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Presidential Clemency Record

Duncan D. Hunter

Pardon

  /   2017–2021

Record at a Glance

Clemency type
Pardon
Presidential term
2017–2021
Federal district
Southern District of California
Offense
Conspiracy to commit offenses
Sentence
11 months' imprisonment; three years' supervised release (March 17, 2020)
Current status
A 2025 Senate lobbying registration identifies Hunter as a consultant on a legal and pardon matter. The filing documents registered advocacy after his own pardon; it does not indicate that another clemency grant occurred or describe a new criminal case.

Background

Hunter admitted a conspiracy to misuse approximately $250,000 in campaign funds for personal spending from 2010 through 2016. He was sentenced March 17, 2020 to eleven months.

Original Case

In S.D. Cal. No. 18-cr-3677-W, Hunter pleaded guilty December 3, 2019 to one count of conspiracy under 18 U.S.C. § 371 to convert campaign funds to personal use. DOJ described more than $150,000 in personal expenditures from 2010–2016; he was sentenced March 17, 2020 to 11 months’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release. The other indictment counts remained allegations and are not described as convictions.

Clemency

Trump granted Hunter a full and unconditional pardon on December 22, 2020, before his scheduled date to report to prison. The pardon prevented service of the 11-month term and ended the remaining federal punishment in the covered case; it was not a withdrawal of Hunter’s guilty plea.

Trump Connection

Hunter was an early congressional supporter of Trump and served as a Republican House member while Trump was president. The White House said many members of Congress requested the pardon and singled out former Federal Election Commission member Bradley Smith’s view that campaign-finance cases are often handled civilly. Trump nevertheless pardoned an existing criminal conviction; the grant did not withdraw Hunter’s guilty plea.

Since Clemency

  • 2025-10-28 · lobbying

    A Senate LD-1 registration for Raymond Liddy lists Duncan Hunter as a consultant and identifies the lobbying issue as legal/pardon.

    Legal Status: Registered advocacy, not proof clemency was granted or of misconduct.

Sources

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