I give Congressman Duncan and Margaret Hunter credit: They’ve got some kind of nerve.
Hunter’s campaign has published a lengthy statement calling the effort to indict him a “witch-hunt.”
I’ve broken his statement up into small bits, juxtaposed with paragraphs from the 48-page indictment. Sometimes the two pieces are related. Sometimes they’re not. It’s a long, but worthy read. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll wonder how this guy looks in the mirror in the morning.
But if you’re not shaking your head after reading this, please consider yourself a committed Trumpanista
The words from Congressman’s complete statement are red. The words from the indictment excerpts are black. Enjoy.
I believe in our American system of justice, I support our system of justice.
Beginning as early as December 2009 and continuing up through and including the end of 2016, within the Southern District of California and elsewhere, Defendants DUNCAN HUNTER and MARGARET HUNTER, knowingly and with the intent to defraud, devised a material scheme to defraud the Campaign and to obtain money and property from it by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises, and by intentional concealment and omission of material facts.
I cannot say the same, however, for those within our justice system that have a political agenda to harm those with whom they differ.
2) On or about January 22 to 25, 2010, in Reno, Nevada, DUNCAN HUNTER spent $351.04 in Campaign funds at Alamo Rent A Car so that he could drive from Reno, Nevada to Lake Tahoe for a personal ski trip with Individual 14. [Eds Note: Individual 14 is one of several ‘personal’ friends of the female persuasion]
3) On or about January 25, 2010, in Incline Village, Nevada, DUNCAN HUNTER spent $1,008.72 in Campaign funds at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino for food, drinks, and three nights lodging during a personal ski trip with Individual 14. On this day, the HUNTER family bank account had a negative balance and incurred six separate insufficient funds fees (totaling $198). Also on this same day, DUNCAN HUNTER withdrew $20 from his personal bank account, leaving a balance of $15.02.
One of the pillars of our country since its founding is that those tasked with enforcing the law would do so in an unbiased manner, allowing evidence to dictate how cases should run, with nothing impeding the rule of law.
9) On or about April 26, 2010, in El Cajon, California, MARGARET HUNTER spent $64.72 in Campaign funds at Albertsons one of 45 occasions between 2010 and 2016 that MARGARET HUNTER and DUNCAN HUNTER spent a total of $6,312.81 in Campaign funds at Albertsons and Haggen Food Pharmacy primarily to purchase groceries and other household items for the HUNTER family.
Unfortunately, this is not the case today.
12) On or about May 20, 2010, in El Cajon, California, MARGARET HUNTER spent $80 in Campaign funds at Shell Oil one of 155 different occasions between 2010 and 2016 that MARGARET HUNTER spent a total of $8,181.57 in Campaign funds at various gas stations in the San Diego area after she was informed by the Treasurer that it was impermissible to charge gas directly to the Campaign.
The fact is that there is a culture operating within our Justice Department that is politically motivated.
21) On or about November 19 to 22, 2010, in Pittsburgh, and elsewhere, the HUNTERS spent $1,912.66 in Campaign funds as a birthday gift for a family member to attend a Pittsburgh Steelers game at Heinz Field at the invitation of Congressman B. To conceal and disguise these illegal personal charges, the HUNTERS failed to inform the Treasurer that they were for a football game or that a family member was one of the attendees. When asked if the charges were campaign-related, DUNCAN HUNTER falsely confirmed, “Yessir.”
22) On or about December 10, 2010, in response to an email from his Treasurer questioning a variety of charges and noting that Campaign money could not be used for a leisure outing at which the discussion occasionally focuses on the campaign, DUNCAN HUNTER asked the Treasurer if he was trying to “create some kind of paper trail” on him.
23) On or about December 22, 2010, after the Treasurer again warned the HUNTERS that campaign funds may not be used for a leisure outing? even if campaign business is occasionally discussed, MARGARET HUNTER told the Treasurer that she refused to provide the names of individuals she allegedly. took out for meals with Campaign because “that’s silly.”
We are seeing this with President Trump; we are seeing this with my case.
29) Beginning in about’June 2011 and continuing throughout the year, in San Diego and elsewhere, after being informed by his Treasurer that MARGARET HUNTER was making problematic purchases (including at grocery stores and various retail stores), DUNCAN HUNTER allowed her to continue to use the Campaign card.
This is evidenced by the fact that after two years of investigating, the Department of Justice decided to take this action right before my election.
39) On or about August 6 to 10, 201 1, in Las Vegas, Nevada and elsewhere, the HUNTERS spent $2,448.27 in Campaign funds on a personal vacation with Individuals 3A and 3B. During this vacation, the HUNTER family bank account began incurring insufficient funds fees until a check from DUNCAN parents was deposited into the account on August 10. To conceal and disguise these illegal charges, DUNCAN HUNTER falsely informed his Treasurer that all the charges related to this trip were ‘campaign-related.’ Similarly, MARGARET HUNTER misled the Treasurer by describing that the Las Vegas charges were for “couple meals.“
For over two years, I have made myself available to cooperate with this investigation in any manner.
49) On or about October 28, 2011, in and around Washington, DC, the HUNTERS spent $3,754.73 in- Campaign funds for a family vacation in which the HUNTERS ran the Marine Corps Marathon (10K course) and took their family to a fall festival. DUNCAN HUNTER falsely informed his Treasurer that the charges associated with this trip were “all campaign” and MARGARET HUNTER added that they were “during a trip to dc. Meals mostly.”
To date, I have not been asked one time to answer any questions or address any issue.
52) On or about December 17, 2011, after the Treasurer reminded DUNCAN HUNTER and MARGARET HUNTER that it was impermissible to mix personal and Campaign expenses on the Amex card, specifically referencing charges made at Barnes Noble, Michaels craft store, the Disney Store, Vons, Walmart, and World Market the HUNTERS failed to reclassify or reimburse these personal expenses.
I have not had one opportunity to present my side of anything in this investigation or to counter any allegations against me.
55) On or about January 22, 2012, MARGARET HUNTER spent $504.20 in Campaign funds to buy a roundtrip United Airlines ticket for her mother from San Diego to Chicago. To conceal and disguise the illegal charge, she falsely told the Treasurer that they were for a “flight to Baltimore for NRCC winter meeting.”
56) On or about February 8 and 16, 2012, the HUNTERS spent $306.80 in Campaign funds at United Airlines for additional charges related to a ticket for MARGARET’s mother to fly from San Diego to Chicago. In response to whether the charge was campaign-related, DUNCAN HUNTER told his Treasurer: “Yes sir.”
57) On or about March 16, 2012, the HUNTERS spent $36.96 in Campaign funds at United Airlines for additional charges related to a ticket for MARGARET’s mother to fly from Warsaw, Poland to Chicago. In response to whether the charges were campaign-related, DUNCAN HUNTER told his Treasurer: “Yes they are.”
All the while, there has been a constant barrage of misinformation and salacious headlines in our media regarding this matter.
61) In or around June 2012, DUNCAN HUNTER Continued to authorize MARGARET expenditure of Campaign funds, even after being informed by his Chief of Staff of concerns about MARGARET spending on gift cards that she claimed were for charitable donations, restaurants, and supermarkets.
I purposely choose to remain silent, not to feed into this witch-hunt and trust the process.
72) On or about October 21, 2012, in El Cajon, California, MARGARET HUNTER spent $28.88 in Campaign funds at Panda Express to purchase food one of 200 separate occasions between 2010 and 2016 that MARGARET HUNTER spent a total of $5,068.34 in Campaign funds at fast food restaurants such as In Out, Carl?s Jr., Jack in the Box, Wendy?s, McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, La Salsa, Pizza Hut, Domino’s Pizza, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Menchies Frozen Yogurt, without documenting a legitimate campaign purpose. To conceal and disguise the illegal October 21, 2012 charge, she told the Treasurer that it was for a “meal on campaign go.“
I have focused on one thing; doing the job with which I was elected to do.
80) On or about April 20, 2013, in San Diego, California, DUNCAN HUNTER spent $219.93 in Campaign funds at Island Prime during a personal dinner with MARGARET HUNTER and Individuals 1A and 1B. To disguise the personal nature of this illegal charge, DUNCAN HUNTER misled his Chief of Staff by describing his friend Individual 1A as just a “State Farm Insurance guy” who did business with churches.
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.
95) On or about May 20, 2014, MARGARET HUNTER spent $261.12 in Campaign funds at Cox Communications to pay a portion of the overdue balance on their home cable subscription, one of ten payments totaling $3,166.06 that MARGARET HUNTER made to Cox using Campaign funds to pay cable bills. To conceal and disguise her illegal activity, MARGARET HUNTER told the Chief of Staff that the May 20, 2014 charge was a “one time set up” fee for an “internet printer and fax line” (the nine additional payments being made only after the Chief of Staff retired at the end of 2014).
I have helped those having problems with federal agencies and advocating for those who have fallen through the cracks of bureaucracy.
98) On or about July 9, 2014, the HUNTERS spent $250 in Campaign funds at United Airlines to fly a family pet to Washington, DC. for a family vacation.
99) On or about July 13, 2014, in Farmington, DUNCAN HUNTER spent $1,067 in Campaign funds, including $399 for a zip line ride, at the
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort for family activities that were not part of a scheduled Work event held at the hotel.
This is what I will continue to do, these efforts will not stop, and I am not going anywhere.
14) On or about March 18, 2015, by misleading the Treasurer, MARGARET HUNTER requested $131.76 from the Campaign as reimbursement for a personal night out at Blue Point Coastal (on February 28, 2015) with Individuals 4A and 4B.
115) That same day, in San Diego, California, MARGARET HUNTER obtained an additional $438.48 from the Campaign as reimbursement for a personal night out at Island Prime (on March 7, 2015) with Individuals 1A and 1B and Individual 2A. MARGARET HUNTER requested and obtained reimbursement for the full check despite the fact the friends had paid for $366.48 of the total bill. When she requested these reimbursements, the HUNTER family bank account had a negative balance and incurred seven insufficient funds fees and one returned item fee (totaling $272) during the prior week.
The actions of the Justice Department speak for themselves. It is a sad state of affairs when those entrusted with upholding the law have no appreciation for following the rule of law.
116) On or about March 20, 2015, when DUNCAN HUNTER told MARGARET HUNTER that he was planning “to buy my Hawaii shorts” but had run out of money, she counseled him to buy the shorts at a golf pro shop so that they could falsely describe the purchase later as “some [golf] balls for the wounded warriors.”
Consider this; overwhelming evidence indicated that Hillary Clinton took direct action to circumvent investigations into her campaign, she was interviewed and no action was taken.
123) On or about May 10, 2015, in Coronado, California, the HUNTERS spent $999.68 in Campaign funds at the Hotel del Coronado to purchase tickets to a Mother?s Day brunch for their family (including MARGARET mother) and items at the gift shop.
After two years of investigation into my campaign, I have never been interviewed and they made a decision to prosecute.
132) On or about July 19, 2015, in Alpine, California, DUNCAN HUNTER withdrew $300 in Campaign funds from an ATM before heading to the Del Mar Racetrack with Individuals 1A and 1B, one of approximately 26 occasions in 2015 and 2016 that DUNCAN HUNTER and MARGARET HUNTER withdrew a total of more than $4,800 in cash from the Campaign?s accounts for primarily personal use. To conceal and disguise their personal use of the money withdrawn on July 19, 2015, MARGARET HUNTER falsely told the Treasurer that the “cash was needed for various small projects events involving volunteers.” She later falsely claimed that the cash “was used for hardware supplies.“
Additionally, three prosecutors, two of which are directly involved this case, attended a fundraising event at a private home in La Jolla in 2015, one of which was the individual who signed the indictment. We know these individuals attended this event from 9:00-12:00 noon during working hours.
137) On or about August 5, 2015, in La Mesa, California, MARGARET HUNTER spent $700 in Campaign funds at a local dentist to continue to pay down the family?s overdue balance. In order to conceal and disguise this illegal payment, she told the Treasurer that part of the payment was a charitable contribution for “Smiles for Life.”
138) On or about August 8, 2015, in Alpine, California, MARGARET HUNTER spent $300 in Campaign funds at the local water utility after the utility threatened to discontinue the Water service due to unpaid bills.
We are told that this was at the request of Secret Service to officially assist law enforcement with protection, but this explanation is disputed by former U.S. Attorneys familiar with the responsibilities of their office.
139) On or about August 12, 2015, in El Cajon, California, MARGARET HUNTER spent $3,500 in Campaign funds to pay the family?s tuition bill at Christian United Schools one of three different dates in 2015 that MARGARET HUNTER spent a total of $6,150 in Campaign funds to pay tuition. To conceal and disguise these illegal payments, the HUNTERS provided a number of conflicting explanations, including that the payments were charitable contributions.
The obvious question is why would the Secret Service need three prosecutors at a fundraising event? The answer is they are partisan prosecutors.
149) On or about October 6, 2015, in Alpine, California, after his Campaign debit card was disabled, DUNCAN HUNTER retrieved his Campaign credit card from MARGARET HUNTER but allowed her to retain access to the Campaign credit card number for online purchases.
150) On or about October 13, 2015, MARGARET HUNTER paid $1,268 in Campaign funds to for utilities at the family home.
My constituents are not easily misled.
156) On or’about November 19 to 29, 2015, the HUNTERS spent $14,261.33 (including airfare) in Campaign funds to pay for a family vacation to Italy.
I know they can recognize a political agenda when they see it and they can disregard empty rhetoric when they hear it.
157) On or about November 23, 2015 in an attempt to justify the use of Campaign funds to pay for the family’s trip to Italy, DUNCAN HUNTER attempted to set up a day tour of a US. naval facility in Italy. After Navy officials responded that they could only provide a tour on a particular date, DUNCAN HUNTER said he would discuss the proposed date with MARGARET HUNTER, then subsequently told his Chief of Staff, “tell the navy to go f*** themselves [no alteration in original],” and no tour occurred.
I fought for our nation against terrorists in the Marine Corps. I fight for my constituents in the halls of Congress.
172) On or about March 4, 2016, in Washington, DC, DUNCAN HUNTER spent $462.46 in Campaign funds for 30 shots of tequila and one steak at E1 Tamarindo restaurant during Individual 8’s bachelor party.
I will fight this in the same manner and with the same level of determination because I believe in what I am fighting for and still have faith that evidence and the rule of law will trump political agendas and bias.
188) On or about April 7, 2016, after numerous articles appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune and Other media outlets, the HUNTERS repaid $5,746 to the Campaign related to additional personal charges identi?ed in news reports.
189) On or about May 12, 2016, in Washington, DC, DUNCAN HUNTER spent $560.90 in Campaign funds at Del Frisco?s Double Eagle Steak House for dinner and drinks with his mother.
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The “golf balls for wounded warriors” was the one that got me. These people have no shame, scruples or brains.
THANK YOU so much, Doug, for your thorough analysis of this crook Hunter. His father probably taught him the ropes; crooked I’m thinkin’ anyway.
Could it be that the only place the Hunters didn’t shop at was Dunkin Donuts? There didn’t seem to be any “Duncan do-nots”. The only Hunter fans now should be those rotating in peoples’ family rooms. What a couple of weasels…