Duncan Hunter tells reporters to 'leave my wife out of it' — days after throwing her under the bus

Days after blaming his wife Margaret Hunter for the campaign finance violations that led to his indictment, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) told reporters to "leave my wife out of it."

San Diego's KGTV reported that Hunter made the comments prior to a Tuesday morning fundraiser with female supporters.

"Leave my wife out of it, leave my family out of it," Hunter said before the "Women Volunteers in Politics" event. "It’s me they’re after anyway. They’re not after my wife; they want to take me down, that’s what they’re up to."

Last week, however, the embattled California Republican said his wife was responsible for spending a quarter of a million dollars from his re-election campaign on non-campaign frivolities.

"When I went to Iraq in 2003, the first time, I gave [Margaret] power of attorney and she handled my finances throughout my whole military career and she continued that when I got to Congress,” Hunter told Fox News on August 23. “Whatever she did, that will be looked at too, I’m sure. But I didn’t do it. I didn’t spend any money illegally. I didn’t use campaign money."

Last week, KGTV reported, the Hunters pleaded not guilty to dozens of charges related to the alleged campaign finance violations.