GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter to plead guilty to misusing campaign funds, hints at possible resignation

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) is apparently having second thoughts.

The congressman had previously pleaded not guilty to allegations that he and his wife had spent around $250,000 in campaign funds for personal costs — a major violation of campaign finance laws. But after a year of maintaining his innocence, Hunter announced he will change that plea to guilty and possibly resign from Congress on Tuesday.

Hunter will plead guilty to one conspiracy count in a plea deal, his lawyer Paul Pfingst told Bloomberg on Monday. That's just one of the 60 counts originally levied against him, The San Diego Union-Tribune notes. And while Hunter wouldn't explicitly answer questions about departing Congress, he told local station KUSI on Monday that he's "confident that the transition will be a good one" and "I think it's important to keep the seat a Republican seat."

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An investigation previously found Hunter and his wife used about $250,000 on vacations, dental procedures, and other personal purchases. Margaret Hunter admitted to using the funds this summer, but Hunter has remained silent. He won re-election last year even under indictment and was subsequently stripped of his committee seats.