SAN DIEGO _ A federal judge ruled Monday that prosecutors can introduce evidence of Rep. Duncan Hunter's personal relationships, including alleged affairs, in his criminal trial.
Hunter, R-Calif., is accused of improperly spending $250,000 in campaign dollars on personal expenses. He and his wife, Margaret Hunter, were originally indicted on 60 criminal charges and pleaded not guilty.
Recently Margaret Hunter changed her plea to guilty of one count of criminal conspiracy, which included an agreement that she and her husband knew they were breaking the law by making personal purchases with campaign donations.
Last week prosecutors filed a series of motions, including one that spelled out some of Duncan Hunter's questionable expenditures that prosecutors said were linked to his extramarital affairs with five women, including three lobbyists and two congressional staffers.
Hunter's defense attorneys argued in a response Friday that prosecutors can't prove those expenditures were not for legitimate political purposes.
"Just as with Mr. Hunter's platonic relationships, his friendships often blur the line between personal and professional, which is a widespread occurrence in modern politics," the filing states.
"However unpopular the notion of a married man mixing business with pleasure, the Government cannot simply dismiss the reality that Mr. Hunter's relationships with Individual's 14-18 often served an overtly political purpose that would not have existed irrespective of his occupation."
The women Hunter is alleged to have had affairs with were identified in court documents by numbers, not names.
U.S. District Judge Thomas J. Whelan said Monday that prosecutors can use evidence of personal relationships in court but they should work on their wording to avoid undue prejudice.
Because Margaret Hunter has agreed to cooperate with the prosecution, Duncan Hunter's attorneys last week also sought to limit what she could say in testimony about her husband, in light of spousal privilege.
Whelan said he is not yet ready to rule on whether she can testify and will defer the matter until trial.
Hunter is slated to be tried in September.
