Congressman seeks legal fund for costs of FBI investigation

WASHINGTON — Rep. Duncan Hunter is attempting to set up a fund to raise money for lawyers and other costs related to an FBI criminal inquiry into allegations of misused campaign cash, according to documents filed in Congress.

Hunter, a Republican from Alpine in San Diego County, filed the required paperwork to the House Ethics Committee on March 27, seeking a rarely approved “legal expense fund.” Yet the document was signed, notarized and dated last June.

With such a fund, lawmakers who are under investigation or being sued in connection with their jobs or campaigns can raise money for legal expenses.

The document establishing the fund was not available to the public until late last week and was missing other records that typically are included, such as a letter from the Ethics Committee approving the fund and quarterly financial disclosures of fundraising and spending. House rules for such funds say the member must get written permission of the committee before raising any money.

Hunter’s chief of staff, Michael Harrison, did not immediately respond to requests for clarification about the fund’s status or how much money had been raised or spent. The Ethics Committee does not comment on pending matters.

The Federal Election Commission and the San Diego Union-Tribune first questioned in April 2016 Hunter’s reported spending for video games and children’s private school tuition. Federal law prohibits personal use of campaign funds.

An investigation by the Union-Tribune later found other potentially improper expenses, including oral surgery, groceries, garage door repair, surfing gear, dance recital trips, school lunches and cross-country airfare for the family rabbit.

The Ethics Committee said in March 2017 that it was suspending its probe into Hunter’s spending at the request of the Justice Department, to avoid interfering with the FBI investigation.

The FBI has investigated Hunter’s campaign spending for over a year, and the campaign has paid more than $600,000 in legal fees.

Hunter denies involvement in any “criminal action.” His attorneys say he is cooperating with the FBI investigation, but he has been publicly impatient with the inquiry. “I think that the longer they drag this out, the worse it is for me, and they know that,” Hunter told San Diego’s KUSI-TV in January.

Legal expense funds let donors give more than the maximum campaign contribution. Individuals, corporations and political action committees can give $5,000; lobbyists and agents of foreign governments may not contribute.