Judge Sets September Trial Date for Rep. Duncan Hunter
California Republican and his wife are accused of misusing more than $250,000 in campaign funds
Rep. Duncan Hunter will face trial starting September 10, a federal judge in California said Monday.
Hunter and his wife Margaret face 60 federal charges related to spending more than $250,000 in campaign funds on personal expenses such as family vacations and golf outings.
The couple were indicted by a federal grand jury in late August for allegedly using campaign funds for personal expenses and trying to cover their tracks in campaign finance filings to the Federal Election Commission. Both pleaded not guilty to the charges at an arraignment days later.
There are several pre-trial hearings ahead of the September trial date. Hunter’s attorney, Gregory Vega, has asked repeatedly for additional time to go through FBI documents and other discovery materials before going to trial.
The congressman and his wife Margaret are not being represented by the same legal team and did not enter or exit the courthouse together.
Hunter was re-elected to represent California’s 50th congressional district in November despite the indictment. The House is in session for most of September, meaning that Hunter may continue to face conflicts between his responsibilities in the House and his court appearances.
The former Marine was first elected to Congress in 2008, succeeding his father, also named Duncan Hunter, who had represented the district in the House for nearly 30 years.
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