Issa, Hunter deal behind closed doors?

Trading places?

In the Donald Trump “shithole” world of Reps. Darrell Issa (R-49th Congressional District) and Duncan Hunter (R-50th Congressional District), or maybe “House of Cards” and “Scandal,” the talk Thursday of the two trading congressional districts might even be considered too low to go.

Yet, reports circulated that a baseball trade gone politically bonkers might be in the works.

Hunter goes into free agency and probably prison for campaign finance fraud while the ever-Machiavelli’n and as-of-Wednesday-retired Issa trades himself to Hunter’s old team, the 50th Congressional District.

To wit; some wags were contending that Hunter would retire, then Issa would file to run in the 50th. He has until March 9 to do so.

Again, far-fetched in normal circles, but in the Trump “shithole” inhabited by criminal grifters like Hunter and Issa, maybe not so much.

GOP Rep. Darrell Issa, who said Wednesday he is not seeking reelection in California’s 49th District, has been discussing with colleagues the possibility of running in a neighboring San Diego district if embattled Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) resigns, multiple sources told The Hill.

Some of these discussions happened as recently as Wednesday, the day Issa announced he would not be running for reelection in his coastal Southern California district after 17 years in the House.

Most of Washington took that to mean Issa, the former Oversight Committee chairman and Congress’s wealthiest member, was leaving Capitol Hill for good.

But in his statement, Issa never specifically said he was retiring from Congress.

“It’s not implausible, really … for him to potentially be a candidate in that district,” a source familiar with the Issa team’s thinking told Fox News, confirming the discussions. “Darrell’s obviously well known.”

It makes sense on two fronts. Issa used to represent a small area now in the 50th District and would benefit from one of the most GOP-favorable registered districts in the state. Presumably, he, and his money, could keep the political gravy train rolling with more ease. On the second front, everybody knows Issa is a two-faced political toadie who blows with the wind, so he would want to keep the party going.

As for the congressman from spending campaign dollars on video game rentals, trips, jewelry and anything one could imagine taking home from a nice game of “Wheel of Fortune” sans flying his pet bunny rabbit around; the legal heat ratcheted up on him, coincidentally, the day after he appeared on right-wing TV shows and spouted to the FBI the Donnie Trump Jr. equivalent of “bring it on.”

Hunter told Fox News he wasn’t resigning. Issa’s office didn’t respond to requests for comment.

The source told Fox News that whether Issa indeed takes the plunge and runs in the neighboring district depends on several factors, including Hunter’s situation and the willingness of the party brass to support an alternative like Issa.

“It’s unorthodox certainly,” the source said.

That’s not all, folks

Hunter’s resignation denial flies in the face of mounting evidence. The day after Hunter ran his mouth about wrapping up the FBI invtesigation on behalf of the Department of Justice, unnamed sources leaked the information that a Federal Grand Jury was scheduled to hear evidence related to the congressman’s use of campaign funds for personal expenses.

Oops, the possibly shell-shocked Hunter may be in for more than he reckoned for, especially considering he re-paid $60,000 to his campaign to cover use of campaign funds for personal expenses.

In other words, Hunter already has pleaded guilty in effect to the crime by virtue of acknowledging it. You know what they say, ignorance of the law is no excuse although he appears to be blaming ignorance for the crime.

Not even that for Hunter, who inherited his congressional seat from his dad, 27-year Congressman Duncan Lee Hunter, called one of the most corrupt members of Congress by the non-partisan Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington (CREW).

The first grand jury subpoenas are the tip of the spear for Hunter who has spent nearly twice as much money this election cycle on legal expenses from his campaign fund — legal, believe it or not — than he raised.

It’s not that far-fetched, then, to imagine Hunter getting out of a race that has become historically-close in a GOP district, and possibly being in prison by the time the next Congress is sworn to office.

It’s not that far-fetched, also, to see the power-obsessed Issa justifying a slight slide over the line from the 49th to 50th Districts.

How low will they go in this game of criminal grifter limbo?