Graham Hunt spares us prolonged sideshow

Dogged by holes in his military record, state Rep. Graham Hunt of Orting made the right decision Tuesday by resigning from the House seat he’s held since 2014.

The Air National Guard veteran has so far been unable to prove, among other claims, that he served in Iraq or Afghanistan and suffered combat wounds. In the end, Hunt’s political wounds were so severe, his party felt it couldn’t keep waiting for proof.

Give credit to statehouse Republicans for accomplishing what Democrats have been unable to accomplish with embattled Auditor Troy Kelley: pressuring a damaged first-term politician to resign before he could do more harm to his constituents, office and party.

Hunt’s fortunes unraveled the last two weeks after the Seattle Times reported official military records couldn’t verify all the medals he claimed to have received. There also was the matter of a manipulated photo posted on Hunt’s Facebook page in 2014, which purported to show him at a war scene in 2005 but actually showed two soldiers in 2003. Since the Times story published, some Hunt associates have stepped forward with more allegations of deceit.

The statement Hunt issued Tuesday didn’t quite read like a confession, but it appropriately conceded that he’d become a distraction unfit to represent his district. "I take full responsibility for any errors I have made,” he wrote. Resigning was a good place to start.

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 9:05 AM with the headline "Graham Hunt spares us prolonged sideshow."