President Trump has granted a full pardon to former Rep. Duncan Hunter along with pardoning more than a dozen other people.
Hunter pleaded guilty in 2019 to misuse of campaign funds and was sentenced to 11 months in federal prison and was scheduled to begin serving the prison term next month.
“Mr. Hunter has dedicated much of his adult life to public service. Mr. Hunter represented California’s 50th Congressional District from 2013 to 2020. Prior to his time in Congress, Mr. Hunter was an officer in the United States Marine Corps. Inspired to enlist after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Mr. Hunter saw combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan,” the White House said Tuesday.
The pardon comes after the request of “many Members of Congress,” the White House added. The pardon was also supported by former Commissioner of the Federal Election Commission Bradley Smith.
Trump on Tuesday pardoned 15 people, including several Republican allies, a 2016 campaign official ensnared in the Russia probe and former government contractors convicted in a 2007 massacre in Baghdad. In addition to Hunter, Trump also issued a pardon for Chris Collins of New York. He wasthe first member of Congress to endorse Trump to be president. He was sentenced to two years and two months in federal prison after admitting he helped his son and others dodge $800,000 in stock market losses when he learned that a drug trial by a small pharmaceutical company had failed.
Hunter was sentenced to 11 months in prison after pleading guilty to stealing campaign funds and spending the money on everything from outings with friends to his daughter’s birthday party.
(Photo Getty Images)