Congressman Allegedly Bought 30 Tequila Shots At DC Joint: Report

WASHINGTON, DC -- Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and his wife, Margaret, have been indicted on charges of using $250,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses. And some of that money allegedly was used to buy 30 tequila shots at a restaurant on U Street in D.C., among other questionable expenditures, according to a report.

The Hunters face charges for misuse of campaign funds and filing false records, and House Speaker Paul Ryan reportedly announced he would remove the congressman from all committee assignments in light of the charges. The 48-page indictment identifies numerous instances between 2009 and 2016 where Hunter and his wife allegedly used campaign funds for everything from family vacations to school tuition to dental work.

But that's not all. WAMU reporter Martin Austermuhle reported that after reading the full indictment, he was able to identify some of the D.C. places where Hunter allegedly used campaign funds for non-campaign expenses. One of those places was El Tamarindo in the U Street area, where the indictment claims that Hunter paid for 30 shots of tequila, Austermuhle said. The Washington Post also reported that figure, although it did not name the restaurant.

Other D.C. area establishments reportedly listed in the indictment included Jack Rose, H Street Country Club, Matchbox, The Birchmere, Hill Country, Stoney's, Fado's, Busboys & Poets, Del Frisco's, and L'Hommage Bistro.

The couple even allegedly used $250 in campaign money to fly a pet to D.C., according to multiple reports.

Authorities believe that the couple spent tens of thousands of dollars of campaign money on these smaller personal expenses, according to the statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California.

"To conceal their personal spending, the Hunters mischaracterized the purchases in FEC filings as 'campaign travel,' 'dinner with volunteers/contributors,' 'toy drives,' 'teacher/parent and supporter events,' 'gift cards' for charitable donations, and 'gift basket items,' among other false descriptions," the statement reads. "Family dental bills paid with campaign funds were characterized as a charitable contribution to 'Smiles for Life.' Theater tickets were mischaracterized as 'holiday gift certificates.' Tickets for the family to see Riverdance at the San Diego Civic Theater became 'San Diego Civic Center for Republican Women Federated/Fundraising.' And to disguise their children’s tuition payments to Christian Unified Schools in El Cajon, the Hunters provided a number of conflicting explanations, including that the payments were charitable contributions."

Although the Hunters had been warned about how to properly use campaign funds, they continued to make these purchases, the indictment alleges.

The criminal investigation began in June 2016.

“The indictment alleges that Congressman Hunter and his wife repeatedly dipped into campaign coffers as if they were personal bank accounts, and falsified FEC campaign finance reports to cover their tracks,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman in the statement. “Elected representatives should jealously guard the public’s trust, not abuse their positions for personal gain. Today’s indictment is a reminder that no one is above the law.”

(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)