* From Legistorm…
The office records of Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) show an anomaly that may have allowed the embattled congressman to skirt wage cap rules by paying a windfall bonus of $30,000 to his chief of staff. […]
For the first three quarters of 2014, Schock’s Chief of Staff Mark Roman made $30,000 a quarter, or $120,000 annually. Records for the fourth quarter of 2014, however, reported that his salary payment had doubled to $60,000.
December bonuses are not unusual on Capitol Hill. Bonuses, however, must comply with the salary caps defined in House rules. The Members’ Handbook says a staffer may not receive any more than the $168,411 annual cap, and also specifies the staffer may not receive more than 1/12th that amount - or $14,034 - in any one month.
That cap would allow Roman to receive only about $4,000 a month additional in bonus above his $10,000 monthly salary.
If the $30,000 additional payment came in December, his total compensation that month would be $26,000 above the limit. Even if the $30,000 additional payment was spread over three months, it would be too high by $18,000.
Schock managed to avoid the monthly salary cap by reporting that the $60,000 was salary Roman earned from March 1-Dec. 31, even though he had already reported Roman’s salary from March 1-Sept. 30. No other salary payment in Schock’s office showed similar backdating.
Since congressional office allowances do not roll over to the next year, the additional $30,000 paid to Roman otherwise would have been forfeited to the U.S. Treasury at the end of the year.
Oy.
* The highly partisan Blue Nation Review has more data…
* Anthony DeThomas was a paid intern who started on August 7, 2014, earning approximately $1,000 a month. Then he became a “temporary employee” and was paid $18,000 from October through December. The former intern’s paycheck exceeded most of the members of Schock’s staff – even accounting for the big bonuses and pay raises they collected. Oddly, DeThomas was also paid or reimbursed $50 and $100 for “Utilities.”
* Jonathon Link, Schock’s full time personal photographer, started September 1 and was paid $4,166 for that month, which translates to an annual salary of about $50,000. In the final three months of the year, he was paid $17,500, which translates to an annual salary of about $70,000. In addition to his congressional salary, Link’s photography studio was paid more than $29,000 during the final three months of the year for “Web Dev Hst, Email and Rltd Serv.” Schock’s office also paid “Web Dev Hst, Email and Rltd Serv” through Fireside21—a company that charges just a few hundred dollars per month and actually specializes in web development, hosting, email, and related services for Congressional offices. Was Link double-dipping? […]
* Matthew Chambers, a staff assistant, was paid $8,888 from July through September but received $13,000 from October through December.
* Genevieve Dejean, a constituent services representative, earned $7,516 from July through September, but received $10,500 from October through December.
* Michael Gilmore, a military/veteran specialist, was paid $9,999 from July to September and then $13,999 from October through December.Kelli Ripp, a legislative assistant, received $11,250 from July to September and $16,250 from October through December.
* Sarah Rogers, executive assistant, received $16,250 from July to September and $26,250 from October through December.
* Mark Roman, deputy chief of staff, was being paid approximately $10,000 a month for the first nine months of the year, but was paid $20,000 per month during the fourth quarter of 2014. The disbursement records are unclear; the fourth-quarter 2014 report lists $60,000 in salary for Roman, but then perhaps erroneously lists the time period as March 1 to December 31 instead of October 1 to December 31.
* Bryan Rudolph, district office manager, was paid $15,000 from July to September and $20,000 from October through December.
Schock’s payroll skyrocketed from $172,000 in the third quarter of 2014 to over $300,000 during the fourth.
- qcexaminer - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:16 am:
Also the “highly partisan” Erick Erickson at RedState is calling for Schock to resign.
- Stones - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:19 am:
Being a US Congressman is one of the greatest jobs in the world. It’s ridiculous that some feel the need to skirt the rules.
- Anonymiss - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:21 am:
This is beyond drip, drip, drip. We almost need a bingo card of all the recent Schock scandals.
- duh - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:22 am:
Shouldn’t his highly compensated staff have worked to avoid some of these problems? Geez.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:23 am:
You start with whispers…
Then you “catch” a story about spending…wrap tgat around hubris…then you go after travel…add “entourage” and “extravagance” to the narrative…make the travel a “party on the taxpayers dime”… make sure you can dovetail it off your original bad travel stories…then wait…
Wait for? The first presser; “Need a better look at things”, “I understand his it looks”, “I paid back..,”…and finally “My staff…”
You let that fester…then you take on the staff, and those decisions. How?
You go after salaries. You highlight bonuses.
Textbook. This isn’t anywhere close to being “random” of “his turn in the barrel”
This is orchestrated, using a domino style of “what would damage next?”
The weight has to be getting heavy. I know Staff, they seem more concerned about what’s in it for them, then protecting the Congressman.
Drip. Drip. … Drop. Dropping the Dime on Aaron Schock, with not many watching out for him.
- And I Approved This Message - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:24 am:
This information, and yesterday’s story of the staff trip to New York, make it crystal clear why no one in his office had the ability/desire/guts to rein him in. They were all part of the gravy train. But I’m guessing they would say it was because they were “young staffers.”
- Out Here In The Middle - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:29 am:
This can’t help:
http://www.redstate.com/2015/03/10/aaron-schock-needs-to-resign/
- haverford - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:31 am:
Gotta give the orchestrator of this mess (besides Schock, of course) a lot of credit. They sat patiently on some of this stuff for years, watched him get lazy/greedy, gathered all the info together, and are rolling it out with a lot of panache.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:31 am:
“I know how Staff looks here, they seem more concerned about what’s in it for them, then protecting the Congressman.”
- Undergrad Economist - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:32 am:
Throwing away reputations to collect a few grand. It’s sad, really.
- Old Shepherd - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:33 am:
I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt, but why do Congressmen need taxpayer-funded photographers?
- Wordslinger - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:34 am:
Wait a minute — a full-time personal photographer on the government payroll? One who’s also billing the government separately through his photo studio for work contracted by Schock?
A full-time personal photographer is ludicrous — how is a double dipping one possible, or legal? It can’t be.
These revelations have gotten so bad that the gay-baiting has gone away. Now it’s all about taxpayer money funding a rock star lifestyle and it’s getting worse every day.
Dude, you gave them a lot of clubs to beat you with.
- Soccermom - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:36 am:
It’s gotten to the point that, on my drive to work, I was wondering what today’s Schock story was going to be about.
- Sir Reel - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:39 am:
Rules are for little people.
- pundent - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:39 am:
OW - And this is why the notion of Staff protecting the Congressman is upside down here. It’s clear that this is no ordinary relationship between a Congressman and his staff. It probably never has been.
- Apocalypse Now - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:41 am:
Schock needs to resign and get a job on a TV reality show.
- Arsenal - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:44 am:
I kinda don’t want to kick him for being good to his staff. It’s way too easy to go the other way in his line of work…
- Amalia - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:49 am:
he’s a Republican. Fiscal conservative does not apply to corporate bonuses.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:50 am:
- pundent -,
They are all adults. Schock owed it to himself to have “someone, anyone” to question and help him see where to avoid the pitfalls.
Staff, all Staff, CoS on down, they owed it to Schock and themselves to recognize 434 House offices don’t look like Aaron’s. They owed it to Schock and thenselves not to make a “habit” of Instagramming or Tweeting or Facebooking hubris, let alone be participants in a way of running a Shop, being part of a Shop, that others will find questionable.
Nope, I have incredible respect for Staff, I also have that same respect for a Crew, and knowing that being part of a Staff means doing your job best, and being part of a Crew means you all look out for your boss, and each other.
They all wear the jacket.
- flea - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:57 am:
Haters gonna hate….cheaters gonna cheat.
- foster brooks - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 9:57 am:
You can tell schock is from illinois lol
- pundent - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 10:01 am:
OW - When the Congressman is authorizing a $30K payment to his CoS and the individual presumably happily cashes the check he’s just as culpable. Schock and his office were clearly out of control. Maybe Schock did owe it to himself to hire someone to act as the voice of reason. But those types of people can be a real buzz kill and aren’t a lot of fun to party with.
- Chris - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 10:02 am:
“U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., requested that the inspector general open a probe last week … saying he was concerned that it created “ripe opportunities for waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer money.””
No, he wasn’t talking about his own congressional office …
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/realestate/20140805/CRED03/140809923/cha-supervouchers-spark-federal-probe
BUT HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN!!!
- cdog - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 10:08 am:
BINGO!!! What is the prize?
Hopefully a new Rep that is a hard-working public servant with a good moral compass. I know they are out there!
This dude is a train wreck!
And to all the folks that think this is just an unfortunate situation of some interested in building a case against him, you are missing the point. It isn’t about how you get caught and the motives of those building the case. It is about the cheater, and his morally bankrupt character, who has lost touch with reality.
Bring on the replacement GOP, hope you can find somebody better than this! (No personal photographers this time please; there is just something seriously wrong with that.)
- Team Sleep - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 10:11 am:
Rich et al:
To be fair, many Congresscritters and Senators pay out year end bonuses. If you check Legistorm - which is free - a quick search of our delegation shows that most members paid out bonuses. Granted, some were not as large as others. But as a former Congressional staffer myself, I received bonuses at the end of a year more often that I did not. The office merely held personnel funds back and paid out the amounts at the end of December or early January.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 10:12 am:
===And to all the folks that think this is just an unfortunate situation of some interested in building a case against him, you are missing the point.===
Oh to be that plastic bag, blowing in the wind, oblivious to the world…
- Mr. Big Trouble - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 10:14 am:
it just keeps getting better for this guy
- Formerly Known As... - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 10:14 am:
Still a better value than the money the Bears are paying Cutler this year. /s
- Liandro - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 10:22 am:
In which I side with Wordslinger: there is too much substance here they are hitting him with. It seems quite clear that the man was abusing his office and the taxpayers money.
If he can’t properly handle the amount given to him for his staff and official duties, why would we trust him with the rest of our tax dollars? As a fiscal conservative I’ve never been a fan of his, but all this…ugh.
- hisgirlfriday - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 10:23 am:
Not sure how much of a big deal Erick Ericksons post is. He was on team manzullo so had no love for schock to begin with
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 10:37 am:
Wow. He really does “honor” his staff. With OPM. He has dug a gigantic hole for himself and is in mid-dive toward the bottom. How long before Peoria decides he doesn’t “play” there anymore?
- Anonin' - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 10:49 am:
Guessin’ it is a coincidence that this all starts right after the press guy bails for the dopey statements?
Yup connection there.
- Illini97 - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 10:52 am:
Is it time to start wondering where he ends up after this? Maybe Caterpillar’s favorite lobbyist? Chief of US-India relations?
The fall will hurt, but he isn’t going to starve.
- D.P.Gumby - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 10:54 am:
Can’t live like Brucie when you haven’t taken it from the little people in the private sector..
- Walter Mitty - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 11:04 am:
The poll question is obvious here… WHEN does he resign? Before the indictment or after? Sorta snarky and sorta legit… You decide. Because this ends only one way. His resignation.
- Formerly Known As... - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 11:20 am:
Meh. Erick Erickson is locally comparable to a Joe Walsh or he who shall not be named calling for Schock to resign. Red meat with a fringe base spotlight generating more heat than light.
- Interested Observer - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 11:24 am:
Curious if Darin LaHood has already started assembling his campaign team for the special election that will no doubt come about sooner rather than later.
- cdog - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 11:45 am:
@Mr.O.W.
Sir, I usually enjoy your posts and opinions, however, for you to assert that CONGRESSMAN Schock should have employed handlers/coaches/babysitters to keep his true nature from being on display to his constituents and the nation is scary, especially to someone as “oblivious to the world” as I must be.
If he needs this kind of supervision for basic professional conduct, it is an extremely valid question to ask in what else he has exercised such poor character. Ego and Power have been the downfall of many.
The above article once again shows either his IGNORANCE towards administrative rules and basic professional conduct, OR his WILLFUL DISREGARD of same. Take your pick, either option is not good.
I vote “no confidence” and look forward to a new Representative for US#18.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 11:49 am:
=== It is about the cheater, and his morally bankrupt character, who has lost touch with reality.===
“morally bankrupt”?
I let it slide, but since you want a discussion, what did you mean by that “morally bankrupt”?
- Walter Mitty - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 11:53 am:
cdog… I think the points OW made are legitimate. So are yours… Now that he is where he is, I am interested if there is any way he survives this? I truly see no path. If anyone does, I would love to hear that. He has had to lost his constituents. He certainly will be no good to the “party” to fund raise. When is consulted to step down? He certainly has not gotten PR advice he started paying for last week. His comments he released a few days ago as the example. This is beyond a party issue. Both sides of the aisle must be scrambling to clean their houses up…He’s not the first nor be the last. I think the message is clear to everyone else…Don’t be next.
- Chris - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 11:54 am:
“Still a better value than the money the Bears are paying Cutler this year.”
He hired a private plane to watch Cutler and the Bears play this year, so…
- Streator Curmudgeon - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 12:13 pm:
As I was telling my personal photographer this morning, “That Aaron Schock seems okay to me.”
- Ghost - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 12:14 pm:
Deja vu…. I alteady saw these commercials during the election. Apparently this is what the voters want in their elected official…..
- Precinct Captain - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 12:32 pm:
What will tomorrow’s story be?
- cdog - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 12:36 pm:
@O.W.
Sir, I am questioning his character, the fabric of who he is, sans handlers. I assert that his character has become morally bankrupt, insolvent, the bad outweighing the good. Either by ignorance or mischief he has not played the game by the rules. For a lawmaker, that is not very prudent position in which to be.
US #18 should be represented by an individual of great moral character that doesn’t need a babysitter.
- Union Man - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 12:37 pm:
This guy has got to go!! He got caught and has to leave!!
- Juvenal - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 12:40 pm:
The next obvious story is a Poll Story.
But are Peorians ever hearing or reading this news? I’d be much more interested in how this is being played back home.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 12:47 pm:
You keep saying “moral” character.
Schock has ethical issues to say the least, but “moral” character?
Staff’s duty is assisting in keeping the boss in compliance.
The Crew’s job is to keep the optics and questionable decisions from falling to the wrong side.
What, - cdog -, that isn’t part of the job?
- The Mole From IL - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 12:48 pm:
There is a woman in Schock’s district who is also a Republican who probably could do a better job.
- cdog - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 1:06 pm:
O.W. copy and pasted from the Google —
“Moral character or character is an evaluation of a particular individual’s stable moral qualities. The concept of character can imply a variety of attributes including the existence or lack of virtues such as empathy, courage, fortitude, honesty, and loyalty, or of good behaviors or habits.”
Since I guess Staff/Crew were responsible for his conduct, we might now conclude that they have some character issues too.
There is something very wrong with deflecting his conduct and lack of good decision making from him to his Staff/Crew. This blame game doesn’t work on the playground and shouldn’t work for a Congressman.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 1:22 pm:
===Since I guess Staff/Crew were responsible for his conduct, we might now conclude that they have some character issues too.
There is something very wrong with deflecting his conduct and lack of good decision making from him to his Staff/Crew.===
You are a Dope.
What I have said before …
Oswego Willy
===These people work for Schock not the other way around. When Schock decides that it’s time to party in New York it’s up to his staff to say bad idea?===
When you sign on to be part of a Crew, your #1 job is to make sure the boss is not putting themselves in jeopardy.
The Chief of Staff, they make the final call. If not I’ve if his Crew thought to look out for Schock and/or the CoS ignores the obvious, this is absolutely a Schock fail as much as a Staff fail.
If you are part of a Crew and you dibt go to the CoS and ask if any of this, in real-time was “ok”, then you are either an intern, or it’s really about what you can sponge off your boss befyre the jig is up.
=== It seems pretty clear to me that Schock isn’t hiring staff with the expectation that they’ll help him toe the line, he wants and likely has a group that’s simply along for the party.===
Which is where I put the blame on Schock. Numerous times.
- Anon - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 1:33 pm:
I’m more curious about who leaked the info — Repubs or Dems? He has a history of staying in one elected position for one or two terms before he moves up the ladder. This pattern suggests he was gunning for a Senate run. I’m leaning towards some Repubs doing him in.
- Hacksaw Jim - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 1:43 pm:
=== I’m more curious about who leaked the info — Repubs or Dems? ===
This hit has been far too professional to be attributed to the DCCC! LOL
- steve schnorf - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 2:22 pm:
Unless I’ve just missed it, I haven’t seen anything on how his staff’s wages compare with other congressional staff in similar positions. If he has violated Congressional rules, we will know it soon from the rule keepers. I suspect he hasn’t, or we would have already heard it. So, are we interested in how he pays his staff, or how much he pays them? Personally I couldn’t care if he has them on a piecework rate, as long as the salaries are reasonably comparable to what others in similar jobs are paid.
It’s pretty easy to jump on MC Schock: he makes it so. But be wary. The next accusation in this dirt job may be that he is a thespian, or even a practicing homo sapien. So, many of the “revelations” may be true, but are they meaningful?
- Walter Mitty - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 2:45 pm:
Guessin’ it is a coincidence that this all starts right after the press guy bails for the dopey statements?
Yup connection there
The attacks that are coming are certainly available IF someone wanted to dig… the coordination and the “exact” place to look screams of an inside job… This has inside job written all over it…. Someone inside got this ball rolling… Somebody feels jilted. This is the personal attack that only someone inside would start. The who will answer the why easily. At some point, the Feds are going to be making contacts with this staff. As OW said with the Rutherford staff. When they do, get a lawyer. This is becoming too big to ignore, it’s not just the district that will want answers now. It’s going to be National. I worry this young man will now be an example. He along with his staff have asked for this.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 3:23 pm:
As an aside, if you visit Congressman Danny Davis’s office, he always takes the pictures himself!
- Under Further Review - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 5:04 pm:
I see waste and extravagance, but I do not see a crime as of now. The bigger questions are who is orchestrating this and why?
- steve schnorf - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 5:13 pm:
legistorm says he “skirted” House rules. Is that the same as saying he obeyed them?
- He's In Trouble - Tuesday, Mar 10, 15 @ 5:53 pm:
This doesn’t seem as big as the other stuff, but it still doesn’t help. Hard to believe there won’t be more.