llinois state Sen. Darin LaHood (R) “declined to say whether” he would repaint “the red walls of the current Capitol Hill office” of Rep. Aaron Schock (R) if he wins the special election for Schock’s seat, the State Journal-Register reports.
Said LaHood: “That’ll be a good problem to solve if I’m fortunate enough to get elected.”
“The FBI and the federal prosecutors in Illinois are investigating whether Rep. Aaron Schock broke the law in accounting for campaign expenses,” CNN reports.
“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.”
A person familiar with the case tells the Associated Press that the Justice Department is formally investigating whether Schock “committed crimes with his office expenditures and business dealings.”
Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) “is resigning from Congress with about $3.3 million in his campaign funds and several options for spending it,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
“Federal law used to allow officials leaving office to keep that money for themselves. But that’s no longer allowed. Schock may use the cash to pay any legal bills he’s incurred amid recent questions about irregularities in his spending. He also could return the money to donors or give it to other candidates, the GOP or to charity.”
Dr. Richard Schock told ABC Chicago that he was worried his son, Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL), might end up in prison over “paperwork” problems.
Said Schock: “Two years from now he’ll be successful, if he’s not in jail.”
He added: “If they’re going to convict him on paperwork, then they’re going to convict him. That’s their privilege. They’re out to get him and they’re making issues out of things that really shouldn’t be issues.”
“On Monday evening, Politico began asking questions about tens of thousands of dollars of reimbursements he received from his campaign and federal government for mileage put on his personal car. Records show that Schock personally claimed reimbursement for roughly 170,000 miles driven from January 2010 to July 2014. But the only vehicle he owned during that time was sold with just 80,000 miles on the odometer.”
“Asked for his response to those findings, Schock announced his resignation.”
The Hill: “His decision means congressional investigators will likely drop their probe into possible ethics violations because they no longer have jurisdiction. But Schock could still face criminal charges related to some of his questionable, excessive spending. That could add up to staggering legal fees, a possible court case and even jail time.”
Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) is resigning his seat in Congress, saying in a statement issued Tuesday that “constant questions over the last six weeks have proven a great distraction” and have made it “too difficult for me to serve the people of the 18th District,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
The Hill: “His sudden resignation marked a swift end to the political career of one of the Republican Party’s fastest-rising stars. The 33-year-old lawmaker from Peoria had been one of House Republicans’ top fundraisers, had served as a senior deputy whip and had won a spot on the powerful Ways and Means Committee.”
“Investigators from the Office of Congressional Ethics have begun reaching out to Rep. Aaron Schock’s political orbit, a possible first sign of an official investigation of the Illinois Republican,” Politico reports.
Meanwhile, BuzzFeed reports Schock spent $5,123 on “what appears to be a fairly accurate replica of ‘The Falcon’ — the internal White House nickname for one of President Obama’s official podiums — and based on photos, uses it at times when speaking in his Peoria, Illinois, district.”
And the Chicago Sun Times reports that after Schock “dipped into a campaign fund to pay $73,896.96 for a Chevrolet Tahoe and put the SUV in his name, he later charged taxpayers for mileage.”
Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) “has built much of his personal wealth over a decade through real estate investments with political donors, an Associated Press review found. His relationships with other contributors, which afforded him flights on private planes and other expenses, are already under scrutiny.”
“Donors built, financed and later purchased a house Schock owned as an investment in a suburb of Peoria, Illinois. Schock owns a stake in a Peoria apartment complex involving other contributors. And he pushed for a federal appropriation that would have benefited a donor’s development project.”
“Add another trip to Rep. Aaron Schock’s list of potential headaches. Schock appears to have improperly accepted money from an outside group to cover travel expenses for a companion on a trip to India and failed to disclose it in a possible violation of House rules,” according to a National Journal review of public records.
“Well, I certainly hope not. I’m not an attorney.”
— Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL), quoted by Politico, when asked if he’s broken any rules or federal laws.
Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) “doesn’t have to face voters at the ballot box until next year. But in order to run for re-election, it appears he may first have to surmount a primary challenge,” the Peoria Star reports.
Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) took at least 10 of his House staffers on a $10,053 taxpayer-funded trip to New York last September, where most of them had few official duties, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) used taxpayer money to pay for a private plane to travel from Peoria to Chicago for the Bears-Vikings game on Nov. 16, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
“These new Sun-Times revelations are part of a growing number of questions surrounding Schock’s use of campaign and government funds to support his extravagant jet-set lifestyle.”
Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) “attended dinner and drinks in 2011 at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and at a swank nightclub London — and never disclosed receiving a single gift on his financial disclosure form,” Politico reports.
“Schock, a fourth-term Republican congressman with a prized seat on the Ways and Means Committee, has hired lawyers and a crisis communications firm amid a burgeoning scandal over his high-spending ways and potential misuse of official and campaign funds. His office said it is performing an internal audit of his official accounts in response to questions over whether he improperly spent money from his House office budget and failed to report gifts.”
Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) “has hired two prominent Washington defense attorneys and a public relations firm to respond to the swirling controversy and a potential ethics probe over how he has financed his lavish lifestyle,” Politico reports.
“The move by the embattled Illinois Republican comes amid continuing questions about his use of campaign and office accounts to pay for pricey travel and accommodations.”
Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL), “a rising Republican star already facing an ethics inquiry, has spent taxpayer and campaign funds on flights aboard private planes owned by some of his key donors,” the Associated Press has found.
“There also have been other expensive travel and entertainment charges, including for a massage company and music concerts.”
“The expenses highlight the relationships that lawmakers sometimes have with donors who fund their political ambitions, an unwelcome message for a congressman billed as a fresh face of the GOP. The AP identified at least one dozen flights worth more than $40,000 on donors’ planes since mid-2011.”
Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) “has repeatedly spent taxpayer and campaign funds to rent aircraft that are not certified charter services, despite House rules and federal law that generally prohibit the use of private aircraft for official and campaign use,” USA Today reports.
National Journal: “What began as an inquiry into Rep. Aaron Schock’s (R-IL) opulent scarlet-painted office has quickly spun into a weeklong media probe of the congressman’s lavish travel accommodations and real-estate dealings. Now, the looming question is: How serious are the allegations against Schock and what could they mean for the man who had been a rising star for the Republican Party?”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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