Indicted Rep. Duncan Hunter says his wife's the one who handles his finances
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) wants everyone to know that not only did he not handle his campaign funds, but he's not even in charge of his own bank account.
Hunter and his wife, Margaret, were indicted earlier this week, accused of spending more than $250,000 in campaign funds on personal vacations, clothes, and flying their pet rabbit to Washington, D.C. They pleaded not guilty on Thursday morning, and during an appearance on Fox News later in the day, Hunter denied any wrongdoing. "My campaign did make mistakes, there was money spent on things, not by me but by the campaign, and I paid that back before my last election," Hunter told Martha MacCallum.
He called the charges "pure politics," and when asked if this was his wife's fault, Hunter didn't say no. Hunter served in Iraq with the Marines, and said when he deployed he gave his wife power of attorney over their finances. "She was also the campaign manager, so whatever she did, that'll be looked at, too, I'm sure," he said. "But I didn't do it. I didn't spent any money illegally." As a congressman, Hunter earns $174,000 a year, and MacCallum asked him if he thought that number should be higher. "I think it depends where you live," he said. "It's difficult to live in a place like San Francisco or San Diego or New York or D.C. It's probably easier to live in Kansas or Missouri. It's all relative."
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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