EDITORIAL: Rep. Duncan Hunter gets the federal probe he deserves

March 24--Is Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, a crook or merely utterly incompetent in managing both his campaign and family finances? Everyone's going to find out, it appears, given the confirmation Thursday that the U.S. Justice Department is investigating the five-term congressman over his use of campaign funds for personal purposes.

The confirmation came in sync with the House Ethics Committee's release of a report that said 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."

May have? Hunter has already repaid more than $60,000 in campaign spending that he acknowledges was for personal purposes or which lacked proper documentation. Yet in a statement to The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board, Hunter's attorneys said the federal probe stems from "expenditure issues confronting his campaign committee" and insisted that "to the extent any mistakes were made they were strictly inadvertent and unintentional."

This isn't just lawyer-speak. Hunter has pushed the idea that reporting about his improper spending is fake news spurred by liberal bias and dishonest media. President Trump's Justice Department doesn't agree. As a result, it's possible he could lose his seat in a conservative district the 40-year-old otherwise seemed likely to hold for decades. If that happens, Hunter has no one but himself to blame.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: UTOpinion

___

(c)2017 The San Diego Union-Tribune

Visit The San Diego Union-Tribune at www.sandiegouniontribune.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.