department of being “the Democrats’ arm of law enforcement.”
“I have focused on one thing: doing the job with which I was elected to do. I have worked to represent my constituents, voting on policy issues that I believe would benefit our nation and opposing those that would do us harm,” Hunter said in the statement. “This is what I will continue to do, these efforts will not stop, and I am not going anywhere.”
Hunter also bashed the DOJ for indicting him, but not former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election.
The statement also indicates that Hunter won’t resign or retire from Congress ahead of his November election and won’t resign from his committee assignments after House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Tuesday that he will be stripped of those positions. The Republican Steering Committee is expected to vote on Sept. 4 to remove him from those committees if he does not resign.
In total, Hunter and his wife Margaret were hit with 60 counts that accuse the couple of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, falsification of records, and aiding and abetting the prohibited use of campaign contributions. Among the items the Hunters used campaign funds to pay for are hotel rooms, airline tickets, meals and food, along with entertainment expenses for vacations.
He had been under scrutiny from the FEC since April, 2016.
