Tag: Duncan Hunter

Posted on

News Round-Up: December 22, 2020

Dan Levy accepting his trophy at the 2020 Emmy Awards (screen capture)
Some news items you might have missed: • Instinct Magazine: Emmy Award-winner Dan Levy (above) is working on a number of new projects including a new romantic comedy that he may star in. • WeHoVille: West Hollywood’s City Council unanimously approved creating a crosswalk painted in the colors of the transgender flag on Monday night and also updating the rainbow crosswalks to add the colors brown and black to symbolize greater inclusivity. • Out Music: Out Norwegian musician Marie Ulven (aka girl in red) drops this lovely melancholy pop bop, “two queens in a king-sized bed.” Since being discovered on Soundcloud five years ago, Ulven has impressed music fans with her ethereal sound as well as her choosing to lean into her queerness.

• CNN: Donald Trump has begun issuing presidential pardons and among the recipients are former Reps. Chris Collins and Duncan Hunter. Both are Republicans, and both were the first in Congress to endorse Trump for president. • Philly Inquirer: Looks like we found that ‘voter fraud’ folks have been talking about. A man in Delaware county registered his dead mother and mother-in-law to vote using their IDs, and he then cast a mail-in ballot…..for Donald Trump. The 70-year-old admitted to casting the illegal ballot to “further the campaign of Donald Trump.” • The Herald: A wedding venue in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, – the Warehouse on Ivy – denied a same-sex couple the opportunity to hold their wedding there citing its ‘Christian values.’ North Carolina is one of 27 states with no statewide laws offering protection from discrimination against the LGBTQ community.

Posted on

News Round-Up: October 17, 2020

Bette Davis in ‘All About Eve’
Some news items you might have missed: • Washington Blade: Paying homage to the iconic film All About Eve on its 70th anniversary. • Out Movies: Coming to Amazon Prime this Thanksgiving – “In 1973, teenaged Beth Bledsoe (Sophia Lillis) leaves her rural Southern hometown to study at New York University where her beloved Uncle Frank (Paul Bettany) is a revered literature professor. She soon discovers that Frank is gay, and living with his longtime partner Walid “Wally” Nadeem (Peter Macdissi) — an arrangement that he has kept secret for years. After the sudden death of Frank’s father — Beth’s grandfather — Frank is forced to reluctantly return home for the funeral with Beth in tow, and to finally face a long-buried trauma that he has spent his entire adult life running away from.”

• Roll Call: Former Rep. Duncan Hunter, who was convicted of misusing campaign funds, will serve his 11-month federal prison sentence at Federal Correctional Institute La Tuna in Anthony, Texas. • Kenneth in the 212: Catch up on the latest in LGBTQ publications including the photography of Jim Jordan on the cover of Numero Homme: • Instinct Magazine: Celebrating LGBTQ owned businesses – Rich Ferreira and Gabe Zichermann who created the delicious Two Spoons Creamery. • Election 2020: Sometimes political donations can be an interesting measure of voter enthusiasm. Check out some 3rd quarter fundraising reports from some contentious Senate races. In every case, the higher number belongs to the Democratic challenger. #ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmm

Posted on

GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter Pleads Guilty To Stealing Hundreds Of Thousands From Campaign

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA50)
GOP Congressman Duncan Hunter pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from campaign funds for his personal use. Expenditures included a weekend-long bachelor party and a $140,000 family vacation to Italy. Not an accounting mistake; not a ‘witch-hunt’ as he previously claimed. From the Department of Justice:

U.S. Representative Duncan D. Hunter pleaded guilty in federal court today to the major count in his indictment, admitting that he knowingly and willfully stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds that he and his wife used to maintain their lifestyle.

According to the plea agreement, Hunter and his wife, Margaret, who pleaded guilty in June 2019, illegally converted more than $150,000 in campaign funds from 2010 through 2016 to purchase goods and services for their personal use and enjoyment, and engaged in 30 or more illegal transactions using campaign funds for personal use.

As detailed in the indictment, the Hunters stole money from the campaign for items as inconsequential as fast food, movie tickets, and sneakers; as trivial as video games, Lego sets and Playdoh; as mundane as groceries, dog food, and utilities; and as self-indulgent as luxury hotels, overseas vacations and plane tickets for their family pet rabbits, Eggburt and Cadbury – all while their family was otherwise deeply in debt.

During the course of the conspiracy, the Hunters overdrew their bank account more than 1,100 times in a seven-year period resulting in $37,761 in “overdraft” and “insufficient funds” bank fees. They racked up $24,600 in finance charges, interest, and other fees related to late, over the limit, and returned payment fees for their credit cards. Hunter returns to court on March 17, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. for sentencing where he’ll face possibly five years in prison and $250,000 fine.

Posted on

News Round-Up: June 25, 2019

• Instagram: Handsome guy + handsome dachshund pup = HotDudesWithDogs
So freaking cute…!

Some news items you might have missed:

• Instagram: Handsome guy + handsome dachshund pup = HotDudesWithDogs

• Politico: Federal prosecutors have accused Rep. Duncan Hunter of improperly using campaign funds to pursue numerous romantic affairs with congressional aides and lobbyists

• The Hill: Donald Trump says he couldn’t have raped writer E. Jean Carroll because “she’s not my type.”

• Reuters: A member of an armed group known for stopping migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border has been arrested after authorities charged him with impersonating a U.S. Border Patrol agent

• AP: Illinois is the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana

• Emerson Polling: Latest polling shows five Democrats would beat Trump in hypothetical match-ups:

Posted on

News Round-Up: August 24, 2018

Dan Welden

Some news items you might have missed:

• Fresh from the barber, that fierce fade on NYC trainer and InstaHunk Dan Welden. #ReadyForTheWeekend #woof

• More legal woes for Academy Award-winner Kevin Spacey as authorities in Los Angeles County are now looking into a second set of sexual misconduct allegations.

• Indicted on charges of misuse of campaign funds (to an incredible degree), GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter found himself on the receiving side of “Lock him up!” chants as he reported to the federal courthouse in San Diego yesterday. Hunter was the second member of Congress to endorse Donald Trump for president. #BirdsOfaFeather?

• While Donald Trump’s former campaign chair was found guilty of 8 felony counts, it turns out just one pro-Trump juror kept Paul Manafort from being found guilty on the other 10 counts.

• Speaking of Manafort, I’ve been saying for months he’s expected a presidential pardon from Trump. The Washington Post is reporting Trump asked about a pardon for Manafort weeks ago, but they told him to chill for a bit until political times were better.

• I know we’re only 8 months through 2018, but I’m still eyeing out recording artist Starley’s “Love Is Love” as one of my top tracks of the year.

Check out the freshly released music video for the uber-talented singer/songwriter below. I previously wrote about Starley and the top pop tune here.

I just love this.

Posted on

Anti-LGBT Congressman (And Wife) Indicted On Campaign Finance Violations, Wire Fraud & More

Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter

 Virulently anti-LGBTQ Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter was indicted Tuesday, along with his wife Margaret, on charges of misusing campaign funds to the tune of $250,000.

Charges also included filing false campaign finance records to the Federal Election Commission.

CNN has the details:

The charges of wire fraud, falsifying records, campaign finance violations and conspiracy were the culmination of a Department of Justice investigation that has stretched for more than a year, during which the Republican congressman from California has maintained his innocence.

Republican Party leaders had long worried that with a potential indictment looming, Hunter’s traditionally safe district which makes up much of eastern San Diego County could be at risk of Democratic takeover in November’s midterm election.

The CNN report goes on to share that the congressman and his wife overdrew their bank accounts over 1,100 times in a 7 year period.

Investigators found the Hunters took several lavish family vacations including “a 2015 family vacation in Italy over Thanksgiving totaling more than $14,000; an April vacation in Hawaii costing $6,500; and a $3,700 trip to Las Vegas and Boise in July 2015.”

There were also big-ticket “campaign expenditures” like a $2,000 trip for a family member to attend a Pittsburgh Steelers football game in 2010.

Hunter allegedly insisted his wife be paid $116,000 from 2010 to 2017 as a “campaign consultant.”

According to The Washington Examiner, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has now stripped Hunter of his committee assignments.

“The charges against Rep. Hunter are deeply serious,” Ryan said. “The Ethics Committee deferred its investigation at the request of the Justice Department.”

“Now that he has been indicted, Rep. Hunter will be removed from his committee assignments pending the resolution of this matter,” Ryan added.

While Hunter represents a solidly Republican district, his Democratic opponent, Campa-Najjar, has been out-fundraising the Republican, reporting more than $1 million in campaign donations. Campa-Najjar has just over $200,000 in cash-on-hand while Hunter has over $350,000.

The California congressman has been viciously anti-LGBTQ for years and was one of the most strident voices against the repeal of DADT in 2011 and strongly supported the hideous Defense of Marriage Act.

Hunter was the second member of Congress to endorse Donald Trump for president. The first was Rep. Chris Collins (R) of New York.

Both now face prison time.

Posted on

Rep. Duncan Hunter On Trump: “He’s An Asshole, But He’s Our Asshole”

Rep. Duncan Hunter says Donald Trump "is an asshole, but he's our asshole"

The old phrase “With friends like these, who needs enemies?” comes to mind here.

One of Donald Trump’s earliest supporters in Congress, Rep. Duncan Hunter, one of Donald Trump’s first allies in Congress, used colorful language in touting the president as their champion at a Riverside County Young Republicans meeting in a Murrieta sports bar.

“He’s just like he is on TV,” Hunter, R-Alpine, told the group. “He’s an asshole, but he’s our asshole.”

According to the San Diego Union Tribune, Hunter’s chief of staff did not respond to emails for comment. His voice mailbox was filled and could not accept more messages.

I can’t imagine why…