Congressman’s campaign expenses under review, including children’s school lunches

His office won’t confirm it, but unexplained expenses from Rep. Duncan Hunter’s campaign account may have gone to buy lunches for his children at their private school in El Cajon.

Hunter campaign reports filed several weeks back listed $1,300 spent with Ki’s restaurant in Cardiff-by-the-Sea in 2015 and early 2016 — 21 separate transactions that seemed far afield from his East County base.

This week, in following up on an ongoing Federal Election Commission review of Hunter’s campaign accounts, U-T Watchdog came up with a possible explanation for the charges.

Ki’s provides school lunch delivery to Christian Unified Schools, where Hunter’s three children attend. And on the schools’ website, visitors who click “lunch info and menu” are taken to a Ki’s fact sheet.

There’s no way to know whether the expenses are school lunches, because Hunter’s staff has declined to discuss specific expenses.

The Ki’s charges by Hunter’s campaign were all during the school year, and none during the summer. The most recent ones reported were Feb. 26 and March 21 of this year, for $68.90 and $45.50.

The restaurant allows parents to load up an account ahead of time or pay by the meal. The Hunter campaign transactions in 2015 ranged from $9.40 on Sept. 24 to $336.15 on April 15.

Federal law prohibits office-holders from using campaign funds for personal expenses, to keep donors — many of them defense contractors, in Hunter’s case — from obtaining undue influence by covering such costs. Hunter sits on the House Armed Services Committee.

Hunter’s campaign funds have been under public scrutiny since April 4, when the FEC sent a letter questioning $1,300 in video game expenses.

Hunter’s office initially provided U-T Watchdog with explanations for certain expenses — for instance, he said his son paid for the online video games with the campaign credit card by mistake, and then the family was the victim of fraudulent charges.

Hunter said he has repaid $12,000 in mistaken or personal expenses, including $1,200 paid to a garage-door company, $811 for oral or facial surgery, and $361 for a Coronado surf shop.

As the FEC probe has continued, the office has stopped explaining individual charges.

“The Union-Tribune has been told no less than a dozen times, maybe more, that Rep. Hunter is conducting an independent audit for all of 2015, and will act on its recommendations,” spokesman Joe Kasper said this week. “All anybody of integrity can do is take responsibility and resolve the problem.”

He did not say when the audit would be completed or made public.

Several of the problem expenses have centered on Christian Unified. For instance, Hunter repaid his campaign for $1,650 that was applied to school tuition, although he said the funds were intended as a charitable donation, which is an allowable campaign expense.

The campaign also spent $208 on Aug. 20, 2015, at Educational Outfitters, which provides uniforms to families of Christian Unified. The expense was listed as “gift certificate for donation.” That expense is not among those so far reported as reimbursed by Hunter to the campaign.

Other food expenses have drawn scrutiny. According to the FEC’s campaign guide, contributed funds may be used “to pay for meals during face-to-face fundraising events. By contrast, a candidate may not use campaign funds to take his or her family out to dinner.”

The San Diego Union-Tribune previously reported that the campaign spent $297 on 16 trips to Jack in the Box — not the typical campaign wining and dining. The committee also reported spending $216 on “food and beverages” at a jewelry store in Italy, which told the U-T it has no food offerings.

The campaign also spent money at Disneyland — $229 at the Star Trader shop in Tomorrowland for “food/beverages.” A spokesman for the park told the Union-Tribune the only edible items the store sells are Pez candy and a Star Wars-themed Rice Krispies treat.

The campaign last month reported that Hunter had reimbursed the committee for an undisclosed amount spent at Legoland California. Although the repayment was noted, the original expense does not appear on financial reports.

Hunter’s campaign reports show spending at SeaWorld San Diego, including $708 for “fundraiser venue” on Jan. 19-20 this year. On July 31, 2015, the campaign made two payments totaling $72 to SeaWorld for “food/beverages,” and another two payments totaling $182 for “educational meeting event venue,” the reports show.

The FEC probe of Hunter’s campaign is continuing, most recently with a letter the agency sent to Hunter’s campaign on Monday. It requests an explanation of why some of the numbers on the report covering the last three months in 2015 don’t add up correctly.

Hunter’s campaign manager and wife, Margaret Hunter, used to have one of two campaign credit cards. Hunter told the Watchdog in April that he now has the only card.

morgan.cook@sduniontribune.com

Cook writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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