Illinois Republican Rep. Aaron Schock has resigned after a rather bizarre few weeks. He caused something of a national sensation when his office was decked out like a study at Downton Abbey. He was then accused of spending like of Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham. Schock resigned effective March 31 after weeks of controversy over his lavish spending from government and campaign accounts. It is a cautionary tale for other members. You might want to stick with those government issued desks and pictures of the Washington Monument at the office.
Schock drew attention for his office remake to look like the set of Downton Abbey. The more serious issue however were allegations of personal expenses and questionable reimbursements made on congressional and campaign accounts.
Schock has faced mounting accusations of using taxpayer dollars for personal expenses and claiming questionable reimbursements. This included thousands of dollars in private air charters with donor-owned planes.
It is not clear to me how serious some of these allegations were from the limited news accounts. The dealings with donors are not necessarily violations under federal law or congressional rules unless they were quid pro quo arrangements or used to convert public funds into campaign contributions. There is no indication of a federal criminal investigation.
Schock issued the following 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. … But the constant questions over the last six weeks have proven a great distraction that has made it too difficult for me to serve the people of the 18th District with the high standards that they deserve and which I have set for myself.”
This would appear the end of Schock’s political ambitions which is a remarkable turn around for a once promising Republican member. Yet, as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, advised “Don’t be defeatist, dear. It’s very middle class.”
What James said and more.
James, I was asking Gary for a specific reason, because” he” used the word “Obot”, which reminded me of someone. Personally, I don’t want Hillary to run.
NO CLINTON.
I’M SCHOCKED THAT THIS WOULD BE PUT FORTH AS SERIOUS.
CAN YOU SAY “ORGY ISLAND?”
CAN YOU SAY THE LATEST-GATE…E-MAIL-GATE? BEAT-FOIA-GATE?
“OH, HILLARY. WE’RE SAVED!”
DOES ANYONE DENY THAT HILLARY AND TYSON CHICKEN USED THE SAME BROKER WHO MAGICALLY TURNED $1K INTO $100K FOR HILLARY – IN CATTLE FUTURES, NO LESS?
ELECTING A CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT IS LIKE GIVING THE JOB TO AL CAPONE OR KING GEORGE, OR KING OBAMA (oops! That happened).
Spare me the argument that Schock has the wrong color skin.
As usual, the brain dead have terrible memories. Anyone remember Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Jackson, Jr.?
Gary, once again you’re either a liar or not too bright. I researched your story about Kenneth J. Connor. NOTHING about his claims or his lawsuit implicate Obama. Sure, WND, the kooky Washington Times and the usual dubious conspiracy addled websites were all over the story. Team McCain even tried to play it up in 2008. Problem was there was no there, there. I don’t expect to change your mind. Obama Derangement Syndrome is a strong force among the reality challenged, conspiracy driven tea folk. However, for those seeking honest truth and not propagandistic red meat thrown to the Obama haters by less than reputable sources…this from Newsweek:
“”Who is Barack Obama?” blares the headline in one of the McCain mailings, which includes a photo of Obama’s house under the caption, “What has Rezko done for Obama?” The new GOP video also displays headlines about a recent lawsuit filed by a former real estate analyst against a Chicago area bank that makes new allegations about improper handling of a loan to Rezko and his wife that enabled them to buy the vacant lot next to the Obamas. The lawsuit makes no allegations of wrongdoing against Obama—and the Democratic presidential candidate is not a party to the suit against the Mutual Bank of Harvey, Illinois.”
Gary Welch, what do you think of Hillary Clinton? Should she run for President?
Sorry, wrong log in…I’m over and out anyway. People are just out to one up each other here. The real bigot is a welcome change. At least you KNOW you’re vermin to him. Discourse is impossible on this site.
At least the new player is an out and out bigot, Annie.
Hi Maxcat, I don’t know why I do it. As you can see nothing has changed, the same players, the same dirty tricks. Alas.
Dezza, You won’t win this argument with me. I’m so sick of you lying Obots who pop everywhere on the Internet to lie through your teeth about what a fraud Obama is.
“A former Illinois bank official, now claiming whistleblower status, says bank officials replaced a loan reappraisal that he prepared for a Chicago property that was purchased by the wife of now-convicted felon Tony Rezko, part of which was later sold to next-door neighbor Barack Obama.
In a complaint filed Thursday in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Kenneth J. Connor said that his reappraisal of Rita Rezko’s property was replaced with a higher one and that he was fired when he questioned the document.
Mr. Connor, a real estate and commercial credit analyst at the Mutual Bank Corp. in Chicago, also noted in the complaint that the bank received a grand jury subpoena in October 2006 requiring it to produce information concerning Mrs. Rezko’s purchase, including the bank’s files on the property.
The complaint also said that the grand jury wanted information on Mrs. Rezko’s checking account and loan file and that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) had audited the Rezko file – although Mr. Connor’s lower reappraisal had been replaced with a higher amount.
“Connor’s internal whistle-blowing activity at Mutual Bank implicates Mutual Bank and the potentially guilty officers thereof to prosecution under federal and Illinois statutes,” said the complaint, filed by attorney Glenn R. Gaffney.
The complaint said Mutual Bank officials could be guilty of making false statements, willfully overvaluing property, bank fraud, witness retaliation, willful violation of a lawful subpoena, FDIC violations, and state banking regulations.
Mr. Gaffney, contacted at his office, declined to elaborate but confirmed that the complaint had been filed.
“It says what it says,” said Mr. Gaffney of Glendale Heights, Ill.
According to the complaint, Mr. Connor reviewed the appraisal of the Rezko property by another firm, Adams Appraisal, which had set the value at $625,000. Mr. Connor’s complaint said that he told his bosses in a report that the property had been overvalued by at least $125,000 and that a “reasonable and fair evaluation” should have been no greater than $500,000.
Later, the complaint states, Mr. Connor observed that his lower appraisal was not in the Rezko file and that he notified his supervisors that it had been replaced. He said, according to the complaint, the new file had been reviewed by the FBI and “if the FBI were to ask me about such matters, I would tell them the truth. I never rescinded my original findings.”
Critics of Mr. Obama’s dealings with Rezko charge that the senator may have gotten a deal on his property purchase, noting that Mrs. Rezko paid the full asking price for her property on an adjacent lot. Both of which were sold by a single seller. Mr. Obama bought his house for $1.65 million – $300,000 below the asking price.
When the property was sold, Mr. Obama knew Rezko was under investigation on fraud charges.
The complaint said the Rezko loan was approved by Mutual Bank President and CEO Amrish Mahajan and others so that Mrs. Rezko could buy a 9,090-square-foot vacant parcel of real estate. It said that in January 2006, Mrs. Rezko and Mr. Obama, along with his wife Michelle, signed an agreement to sell a 10-foot strip of the property to the Obamas. At that point, according to the complaint, Mr. Connor’s firm asked him to conduct the reappraisal.”
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/18/whistleblower-hits-obama-friends-appraisal/#ixzz3UmCKU5Gj
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Haven’t posted in ages, and won’t for another long time. So glad you all found someone who more fits in with the prevailing attitude. Grotty seems right up your alley, especially since the resident homophobe poet seems to have stopped posting.
Annie, I don’t know how you do it. I generally read JT’s articles only, but I was curious to see if there would be Schock apologists here, and sure enough, it’s the “Obama did worse” and the “gays made him resign” contingent.
Stay classy folks. I know I’ve felt much better since I stopped reading the constant mudslinging here.
Aaron Schock lied and committed theft. He has to go. More accurately, he got caught lying and has to go. It makes no difference that he paid the money back after the fact.
Too bad all politicians aren’t held up to that same standard. It sure seems to be selective.
It really is unfortunate for us as a country that our citizenry only seems to hold “certain” politicians up to any standard of ethical behavior. This should not be a partisan issue.
Palin resigned rather than force Alaskans to pay for the continuing baseless and constantly morphing political litigation against her. So, no, Schock didn’t “pull a Palin.”
Vitter’s not my favorite politician in the world but at least he exercised political savvy whereas Anthony Wiener is just pure oblivious clinging will to power. Vitter’s phone number was admittedly in the phone records of a house of prostitution and he promptly came out and admitted – to sinning – whereas Wiener ludicrously claimed innocence until the bitter end when it was obvious that was, in fact, his silly little dick pic. What a moron. A better comparison to Vitter is Eliot Spitzer who did resign the governorship of NY (confident in the knowledge that he would be replaced by another Dem) after being caught in a prostitution scandal.
Gary, Obama did no such thing. You are either lying or not too bright…did you even read the article that you linked to? Here is the pertinent excerpt:
“Obama’s “bigger lapse of judgment,” he said, came later when he bought a strip of the Rezko lot to expand his own yard. That embroiled the two men in negotiations over fencing and other issues at a time when Rezko was under increasing suspicion. That involvement with Rezko in the land deal, Obama said Friday, was the “boneheaded move” to which he’s previously confessed. “In retrospect,” he said Friday, “this was an error.”
The truth of the matter, despite your assertions, is that the Obama’s purchased there own home with their own money. Rezko’s wife purchased an adjacent lot of which the Obama’s bought a section. Rezko was a friend of Obama and what he considers a “bonehead move” was going in with Rezko on the purchase of that tract of land at a time when Rezko was being investigated. That’s pretty clear from the story you linked. Nowhere in there does it give any hint that Rezko helped the Obamas our financially.
Within 12 hours of the Politico story, Schock quit. Doesn’t sound like he was pressured to resign. Basically, he pulled a Palin
btw – why is Vitter (admitted to a crime) in office, while Wiener (a major embarrassment, but not a crime) is not in office. Maybe its not by party. The rest of that post is…………well, sadly obvious.
Dezza, Obama admitted getting help from Rezko buying his south side home. That’s a matter of public record. “It was a boneheaded move.” Obama’s words, not mine. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-03-16/news/0803150370_1_tony-rezko-boneheaded-move-dealings
rafflaw: Of course it is not Raw Story’s fault that Schock engaged in wrongdoing. I said twice I’m glad he’s gone. The fewer crooks in government the better.
However, Raw Story and left wing homosexuals put the target on his back because they think he’s a homosexual who prefers to keep his sexuality private. Michael Rogers (of Raw Story) has a long list of victims whose careers he has helped destroy because they chose not to reveal their alleged homosexuality and whose politics he does not like.
The reality is that Schock is in the wrong party and was born with the wrong skin pigmentation.
Why isn’t Rangel gone? He has been found guilty of 11 counts of ethical wrongdoing. He’s been censured by the House. But Democrat leadership do not pressure him to resign. Why is that? Probably for the same reason Democrats would let Obama get away with murder rather than vote to impeach him. They can not risk alienating blacks. They need to maintain their near monopoly on the black vote, especially now that polls show the white working class are abandoning the Democrat Party in droves.
Both Schock and Rangel were duly elected. Both are unethical. The black Democrat keeps his seat. The white Republican resigns.
Groty – I could not agree more about Rangel. He has done a lot more and should have been gone a long time ago.
Of course someone would use a Republican Congressman’s bilking the taxpayers for his personal lifestyle, to make an anti Obama comment. Nice try at deflection.
Ah, Gary I see you get your “news” from World Nut Daily. Truth is, Obama made a substantial sum from two books that he authored. Here’s a link to Snopes:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/money.asp
I know you probably will disparage their findings despite offering reputable links to back up their claims because hey, WND says otherwise and we all know how reputable a site that is.
Dezza – Obama did NOT write the first one, although he takes the money for it and probably did not write the second one. Michelle also had a no show job in a hospital. After she quit the job their never filled the job again.
You never heard rafflaw complaining about Obama doing worse than Schock, did you? Let’s see, who helped Obama buy that mansion on Chicago’s south side? Wasn’t that Tony Rezko? And what about all of those bags of cash Rezko regularly delivered to Obama? And what about both Obama’s high-paid, no work, no show jobs prior to his election to the Senate? Why is it that all of Obama’s old pals back in Chicago wind up in federal prison and he’s still walking free?