Illinois Republican Aaron Schock resigned today, less than 12 hours after Politico raised questions about tens of thousands of dollars in mileage reimbursements he received for his personal vehicle. Schock apparently billed the federal government and his campaign for logging roughly 170,000 miles on his personal car but documents indicate he was reimbursed for 90,000 miles more than his car was ever driven. Schock said in a surprise statement today:
“[T]he 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. I have always sought to do what’s best for my constituents and I thank them for the opportunity to serve.”
Then there are the gay rumors that never seemed to go away, from his Men’s Health cover, to his Downton Abbey-style office (below) as well as taking Jonathon Link, a photographer and videographer (bottom left and far left, in a group shot below) on an official trip paid for by The Global Poverty Project, a private advocacy organization.
Under House rules, a member of Congress can:
“accept private money for a companion’s travel expenses only if the companion is a staffer, spouse or child.”
…Link was none of those; he didn’t appear on Schock’s official or campaign payroll until September 2014. Schock never disclosed that Link went on the trip, which is required by law. Schock has not been out of the news and now he’s headline news again for resigning. Will he have other big news now that he’s left office…?
(via Politico)
The post #ASchockToTheSystem: Rep. Aaron Schock Resigns Amid Controversy (& Rumors) appeared first on World of Wonder.