This congressman spent $600 in campaign funds to fly his pet rabbit around

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published 4 January 2017

Not even rabbits are exempt from steep airline fees, it seems. An ongoing review of Rep. Duncan Hunter's (R) spending has revealed the California congressman spent nearly $600 in campaign money to fund his pet rabbit's air travel, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported late Tuesday.

While the House Office of Congressional Ethics in its ongoing investigation noted the expenditure as an example of Hunter's personal use of campaign funds, which federal law prohibits, his spokesman insisted the hundreds of dollars spent "in cabin rabbit transport fees" was just a big misunderstanding. "Since travel is often done on (airline) miles — which is entirely permissible — the credit card connected to the account was charged several times even when his children were flying," Joe Kasper said, calling the incident "nothing more than an oversight."