Duncan D. Hunter

Duncan Duane Hunter (born December 7, 1976) is an American former politician and United States Marine who served as a U.S. representative for California's 50th congressional district from 2013 to 2020. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected to the House in 2008, and was the first combat veteran of the Iraq War to be elected to Congress. His district, numbered as the 52nd from 2009 to 2013, encompassed much of northern and inland San Diego County and a sliver of Riverside County, including the cities of El Cajon, Escondido, San Marcos, Santee and Temecula. He served in the U.S. Marines from 2001 through 2005 and succeeded his father, Republican Duncan Lee Hunter, a member of Congress from 1981 to 2009. In 2017, the Department of Justice began a criminal investigation into Hunter and his campaign manager and wife, Margaret Jankowski, for alleged campaign finance violations. The 2017 investigation was challenged by Hunter and denied. In August 2018, both were indicted on charges including conspiracy, wire fraud, and violating campaign finance laws. In June 2019, Jankowski pleaded guilty to conspiring to use campaign funds for personal expenses and named him as a co-conspirator. Also in June 2019, federal prosecutors showed that from 2009 to 2016, Hunter had spent campaign funds on extramarital affairs with five women, including lobbyists and congressional staff. In December 2019, Hunter changed his plea to guilty on one count of misusing campaign funds in exchange for prosecutors dismissing the remaining 59 counts. On January 7, 2020, he submitted letters of resignation to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Governor Gavin Newsom, that took effect on January 13, 2020. On March 17, 2020, Hunter was sentenced to 11 months in prison, which had been scheduled to begin in January 2021. Hunter did not serve...