The Department of Justice has begun to investigate Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., for allegedly violating campaign finance laws, according to a statement from the House Ethics Committee. The congressman has denied any wrongdoing.

Hunter has come under investigation for accusations that he used hundreds of thousands of dollars of campaign funds for personal reasons, according to the Los Angeles Times. On Thursday, the House Ethics Committee voted to defer an investigation into the allegations at the request of the Justice Department. In August, the independent Office of Congressional Ethics referred the allegations to the Ethics Committee.

Read: Is ISIS A Threat To The US? Militant Group Just 'A Bunch Of Guys Wearing Pajamas': Duncan Hunter [VIDEO]

The 40-year-old congressman has represented the San Diego area since he was first elected in 2008. Last April, the Federal Elections Commission sent a letter to Hunter's office informing the congressman that he failed to properly disclose spending. The FEC said Hunter spent $1,302 of campaign funds on video games for his teenage son. Duncan's chief of staff said his boss had disclosed the spending to the FEC before he had received the letter and reimbursed the campaign.

But after that initial allegation, additional accusations began to pile up. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Hunter also used campaign funds to pay for more than $5,000 in gas station trips, nearly $7,000 in groceries and various small purchases, including transactions at fast food locations and the Disneyland gift shop. In November, Hunter said he would repay his campaign $49,000.

Hunter was one of two congressman who first endorsed Donald Trump's presidential bid. Both Hunter and Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., endorsed Trump's campaign on Feb. 24, 2016. Hunter's endorsement came just a few days after he secured a bit of viral fame when he vaped on the House floor to show his opposition to an amendment that would ban the use of e-cigarettes on planes.

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