KNOXVILLE (AP) — A Republican Tennessee congressman is defending paying nearly $300,000 to his son since his felony conviction for official misconduct in 2013.

Rep. John J. "Jimmy" Duncan Jr. told the Knoxville News Sentinel he paid his son, John Duncan III, to head his political operations. He says his son was hired for campaign activities ranging from putting up yard signs to raising campaign money.

John Duncan III was widely expected to seek to succeed his father and grandfather in Congress until he resigned as Knox County trustee and pleaded guilty to official misconduct for authorizing bonuses for himself and four other staffers for training that none had completed.

The congressman says he pays family members as campaign workers because he has "the utmost trust" in his family.

___

Information from: Knoxville News Sentinel, http://www.knoxnews.com