California Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter successfully delayed his trial until next year after allegedly stealing campaign money to fund vacations, affairs and luxuries.
Rep. Hunter’s defense team petitioned U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Whelan on Tuesday, arguing that an appeals court should be given time to consider dismissing the corruption case altogether before the actual trial begins. Judge Thomas agreed, and moved Hunter’s trial from September 10 to January 14.
Rep. Hunter and his wife were first indicted for the misuse of campaign funds in late 2018. At that time, Hunter committed to “remain silent, not to feed into this witch-hunt and trust the process,” The Hill reported. Both the representative and his wife entered not guilty pleas. (RELATED: Biden Campaign Officials Leak To WaPo Amid Firestorm Of Criticism)
Since then, the Hunters have both switched to guilty pleas as new information surfaced regarding how the misallocated money was spent. Last month the Daily Caller News Foundation reported on court filings that showed how Hunter used stolen money to fund at least five extramarital affairs in addition to vacations, bar tabs and private school for his kids.
As his case continues to garner national media attention, Hunter appears to carry on with his usual congressional duties. He recently made a visit to the U.S./Mexico Border to investigate the state of security and check into Democrats’ claims that Border Patrol deprives migrants of safety and supplies.
The attacks from @HouseDemocrats that migrants don’t have access to basic supplies are flat out wrong. Our agents work tirelessly to enforce our laws to protect our citizens while, at the same time, doing their best to provide good care to those in our facilities. #CBP #ICE pic.twitter.com/VSz8QVYjv9
— Rep. Duncan Hunter (@Rep_Hunter) August 1, 2019
Given the representative’s open support for President Donald Trump and strong support for regulated borders, his legal team is pushing to move his eventual trial out of San Diego and into a more conservative area to ensure a fair verdict, reports AP.
Five California Republicans have apparently seen opportunity amid the chaos, filing to run as primary challengers against Hunter in 2020, according to the Hill. He only won his last election by 51%.