Prosecutors of the embattled Campaign cash abuser Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) have revealed him to be a cheat. This week they laid out five instances of unfaithful behavior with five different women. Hunter’s lawyers have admitted the truth of the accusations — but have also offered a defense that only a drunk in his cups could think was rational.

In their estimation, while Hunter is not an honorable man, his use of campaign cash to have sex with these women was a legitimate campaign expense because, during these trysts, the lovers also talked politics. In the words of Hunter lawyers, Greg Vega, Ricardo Arias, and Philip Adams: 

“However unpopular the notion of a married man mixing business with pleasure, the Government cannot simply dismiss the reality that Mr. Hunter’s relationships with [the women] often served an overtly political purpose that would not have existed irrespective of his occupation.” 

Pause and think about that for a while. His lawyers argue that a politician can use his campaign donors to pay for an intimate weekend frolic if he sates his lust with a partner who has some connection to politics. 

I can see entrepreneurial Madams offering commercial sex with prostitutes who are smart enough to register as lobbyists.

The lawyers are quite aware that this defense strategy is limited to only those expenses related to the times Hunter put his marriage vows on hold — and do not cover the majority of his $250,000 dishonesty. The Office of Congressional Ethics outlined the scope of Hunter’s degeneracy:

Rep. Hunter may have converted tens of thousands of dollars of campaign funds from his congressional campaign committee to personal use to pay for family travel, flights, utilities, health care, school uniforms, and tuition, jewelry, groceries, and other goods, services, and expenses.” 

But the lawyers — and this is why everyone hates lawyers — have anticipated this and doubled down on Hunter’s original defense strategy of blaming his two-timed spouse. 

Hunter didn’t just cheat on his wife; he also threw her under the bus. Margaret Hunter, acting as a $3,000 a month campaign manager, was a party to these financial shenanigans. Initially, the two presented a united defense. But as soon as Hunter felt the heat, he cut her loose. In an interview with Martha MacCallum, he said:

“When I went away to Iraq in 2003, the first time, I gave [Margaret] power of attorney. She handled my finances throughout my entire military career, and that continued on when I got into Congress. She was also the campaign manager, so whatever she did, that’ll be looked at too, I’m sure, but I didn’t do it.”

Margaret has taken the measure of her husband and, discovering the skunk beneath the skin, has wisely done what is best for her and pled guilty to one count and agreed to testify against Duncan. 

The defense is terrified over the prospect and is desperately trying to stifle her by claiming he his protected by spousal privilege. The prosecutors, in turn, say spousal privilege is off the table when the spouses are co-conspirators. I’ll leave that for the judge.

Once again, we see a Republican politician who bleats on about values and integrity fail to come close to the standards he sets for others. Hunter’s campaign website extols “fiscal accountability and transparency”, and his congressional website proclaims he is for ”Preserving values for healthy families”.

Spending campaign cash to cheat on your wife is an extraordinarily efficient way to prove you are a hypocrite of the first rank. 

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