Duncan Hunter’s wife will plead guilty in campaign fund misuse case

Margaret Hunter, wife of embattled Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), will plead guilty in the case against her and her husband over allegedly misusing hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Wednesday that a court filing indicated Margaret Hunter would a formally request to change her plea to guilty on Thursday after pleading not guilty last year.

{mosads}Duncan Hunter and his wife are accused of using more than $250,000 in campaign funding for personal trips and expenses, including as much as $600 to fly the family’s pet rabbit across the country. Margaret Hunter served as her husband’s campaign treasurer throughout his reelection bid in 2018 as well as for past campaigns.

An attorney representing the congressman, who won reelection despite facing the charges last year, said the guilty plea would not affect Duncan Hunter’s case. The congressman previously said that the matter was closed after repaying $60,000 to his campaign last year.

“We are aware of Mrs. Hunter scheduling a hearing to change her plea,” Gregory Vega told the Tribune. “At this time, that does not change anything regarding Congressman Hunter. There are still significant motions that need to be litigated, specifically the speech or debate clause of the U.S. Constitution.”

Duncan Hunter was stripped of his committee assignments last year amid the charges, which he has alleged are politically motivated in nature. A House ethics probe into the matter was reportedly renewed in May and is ongoing.