Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) is facing a federal criminal investigation into whether he misused campaign contributions for personal use, according to a statement released Thursday by the House Ethics Committee.
In the statement, Reps. Susan Brooks (R-Ind.) and Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), the committee’s chairman and ranking member, said the committee was complying with a request from the Justice Department to defer their investigation.
A spokeswoman for the Justice Department said Thursday the department does not “confirm the existence or nonexistence of investigations.”
Hunter — one of the first lawmakers to endorse Donald Trump for president last year — converted “tens of thousands of dollars of campaign funds” for “personal use to pay for family travel, flights, utilities, health care, school uniforms and tuition, jewelry, groceries, and other goods, services, and expenses,” according to a report from the Office of Congressional Ethics.
A spokesman for Hunter did not respond to a request for comment.
