On Thu, 26 Feb 2015 20:42:05 -0800 (PST), Tom Nofinger wrote:

On Tuesday, February 24, 2015 at 8:13:31 PM UTC-8, jps wrote:
Gotta love this...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock has hired top lawyers and
public relations experts in the wake of recent questions surrounding
his travel and entertainment expenses.

Schock, a rising Republican star already facing an ethics inquiry, had
spent taxpayer and campaign funds on flights aboard private planes
owned by some of his key donors, an Associated Press review found.
There have also been other expensive charges, including for a massage
company and music concerts.

By Tuesday, Schock brought on board Washington attorneys William
McGinley and Donald McGahn, a former Federal Election Commission
member. Schock also retained GOP communications experts Ron Bonjean
and Brian Walsh, according to a person familiar with the changes who
was not authorized to speak publicly. Politico first reported the
hires Tuesday.

Schock's expenses, detailed by the AP and other news organizations in
recent weeks, highlight the relationships that lawmakers can have with
donors who fund their political ambitions. It's an unwelcome message
for Schock, a congressman billed as a fresh face of the Republican
party.

The AP's review identified at least one dozen flights worth more than
$40,000 on donors' planes since mid-2011, tracking Schock's reliance
on the aircraft partly through the congressman's penchant for
uploading pictures and videos of himself to his Instagram account. The
AP extracted location data associated with each image then correlated
it with flight records showing airport stopovers and expenses later
billed for air travel against Schock's office and campaign records.

Asked to comment Monday, Schock said he travels frequently throughout
his Peoria-area district "to stay connected with my constituents" and
also travels to raise money for his campaign committee and
congressional colleagues. Schock was in Washington Tuesday evening to
cast votes on the House floor.

Schock said he takes compliance with congressional funding rules
seriously and has begun a review of his office's procedures
"concerning this issue and others to determine whether they can be
improved."

The AP had been seeking comment from Schock's office since
mid-February to explain some of his expenses, but his office would not
provide any details about them. The new hires may signal a shift that
Schock could begin to respond to those questions publicly.

Schock's high-flying lifestyle, combined with questions about expenses
decorating his office in the style of the TV show "Downton Abbey," add
to awkward perceptions on top of allegations he illegally solicited
donations in 2012. The Office of Congressional Ethics said in a 2013
report that there was reason to believe Schock violated House rules by
soliciting campaign contributions during a 2012 primary.

Lawmakers can use office funds for private flights as long as payments
cover their share of the costs. But most of the flights Schock covered
with office funds occurred before the House changed its rules in
January 2013. The earlier rules prohibited lawmakers from using those
accounts to pay for flights on private aircraft, allowing payments
only for federally licensed charter and commercial flights.

Schock also spent thousands more on tickets for concerts and car
mileage reimbursements, and took his interns to a sold-out Katy Perry
concert in Washington last June.

The AP's review covered Schock's travel and entertainment expenses in
his taxpayer-funded House account, in his campaign committee and the
"GOP Generation Y Fund," a political action committee. Records show
more than $1.5 million in contributions to the fund since he took
office in 2009.

Schock's reliance on donor-owned planes is the most recent example of
lawmaker use of donors' planes for transportation. After Sen. Robert
Menendez, D-N.J., took two 2010 flights on a private jet owned by a
wealthy eye doctor and major donor, a 2013 ethics investigation
prompted his $58,500 personal reimbursement to the donor for the
flights. His office noted that Menendez did not use taxpayer funds to
pay for the flights.

Records show Schock also requested more than $18,000 in mileage
reimbursements since 2013, among the highest in Congress. His office
has previously said it was reviewing those expenses.



My favorite part of the article: "Schock said he takes compliance with
congressional funding rules seriously and has begun a review of his
office's procedures "concerning this issue and others to determine
*whether* they can be improved.""

****ing little **** is wondering if he'll have to mend his ways or
maybe just continue to operate in the tradition of a scumbag with
impunity.

"Rising star," " a congressman billed as a fresh face of the
Republican party."

Whoops.

Here Pea-Brain. Something for you and Krause to lull over.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politi...ca6_story.html

As liberals don't discuss 'morals', their lack thereof is supposed to be expected.
--

Guns don't cause problems. The behavior
of certain gun owners causes problems.