Rep. Duncan Hunter’s team responds to uproar over rabbit expenses

A California congressman’s use of campaign funds to transport a pet rabbit aboard a commercial flight is one of the more eye-catching expenses that, for many, underscore the need for strong congressional oversight.

Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., wound up reimbursing his campaign for $62,000 in personal or incorrectly documented expenses — including $600 for “cabin rabbit transport fees” — after the House Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) investigated his spending habits last year, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The story led to widespread mockery. But Hunter’s office argues that the expense’s context shows the Southern California lawmaker’s behavior was ethical.

Hunter spokesman Joe Kasper told Yahoo News that it was irritating to see media reports suggesting that Hunter was “caught” doing something wrong because he self-reported a list of questionable expenditures to the Federal Election Commission, which regulates campaign finance, in February 2016.