Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter of California intends to change his “not guilty” plea for charges of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations on personal expenses.
A federal indictment filed in August 2018 alleged Hunter and his wife, Margaret, illegally spent more than $250,000 in campaign donations to cover expenses such as family vacations and video games. A note posted in the U.S. District Court docket on Monday suggests Hunter may back off his claim of innocence.
“Notice of change of hearing as to defendant Duncan D. Hunter,” the entry says, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Change of Plea Hearing set for 12/3/2019 10:00 a.m. in Courtroom 3C before Judge Thomas J. Whelan.”
Hunter’s wife, who is also the lawmaker’s former campaign treasurer, pleaded guilty to making illegal campaign expenditures in June and agreed to testify against Hunter. Margaret, 44, faces up to five years in prison and is scheduled for sentencing in April.
[Previous coverage: Duncan Hunter’s wife to change plea in corruption case]
In an interview after the plea hearing announcement was posted, Hunter, 43, said, “It’s important not to have a public trial for three reasons, and those three reasons are my kids.”
“Whatever my time in custody will be, I will take that hit. My only hope is that the judge does not sentence my wife to jail. I think my kids need a mom in the home,” he continued.
The federal indictment alleges that the Hunters used funds meant for Hunter’s political campaigns to cover personal expenses for the better part of a decade. Included in the Hunters’ list of illegal expenditures are a $462 bill for a friend’s bachelor party, $704-worth of tickets to see How the Grinch Stole Christmas at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, and $1,528 spent on video games.
It also revealed evidence that Hunter was unfaithful to his wife with at least five other women, three of which are identified as lobbyists and the other two as congressional staffers.
Hunter has managed to hold onto his congressional seat despite the allegations that have engulfed him since they were first reported in 2016. He will abandon his seat either before his term is over or decline to run for reelection in 2020.
“I’m confident that the transition will be a good one,” Hunter said on Monday. “My office is going to remain open. We’re going to pass it off to whoever takes this seat next. I think it’s important to keep the seat a Republican seat.”
