Rep. Duncan Hunter and his wife indicted in use of campaign funds for personal expenses

[phands]

With so much going on, it's easy to miss other confirmations of how corrupt the gop is...

Rep. Duncan Hunter and his wife, Margaret, were indicted Tuesday on charges related to the misuse of $250,000 worth of campaign funds for personal expenses and the filing of false campaign finance records.


The charges of wire fraud, falsifying records, campaign finance violations and conspiracy were the culmination of a Department of Justice investigation that has stretched for more than a year, during which the Republican congressman from California has maintained his innocence.
The Justice Department said the Hunters are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning in federal court in San Diego.
Republican Party leaders had long worried that with a potential indictment looming, Hunter's traditionally safe district, which makes up much of eastern San Diego County, could be at risk of Democratic takeover in November's midterm election.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/21/politics/duncan-hunter-campaign-charges/index.html?adkey=bn

 

[Copernicus]

With so much going on, it's easy to miss other confirmations of how corrupt the gop is...

Well, this kind of generalization invites defenders of the GOP to start a derailing whataboutism discussion with examples of corrupt behavior by Democrats. I would say that the real significance here is that Duncan Hunter comes from a safe GOP district, and this may help a Democratic challenger. However, this story is just about misuse of campaign funds, which, by today's standard of conduct among politicians, is fairly common. I suspect that most of his constituents will also see it as acceptable behavior in an elected official and vote for him anyway.

 

[phands]

That is all true, but the gop IS corrupt......and based on evidence, much more so than the dems. And sure, the dems are not corruption-free.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

I've been watching Duncan Hunter off and on over 16 years. He's in bed with military industrial complex, has taken hyuuuge donations from defense contractors who were later found guilty of corruption. So I've just been waiting for the law to catch up to him. They should now investigate the fuck out of him.

 

[BH]

Several years ago he was a candidate for the nomination to run for president.

 

[barbos]

With so much going on, it's easy to miss other confirmations of how corrupt the gop is...

Well, this kind of generalization invites defenders of the GOP to start a derailing whataboutism discussion with examples of corrupt behavior by Democrats. I would say that the real significance here is that Duncan Hunter comes from a safe GOP district, and this may help a Democratic challenger. However, this story is just about misuse of campaign funds, which, by today's standard of conduct among politicians, is fairly common. I suspect that most of his constituents will also see it as acceptable behavior in an elected official and vote for him anyway.

What about Rod Blagojevich?

 

[Underseer]

With so much going on, it's easy to miss other confirmations of how corrupt the gop is...

Well, this kind of generalization invites defenders of the GOP to start a derailing whataboutism discussion with examples of corrupt behavior by Democrats. I would say that the real significance here is that Duncan Hunter comes from a safe GOP district, and this may help a Democratic challenger. However, this story is just about misuse of campaign funds, which, by today's standard of conduct among politicians, is fairly common. I suspect that most of his constituents will also see it as acceptable behavior in an elected official and vote for him anyway.

What about Rod Blagojevich?

Ah, yes. Rod Blagojevich being guilty definitely proves that Hunter and his wife were not guilty.

That means their conviction must be a conspiracy by the Deep State!

Everyone talk about Blagojevich instead! Please?

 

[barbos]

What about Rod Blagojevich?

Ah, yes. Rod Blagojevich being guilty definitely proves that Hunter and his wife were not guilty.

That means their conviction must be a conspiracy by the Deep State!

Everyone talk about Blagojevich instead! Please?

How did you get to such a stupid conclusion?
They are both guilty, in fact pretty much all politicians are corrupt SOB.

 

[Worldtraveller]

What about Rod Blagojevich?

Ah, yes. Rod Blagojevich being guilty definitely proves that Hunter and his wife were not guilty.

That means their conviction must be a conspiracy by the Deep State!

Everyone talk about Blagojevich instead! Please?

How did you get to such a stupid conclusion?
They are both guilty, in fact pretty much all politicians are corrupt SOB.

You can always count them:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_federal_politicians_convicted_of_crimes

I haven't bothered, and I don't know how accurate (or up to date, a lot of them would have been added recently) the list is, but can you at least stop with this stupid tu quqoue every other bloody post?

 

[Copernicus]

Barbos is only showing folks how easy it is to derail a discussion that starts out claiming one party is more corrupt than the other. We can choose to go down the whataboutery rabbit hole or discuss the Duncan Hunter matter, not both. But this is a good lesson in how difficult it is for people to resist whataboutism. It even works on people who ought to know better.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Barbos is only showing folks how easy it is to derail a discussion that starts out claiming one party is more corrupt than the other. We can choose to go down the whataboutery rabbit hole or discuss the Duncan Hunter matter, not both. But this is a good lesson in how difficult it is for people to resist whataboutism. It even works on people who ought to know better.

Ya, but whataboutism also works on people who don't know better, so it's not like you can draw any conclusions about those who should know better from this.

 

[phands]

Here’s all the insane stuff “vaping congressman” Duncan Hunter charged to his campaign credit cards

Wow...

• Bought video games for the family and falsely reported them to the FEC as fraudulent charges.
• In all, the two spent more than $1,500 at Steam Games on video games, which Hunter previously had blamed on his son. In August 2010, Hunter bought a $40 game from the Apple Store and a $1,199 iMac computer.
• Margaret picked up $85 worth of books and puzzles at Barnes & Noble, but told the campaign treasurer that she just bought “booklets for San Diego.”
• Hunter bought a round of golf and beers using a campaign card and the treasurer asked whether it was campaign related, Hunter responded “Yessir.” He’d give the same response when asked about nearly $2,000 in Steelers tickets.
• Spent hundreds on iPhone camera lenses at the Apple Store. He also boosted his wife’s salary to $2,500 a month from $2,000 in 2013.
• Hunter dropped $399 on a zipline ride during an expensive trip to a Pennsylvania resort
• After Hunter went golfing in October 2014 and put more than $200 on the campaign card, he told his Treasurer it was a “Christian thing” with a supporter
• Margaret shelled out about $1,800 at the dentist to pay out an overdue balance. To disguise that payment, she told the Treasurer it was for a charity called “Smiles for Life.”
• After the family shelled out more than $14,000 on a trip to Italy, Hunter attempted to set up a tour at a U.S. naval facility there to make the excursion look campaign-related. Navy officials couldn’t comply with the particular date he wanted to visit, so Hunter told his chief of staff to “tell the Navy to go fuck themselves.”

Tuition at Christian Unified Schools in California for their children was concealed differently, including as charitable donations, the Justice Department said.

Another true xtian caught in the act.

 

[blastula]

Rep. Duncan Hunter Throws His Wife Under The Bus, Says She Handled Finances – Talking Points Memo

“I’m saying when I went to Iraq in 2003 the first time I gave her power of attorney and she handled my finances throughout my entire military career and that continued on when I got to Congress since I’m gone five days and home for two,” he said to Fox News’ Martha McCallum. “She was also the campaign manager. So whatever she did, that will be looked at, too, I’m sure. But I didn’t do it.”

Cold.

 

[barbos]

How did you get to such a stupid conclusion?
They are both guilty, in fact pretty much all politicians are corrupt SOB.

You can always count them:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_federal_politicians_convicted_of_crimes

I haven't bothered, and I don't know how accurate (or up to date, a lot of them would have been added recently) the list is, but can you at least stop with this stupid tu quqoue every other bloody post?

When people stop actively select cases which suits their views and ignore the rest I will stop pointing out that both sides are corrupt.

- - - Updated - - -

Barbos is only showing folks how easy it is to derail a discussion that starts out claiming one party is more corrupt than the other. We can choose to go down the whataboutery rabbit hole or discuss the Duncan Hunter matter, not both. But this is a good lesson in how difficult it is for people to resist whataboutism. It even works on people who ought to know better.

That's pretty rich, coming from a master of linguistic derail.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Rep. Duncan Hunter Throws His Wife Under The Bus, Says She Handled Finances – Talking Points Memo

“I’m saying when I went to Iraq in 2003 the first time I gave her power of attorney and she handled my finances throughout my entire military career and that continued on when I got to Congress since I’m gone five days and home for two,” he said to Fox News’ Martha McCallum. “She was also the campaign manager. So whatever she did, that will be looked at, too, I’m sure. But I didn’t do it.”

Cold.

Being gone for 5 of 7 days doesn't need a power of attorney to handle finances.

 

[phands]

Indicted Republican congressman bravely threw his wife under the bus on national television

Huts...wow...Hunter truly is a true xtian....

Every single day, Rep. Duncan Hunter finds a new way to disgrace himself. You’d think a criminal indictment would humble the California Republican, but no. He took to Fox News to make a public defense of the charges that he used $250,000 in campaign funds on items like a family trip to Italy, flying his pet rabbit across the country, sporting events, and most grotesquely, buying shoes and clothing and then disguising those as donations to the Wounded Warriors Foundation.
So, what was his primary defense? That he himself disclosed this inappropriate spending (he didn’t), that these are Justice Department Democrats out to get him (they aren’t) and that his wife is to blame for all of it (she isn’t.) From CBS News:

They pleaded not guilty in federal court in San Diego Thursday afternoon. Hunter blames "pure politics" and the "Democrats' arm of law enforcement" of the Justice Department for the charges against him. In the Fox interview, Hunter said his wife has long handled the finances, and worked as his campaign manager.
"When I went away to Iraq in 2003, the first time, I gave her power of attorney," Hunter told Fox News. "She handled my finances throughout my entire military career and that continued on when I got into Congress. ... She was also the campaign manager so whatever she did, that'll be looked at too, I'm sure, but I didn't do it."
​

No wonder they reportedly sat four seats apart in the courtroom this week as they heard the charges. Something tells me these two will be meeting again in a different courtroom in the not-too-distant future—a divorce court.
Of course, there is another big problem with Hunter blaming his wife, Margaret: his own campaign treasurer repeatedly warned him directly about the illegal use of funds, and it is all documented in the 47-page indictment.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/20...his-wife-under-the-bus-on-national-television

 

[southernhybrid]

I don't know if it's been mentioned, but he actually said this was a witch hunt that was organized by the deep state. Now, where would he get such an idea? I also heard him say that it is very hard living on that 184K year salary that he gets. Poor baby. Why did he take the job if he could make more in the private sector? And, if someone feels like his salary isn't enough, can he legally steal from his employer?