Rep. Duncan Hunter alerted his staff that he would be resigning from his seat after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations.
The California Republican pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his campaign fund to float his lavish lifestyle. His purchases included $704-worth of tickets to see How the Grinch Stole Christmas at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre, $462 bill for a friend’s bachelor party, and $1,528 spent on video games. The investigation into his pending also revealed five extramarital affairs, including two separate affairs with members of his staff.
His wife Margaret had already pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations that occurred while she was treasurer of his campaign earlier this year and had agreed to testify against him.
In total, Hunter spent about $250,000 of his campaign dollars on personal expenses.
He sent an email to his staff late Friday announcing his planned resignation, saying, “Shortly after the Holidays I will resign from Congress It has been an honor to serve the people of California’s 50th District, and I greatly appreciate the trust they have put in me over these last 11 years.”
Hunter, 42, was first elected to the House in 2008. His father, Duncan Hunter Sr., had represented various California seats in Congress from 1981 to 2009.
