Protesters bombarded Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., with a series of chants including “lock him up” as he entered a federal courthouse in San Diego on Thursday morning, following an indictment from a federal jury this week.
Duncan and his wife, Margaret Hunter, appeared in court Thursday after they were charged with wire fraud, prohibited use of campaign contributions, falsification of records, among other things.
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Video footage shows that protesters recited “lock him up” as he entered the courthouse, a reference to the chant “lock her up” that opponents of Hillary Clinton used in the 2016 election. When he exited the courtroom, protesters also yelled “shame” and “shame on you” at him.
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Duncan Hunter walked into the courthouse this morning to chants of “lock him up.” (via ABC) pic.twitter.com/sdGMbUCRUg
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 23, 2018
Duncan Hunter has exited the court to a crowd chanting “shame on you” pic.twitter.com/ejOjG0pcRN
— Javier Panzar ? (@jpanzar) August 23, 2018
The Hunters pleaded not guilty to spending $250,000 of campaign funds on golf outings, restaurants, groceries, and other personal items, and submitting incorrect reports to the Federal Election Commission. Bail for Hunter was reportedly set at $15,000; Margaret Hunter’s bail was set at $10,000.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Hunter would be removed from his committee positions earlier this week.
“The charges against Rep. Hunter are deeply serious,” Ryan previously said in a statement on Tuesday. “Now that he has been indicted, Rep. Hunter will be removed from his committee assignments pending the resolution of this matter.”
Hunter announced Thursday that he was temporarily stepping down from the Armed Services, Education and the Workforce, and Transportation and Infrastructure committees until the federal criminal case is resolved.
“In light of recent events, I am requesting to be temporarily removed from my positions,” Hunter said Thursday in a letter to Ryan. “I fully intend to resume my position as an active member of these committees upon a successful resolution of pending legal matters.”
“The charges against me are politically motivated and without merit. I intend to fight them fully,” Hunter added. “In the meantime, I look forward to quickly clearing my good name, and I will continue to represent the people of California’s 50th district.”
