Updated Dec 2, 2019

Duncan Hunter says he'll plead guilty in corruption case

Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) told KUSI News on Monday that he will plead guilty on one count of misuse of campaign funds.

The big picture: Hunter's scheduled plea change — first hinted at in documents filed in federal court, per the San Diego Union-Tribune — comes six months after his wife changed her own plea. The couple was indicted in 2018 on allegations that they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds for personal use, including on gas, groceries, lavish dinners and vacations.

Hunter was one of the first two Republican members of Congress to endorse then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016. The other was Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.), who pleaded guilty to insider trading and resigned from Congress earlier this year.

Go deeper: GOP primary heats up as ex-Rep. Darrell Issa challenges Duncan Hunter in California

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Orion Rummler

Duncan Hunter to resign from Congress

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) on Dec. 3 in San Diego, California. Photo: Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) announced his resignation from Congress on Friday, three days after pleading guilty to misusing campaign funds.

The state of play: Hunter's exit also comes a day after the House Ethics Committee instructed him to stop voting in light of his guilty plea. Hunter's plea agreement said he and his wife spent over $150,000 of campaign funds on personal expenses, including meals and luxury vacations, per CBS News.

Go deeperDec 6, 2019

Orion Rummler

Ethics Committee instructs Duncan Hunter to stop voting in the House

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) in Sept. 2018. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call

The House Ethics Committee instructed Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) to stop voting in the House on Thursday in light of his guilty plea to conspiracy to misuse campaign funds for his personal expenses.

The big picture: Hunter has not answered reporters' questions on whether he intends to resign from the House entirely, following his guilty plea on Tuesday. He insisted in 2018 that he would not resign after being forced to step down from all committee assignments, per the New York Times.

Go deeperDec 5, 2019

Jacob Knutson

Republican candidate says Democrats should be hanged

George Buck, a Republican candidate for Florida's 13th Congressional District, in 2018. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call

The National Republican Congressional Committee is dropping George Buck, a candidate for Florida’s 13th Congressional District, from its recruitment program after a fundraising email sent over the candidate's signature said Democratic members of Congress should be executed, according to Politico's Jake Sherman.

The big picture: The Nov. 26 email falsely accused Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) of working for the country of Qatar and should be punished, the Tampa Bay Times reports. “We should hang these traitors where they stand,” the email reads.

Go deeperDec 4, 2019