Hunter repays campaign $49,000 in personal expenses

Congressman Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, says he will repay $49,000 to his campaign account after months of revelations that he used the fund for personal expenses.

The congressman announced the repayment to the Press-Enterprise newspaper on Thursday.

“While the charges were primarily authorized by the campaign, the buck stops with me and I take full responsibility — including the responsibility to determine and implement other structural changes to ensure errors are not repeated,” he told the newspaper. “In taking these steps, I am fully confident that the right oversight and controls are now in place.”

Hunter’s problems first came to light in April, when The San Diego Union-Tribune reported on a Federal Election Commission inquiry into video game expenses charged to his campaign. The U-T subsequently revealed funds spent on oral surgery, a garage door, private school, gas, groceries, fast food and other expenses.

Hunter repaid $12,000 initially, attributing expenses to mistakes such as using the wrong blue credit card. His campaign is run by his wife, Margaret, who is paid $3,000 a month. In April, he told the U-T she would no longer have a campaign credit card.

He then launched an independent audit that lasted for months, resulting in the most recent repayment.

“The financial review has revealed additional unauthorized expenditures that I will be reimbursing to the campaign today,” Hunter told the Press-Enterprise. “And I decided, out of an abundance of caution, to treat any expense without adequate support as necessary for reimbursement.”

The Press-Enterprise story does not contain a breakdown of which expenses Hunter is reimbursing. Among the disbursements the Union-Tribune has highlighted, most of them incurred in 2015:

• 106 fill-ups at gas stations, totaling $5,660.
• 16 trips to Jack in the Box totaling $297.
• Forty trips to Albertson’s, Trader Joe’s or another grocery store, spending $6,819 total.
• An expense for $229 at a Disneyland gift shop for “food/beverages.” A spokesman for the park told the Union-Tribune the only edible items the store sells are Pez candy and a Star Wars-themed Rice Krispy treat.
• Utilities — $1,269 for San Diego Gas & Electric and $300 to the Padre Dam Municipal Water District.
• More than $2,000 on restaurants, hotels and train travel in the Italian cities of Rome, Florence and Positano during the Thanksgiving holiday week in 2015.
• A payment for $216 to Gioielleria Manetti in Florence, listed on a disclosure report as “food/beverages.” The store makes and customizes jewelry and watches, according to its website. A store representative said it offers no food or drinks.
• $1,300 spent at the Cardiff-by-the-Sea restaurant that provides lunches to Hunter’s children’s El Cajon private school.

Spending of campaign funds on personal expenses is prohibited, because it might give donors undue political influence. The U-T reported last month that Hunter has been advocating for the U.S. Coast Guard to buy a $150 million ship from one of his top contributors, Louisiana-based shipbuilder Edison Chouest Offshore.

» Also see: Which House candidates are leading in the chase for cash?

Previously: Hunter

• FEC questions Duncan Hunter’s video game charges
• Hunter to cut short Israel trip, repay campaign funds
• Congressman repays $12,000 to campaign
• Hunter repaid funds spent on surf shop, garage door
• Ethics complaints highlight Hunter’s Italy trip
• Hunter’s campaign spent on groceries, gas
• Did Hunter campaign pay for his kids’ school lunches?