Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Georgia is on wandering Hunter’s mind

Fundraiser starring GOP congressman benefited charity picking up his foreign trip tab

California Representative Duncan D. Hunter
California Representative Duncan D. Hunter

San Diego congressman Duncan Hunter, who took sustained political fire earlier this year for personal use of campaign funds and since hired a lawyer to deal with the legal and regulatory fallout, took advantage of the House's August recess to get away from Washington to the embattled Republic of Georgia, congressional disclosure records show.

But Hunter's four-day trip to Tbilisi, from August 26 through August 30, may end up raising some more touchy questions for the Fiftieth district California Republican from Alpine, whose taste for world travel has taken him around the globe, including previous junkets to Italy and Israel.

Sponsored
Sponsored

According to Hunter’s September 7 trip disclosure, required by the House, the summer jaunt, costing a total of $4808 for travel, $612 for lodging, and $200 for meals, was entirely paid for by a nonprofit San Diego charity calling itself the U.S.-Georgia Friendship Association.

The aim of the Georgia jaunt, says the filing, was for Hunter "to meet with ministers and other influential figures of the country to further his political understanding of the country."

In addition to Hunter, the disclosure says, three other House members, Democrat Juan Vargas and Republicans Mark Sanford of South Carolina and Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania were also invited on the all-expense-paid journey.

"Our organization is dedicated to deepening friendships between the two nations and toward that end, organize people-to-people contacts on all levels," says the group's filing, signed by president Melory Tsipouria, a member of the county Republican central committee and proprietor of Happy San Diego Cleaners.

However, disclosure filings with the Internal Revenue Service show that the nonprofit, first registered with the IRS in May 2012, had zero assets as of December 2015, and had raised no money during the period.

Reached by phone this week, Tsipouria, who records show has personally given to Hunter's campaign committee as well as to other local Republican causes, explained that the cash used to send Hunter on the trip was raised earlier this year. He declined to immediately disclose the donors, identifying them only as “individuals and companies."

An online invitation to a February 6, 2016 fundraiser for the association at 57 Degrees Wine and Craft Beer in San Diego billed Hunter as a headline supporter.

"You are cordially invited to the first annual US-Georgia Friendship Association fundraiser!" said the solicitation.

"Please join us and our friends, Congressman Duncan Hunter and former NFL star Shawne 'Lights Out' Merriman in sponsoring this great organization, and learn more about our activities."

The suggested minimum donation was $100, with other admission levels ranging from bronze ($500) to platinum ($5000).

Tsipouria added that only three others ultimately made the trip with Hunter: House member Sanford; San Diego lawyer Andrew Skale, a member of the association’s board; and Tsipouria himself.

Skale, who this past June placed last for a GOP central committee seat in the 77th Assembly district, is probably most widely known for his work on behalf of football player Merriman in his trademark protection suit against "Lights Out" Pajamas.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Tiny Home Central isn’t solving the San Diego housing crisis

But it does hope to help fill in the gaps
Next Article

Hip-hop artist Don Elway makes movies for his music

Not Ordinary EP tells a story of life on the streets
California Representative Duncan D. Hunter
California Representative Duncan D. Hunter

San Diego congressman Duncan Hunter, who took sustained political fire earlier this year for personal use of campaign funds and since hired a lawyer to deal with the legal and regulatory fallout, took advantage of the House's August recess to get away from Washington to the embattled Republic of Georgia, congressional disclosure records show.

But Hunter's four-day trip to Tbilisi, from August 26 through August 30, may end up raising some more touchy questions for the Fiftieth district California Republican from Alpine, whose taste for world travel has taken him around the globe, including previous junkets to Italy and Israel.

Sponsored
Sponsored

According to Hunter’s September 7 trip disclosure, required by the House, the summer jaunt, costing a total of $4808 for travel, $612 for lodging, and $200 for meals, was entirely paid for by a nonprofit San Diego charity calling itself the U.S.-Georgia Friendship Association.

The aim of the Georgia jaunt, says the filing, was for Hunter "to meet with ministers and other influential figures of the country to further his political understanding of the country."

In addition to Hunter, the disclosure says, three other House members, Democrat Juan Vargas and Republicans Mark Sanford of South Carolina and Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania were also invited on the all-expense-paid journey.

"Our organization is dedicated to deepening friendships between the two nations and toward that end, organize people-to-people contacts on all levels," says the group's filing, signed by president Melory Tsipouria, a member of the county Republican central committee and proprietor of Happy San Diego Cleaners.

However, disclosure filings with the Internal Revenue Service show that the nonprofit, first registered with the IRS in May 2012, had zero assets as of December 2015, and had raised no money during the period.

Reached by phone this week, Tsipouria, who records show has personally given to Hunter's campaign committee as well as to other local Republican causes, explained that the cash used to send Hunter on the trip was raised earlier this year. He declined to immediately disclose the donors, identifying them only as “individuals and companies."

An online invitation to a February 6, 2016 fundraiser for the association at 57 Degrees Wine and Craft Beer in San Diego billed Hunter as a headline supporter.

"You are cordially invited to the first annual US-Georgia Friendship Association fundraiser!" said the solicitation.

"Please join us and our friends, Congressman Duncan Hunter and former NFL star Shawne 'Lights Out' Merriman in sponsoring this great organization, and learn more about our activities."

The suggested minimum donation was $100, with other admission levels ranging from bronze ($500) to platinum ($5000).

Tsipouria added that only three others ultimately made the trip with Hunter: House member Sanford; San Diego lawyer Andrew Skale, a member of the association’s board; and Tsipouria himself.

Skale, who this past June placed last for a GOP central committee seat in the 77th Assembly district, is probably most widely known for his work on behalf of football player Merriman in his trademark protection suit against "Lights Out" Pajamas.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

A poem for March by Joseph O’Brien

“March’s Lovely Asymptotes”
Next Article

Tiny Home Central isn’t solving the San Diego housing crisis

But it does hope to help fill in the gaps
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.