WASHINGTON _ Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., used campaign money to fund a series of extramarital affairs with congressional staffers and lobbyists, federal prosecutors allege in a new court filing in his corruption case.
Prosecutors say Hunter "improperly" diverted funds "to pursue these romances wholly unrelated to either his congressional campaigns or his official duties as a member of Congress."
The filing comes less than two weeks after Hunter's wife and former campaign manager, Margaret Hunter, pleaded guilty of conspiring to misuse campaign funds.
Last August, a federal grand jury indicted the couple, alleging they financed a lavish lifestyle of travel, fine dining, gifts and other expenses by illegally using campaign money, then filed false reports with the Federal Election Commission to cover it up.
In total, prosecutors said the Hunters spent more than $250,000 on personal expenses _ from dental care to their children's tuition _ that they concealed as campaign-related gifts, donations and travel.
Rep. Hunter declined Tuesday to respond to the allegations and gave no sign that he would seek a deal with prosecutors to settle the case.
"I'm going to trial on this, right? So I'm not going to give you a statement on their allegations," he told reporters outside the House chamber.
He accused Justice Department prosecutors of engaging in a "personal smear campaign."
The trial is due to begin in September.
Prosecutors approached Hunter about making a deal "that would eliminate the need to introduce this potentially sensitive evidence at trial," they wrote in the filing. Hunter's attorney declined.
Hunter _ an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump who won reelection in November despite facing the criminal charges _ alleged that prosecutors were targeting him for his political beliefs. In a filing Sunday, his lawyer argued that the prosecutors had backed Hillary Clinton in her 2016 presidential bid and said the case should be dismissed.
The Justice Department responded by asking the court to exclude allegations of political bias against the government's lawyers.
Prosecutors included highly detailed descriptions of Hunter's alleged affairs with five women _ none identified by name.
The filing describes one Lake Tahoe ski trip in 2009 that Hunter allegedly paid for entirely with campaign cash, including a $351 car rental, $180 plane ticket and a $1,008 hotel tab. Prosecutors described the spending down to a $7 beer he purchased in the resort bar.
Alleged expenditures on other women included drinks, dinners and Uber rides. One woman, identified as "Individual 17," is described as a lobbyist who organized fundraisers for the congressman.
According to the filing's description of a January 2015 encounter, "(t)hat night, however, was not about business: at around 11:00 pm, Hunter and I-17 departed the Hamilton (Hotel) together for her home, where they engaged in intimate personal activities unrelated to Hunter's congressional campaign or duties as a member of Congress. Hunter left her house at 1:23 a.m. Although this was a strictly personal encounter, Hunter used campaign funds to pay the $42 in Uber fares."
