Tag: Aaron Schock

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Former Congressman Aaron Schock’s Interns Receive Subpoenas To Testify

Aaron Schock

Just when former Congressman (and totally not gay) Aaron Schock of Illinois thought his problems might be settling down, now comes the news that a grand jury has issued subpoenas to his former interns, most probably to ask questions about his now-famous spending habits.

From Politico:

Anthony DeThomas, who was an intern for Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.), received a subpoena to testify before the grand jury investigating the former congressman. The subpoena was read on the House floor Thursday afternoon.

The move by the Department of Justice to call on DeThomas, who was an intern for seven months, shows the level of scrutiny the former lawmaker is subject to.

The grand jury convened in Springfield, Illinois, is hearing testimony about Schock’s spending of federal and campaign funds.

For example, Schock billed taxpayers and his campaign for 170,000 miles on a car that had only 80,000 miles on it. Sarah Rogers, who was Schock’s scheduler, testified on Wednesday. Benjamin Cole, a former Schock senior aide, said in a sworn affidavit to the FBI that Rogers was in charge of the reimbursements in the office.

DeThomas now works for Pennsylvania GOP Rep. Bill Shuster, chairman of the House Transportation Committee.

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Former Donor Seeks Class Action Lawsuit Against Aaron Schock Over Donations

Former congressman Aaron Schock

The Daily Beast is reporting that a former donor of Rep. Aaron Schock plans to sue for a refund.

Howard Foster, a Chicago lawyer and former donor to the Congressman, will be the lead—and so far, only—plaintiff in the case against Schock, two sources familiar with the matter tell The Daily Beast. He has retained Steve Berman, a Seattle lawyer famous for launching high profile class action lawsuits against the likes of Exxon Mobil and Enron, to file the case tomorrow in Chicago Federal Court.

Schock resigned last month after it was revealed that he had claimed tens of thousands of dollars in false mileage reimbursements for use of his personal vehicle, among other spending irregularities.

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FBI Launches Investigation Into Aaron Schock Campaign Expenses

Earlier this week, Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock surprised many with his sudden resignation from Congress.  Many saw the departure as a way to escape an ethics investigation.

That may have ended the congressional ethics issue, but now the FBI is looking into his campaign fund expenses which could lead to serious legal troubles.

From CNN:

Schock in recent days announced plans to resign, citing controversy surrounding allegations that he improperly accounted for travel and other contributions from donors and reimbursements for campaign use of a personal car. But the probe managed by prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s office in Springfield, Ill., means his legal troubles are just beginning.

The FBI has now begun delivering subpoenas seeking testimony before a grand jury in Springfield, Ill.

A controversy that began with questions sparked by a light-hearted profile of Schock’s “Downton Abbey”-themed office ballooned into a full-blown scandal over the past month that caused the rising GOP star’s rapid fall from grace.

A U.S. law enforcement official says the investigation is at an early stage. Justice Department officials were monitoring published reports about Schock’s expense troubles and were taken by surprise when he announced his resignation, according to another U.S. law enforcement official.

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Barney Frank On The “Rumored” Sexuality Of Aaron Schock

Soon-to-be-former Congressman Aaron Schock

“I don’t know a lot of straight guys who go to the gym and parade around with their shirts off. Generally gay men do that to attract other men.”

– Barney Frank speaking to the rumors regarding the sexuality of soon-to-be-former Congressman Aaron Schock

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Matt Baume Explains The Gay Uproar Over Aaron Schock

Matt Baume takes a moment (in his newly “Downton Abbey-ized” office) to explain the LGBT uproar regarding the rise and meteoric crash of Congressman Aaron Schock:

So long! After denying gay rumors for years, Aaron Schock’s leaving Congress due to a financial scandal.

But whether he’s straight or gay, Schock has used the closet to further his own interests at the expense of his LGBT constituents.

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Rachel Maddow Profiles The Rise And Fall Of Rep. Aaron Schock

Rachel Maddow goes in-depth on the resignation of Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock.

One of the more interesting things about Schock’s time in Congress seems to be that while he was one of the youngest members of Congress, it appears he didn’t actually DO much of substance while on the Hill. He’s been described, more than once, as a “show horse” rather than a “work horse.”

I also recommend the reporting today from the Washington Post on Schock’s early successes that had hints of the scandals that seemed to bring him down today.

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Barney Frank On Aaron Schock’s Resignation: “He Was Outed Or What?”

Former Congressman Barney Frank

Upon learning the news of GOP Congressman Aaron Schock’s resignation, former Massachusetts Democratic congressman Barney Frank at first assumed the issue had been Schock’s sexuality:

“He was outed or what?” Frank said when Business Insider asked for his thoughts on the sudden resignation by the 33 year old congressman from Illinois.

Frank was one of the first openly gay congressmen, having come out in 1987. He is currently promoting his recent memoir “Frank: A Life In Politics From The Great Society To Same-Sex Marriage.”

The former congressman from Massachusetts did have this to offer regarding young Schock:

“I will say this, I don’t know if he’s gay or not. But if he is, he’s forfeited any right to privacy because he votes anti-gay,” Frank said of Schock. “My view is that people who are gay who vote to support the right of other people to do it have a right to privacy, but the right to privacy does not include hypocrisy.”

Schock had a severely anti-gay voting record while in office having voted against the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, the repeal of DOMA and many other pieces of LGBT legislation.

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“Totally Not Gay” Rep. Aaron Schock Announces Resignation From Congress

Congressman Aaron Schock (L) in his “Downton Abbey” inspired offices

Politico is reporting that Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) will resign from Congress amid a controversy over his spending habits:

Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock resigned Tuesday, less than 12 hours after POLITICO raised questions about tens of thousands of dollars in mileage reimbursements he received for his personal vehicle.

Schock billed the federal government and his campaign for logging roughly 170,000 miles on his personal car between January 2010 and July 2014. But when he sold that Chevrolet Tahoe in July 2014, it had only roughly 80,000 miles on the odometer, according to public records obtained by POLITICO under Illinois open records laws. The documents, in other words, indicate he was reimbursed for 90,000 miles more than his car was ever driven.

“I do this with a heavy heart,” reads the statement. “Serving the people of the 18th District is the highest and greatest honor I have had in my life. I thank them for their faith in electing me and letting me represent their interests in Washington. I have given them my all over the last six years. I have traveled to all corners of the District to meet with the people I’ve been fortunate to be able to call my friends and neighbors.”

The congressman said he will resign effective March 31.

Schock was facing a review of his spending by the Office of Congressional Ethics after a series of damaging reports that began with a $40,000 tab on decorating his Capitol Hill office in the manner of the PBS show “Downton Abbey.” That was to be only the beginning, however, as investigations into personal finances and travel expenditures seemed to show other improper spending habits.

UPDATE: CNN’s Dana Bash tweets that Schock has apparently begun paying back some of the monies he may have been inappropriately reimbursed:

Who knows what’s next for Schock? We know he likes to travel…

Totally not gay…
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Yet Another Story About Inappropriate Expenditures By Rep. Aaron Schock

Photographer Jonathan Link

Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Illinois), the “totally not gay,” anti-gay congressman, is in even more hot water as the stories of his inappropriate expenditures keep coming.

The newest debacle to surface regards the photographer/videographer (pictured above) who got a free trip to India even though he was not on the congressman’s staff.

Via National Journal:

Schock traveled to India on official business in August 2014, a trip during which he met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Global Poverty Project, an advocacy organization that seeks to alleviate extreme poverty internationally, footed the bill, according to a spokesman for the group.

But Schock’s photographer and videographer, Jonathon Link, traveled with him on the trip, which was well-documented on Schock’s Instagram account. The organization offered to pay for the costs of one staffer to accompany Schock as long as the staffer flew economy class, according to the spokesman. Another aide was originally going to come, but the organization noted they were looking for a photographer, and Schock suggested Link, with whom he has worked in the past, the spokesman said. The photos Link took were made available to both Schock and the Global Poverty Project.

House rules allow a member to accept private money for a companion’s travel expenses only if the companion is a staffer, spouse or child. Link was none of those. Also, Schock never disclosed that Link accompanied him on the trip.

Earlier stories include misreporting a private flight as a “software expense” and of using taxpayer money to take his staff on getaway to New York City.

And don’t forget Schock spent $40,000 of taxpayer moeny to redecorate his D.C. office to look like the set of “Downton Abbey.”

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Rep. Aaron Schock Says He “Hopes” He Didn’t Break The Law

Illinois congressman Aaron Schock

Politico reports that “totally not gay” Republican Congressman Aaron Schock was on the testy side during a recent interview regarding his ongoing (and continually worsening) issue with spending reports coming out of his office:

“Well, I would say I take my compliance obligations seriously,” he said when asked whether he accepted improper gifts. “So, to your point, you know, obviously there’s things that we’re going through and if there need to be amendments to my reports, there will be.”

Asked again if he thinks he has accepted anything for free and not disclosed it, Schock said, “I have not, uh,” and then paused. “I would just leave it at that.”

He was equally evasive about whether he had broken House ethics rules or federal campaign laws.

“Well, I certainly hope not,” he first said. Pressed again whether he could say confidently he has not, Schock replied, “Well, I’m not an attorney.”

The most recent stories that came to light involve a government-paid trip for his staff to NYC and a “software” purchase for $3,425 that a software executive says wasn’t for software but for Schock’s use of the executive’s private plane.

Stay tuned, kids. This story is like the Energizer Bunny. It keeps going, and going, and going…