The federal trial of Republican California Rep. Duncan Hunter will not begin before Election Day, as originally planned, but instead will start on November 22 on charges that he and his wife allegedly misused $250,000 in campaign funds for personal use, Roll Call reported on Tuesday.
The trial was expected to start on November 1, but new discovery material and a hearing scheduled for September 24 has pushed the 70-day deadline from the indictment back to the later date.
Federal Judge Thomas Whelan denied a request for Hunter to not appear at the September 24 hearing, stating that he does not waive appearances in felony matters and that the congressman need to be treated like everyone else, according to NBC San Diego.
Hunter was met by protesters outside the San Diego federal courthouse on Tuesday. He and his wife were indicted last month for allegedly using $250,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses and covering their tracks in campaign finance filings to the Federal Election Commission.
They both pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Hunter’s Democratic challenger for the House seat, Ammar Campa-Najjar, plans to release a 30-second ad on Thursday that will highlight details in the federal indictment and encourages voters to read it for themselves.
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