Schock’s father speaks again
Thursday, Mar 19, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The AP’s Kerry Lester caught up with Congressman Schock’s dad yesterday…
Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock’s father says the facts will “convict or exonerate” his son.
Richard Schock is a Peoria doctor. He told The Associated Press Wednesday that recent investigative reports on the 33-year-old congressman’s lavish spending and improper expense reporting were “untrue” and “absolutely ridiculous.”
You can also watch ABC7’s complete interview with Schock’s father by clicking here. And make sure to watch the whole thing. It’s very raw and occasionally heartbreaking. I feel bad for the guy. The son? He’s on his own now.
* Meanwhile…
At the close of the last reporting period on Dec. 31, the Peoria Republican, whose district includes part of Springfield, had more than $3 million in the various funds he controls, from his actual campaign account to his political action committees.
The majority of that, nearly $3.3 million, is in his official Schock for Congress campaign fund. Far smaller amounts adding up to about $60,000 are in his GOP Generation Y and Schock Victory Fund accounts. […]
If Schock chooses to continue the inquiry into any of his campaign spending and whether past reports need to be adjusted to account for some of the expenditures on trips or other matters that have come up in the last six weeks, he can continue to pay the individuals he hired with his campaign cash to work on that as well.
- Wordslinger - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 11:09 am:
Crains reported Schock will need to get the okay from the FEC to tap his funds for lawyers.
- Stones - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 11:12 am:
Obviously the father isn’t accustomed to speaking with the press. I have empathy for him but he would be better off remaining in the background.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 11:12 am:
Schock needs to come clean as fast as possible, lecerage the $3.3 million into “fines” that are oaid for years off a sentence, and absolutely cop to any and all possible transgressions to get Oxford and not Colorado, if it does get down to “College” for the 33 year old.
I would comment on the elder Mr. Schock, but it honestly broke my heart watching a parent struggle with all this and I’m not surprised with some mis-speak. Tragic.
- A guy - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 11:13 am:
The father is very obviously distraught and disappointed. Maybe even reflects that he tried to get his kid to listen to him. It is heart-breaking for him I’m sure. Still, he needs to pipe down. Now.
- Illini97 - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 11:19 am:
Agreed that the father is distraught, someone needs to help him out and not allow him to speak to the press right now.
- Belle - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 11:32 am:
I feel for the elder Mr Schock. I cannot imagine feeling so proud of your child and then to have this mess crashing in around you. But, he suffer from an extreme case of diarrhea of the mouth.
Will some high ranking politician (GOP or Dem) please call this man and tell him to stop talking.
- ChicagoR - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 11:34 am:
I feel bad for the guy, but his attitude seems to be that laws are just “paperwork”. I can kind of see where the kid got his attitude - laws are just “paperwork” rather than substantive rules he needs to follow.
- ZC - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 11:34 am:
I weirdly do feel a little sorry for Schock. This is like the Icarus legend brought to IL. But only a little sorry. He over billed the government for 90,000 miles. The federal mileage reimbursement rate is 57.5 cents per mile.
That means Schock may be going to jail (perjury charges, maybe, for falsely misrepresenting expenses) for about $57,000. Which is like under 2% of what he has in his campaign kitty right now. Dude, Congressman, if you wanted to go to jail, you could at least have gone big. This just looks inane.
- walker - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 11:38 am:
Schock’s father’s comments spoke to me.
I’m out. No more speculation. Let the Feds do there jobs, and the chips fall where they may.
- not right - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 11:40 am:
Leave the father alone. It has to be difficult to see your son who many many saw as future Governor or President fall from grace.
Any parent would be upset over any children losing their career and good name even if the child had lost any job.
Leave his father alone.
- Charlatan Heston - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 11:44 am:
I’m with ya Rich, I feel for him. He would be better off declining requests for future interviews.
- Aschockedobserver - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 11:52 am:
I feel for dad too, but hope the good doctor contracts a case of foot-in-mouth disease soon for his son’s benefit.
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 11:56 am:
Leave the family alone unless they are implicated.
- Wensicia - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 12:05 pm:
I would feel more sympathy if he appreciated the seriousness of how his son brought about his own misfortune, rather than hear him worry about what’s being done to him by others.
He said his son was backed into a corner (forced to resign). By who?
- Biker - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 12:05 pm:
I think Dr. Schock has some things to say. I’m glad I watched the video. Rarely is there a truthful human moment in politics. This is just a father who wants the best for his son. Just the most honest interview I’ve seen in a long time.
- Biker - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 12:05 pm:
I think Dr. Schock has some things to say. I’m glad I watched the video. Rarely is there a truthful human moment in politics. This is just a father who wants the best for his son. Just the most honest interview I’ve seen in a long time.
- Kerfuffle - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 12:21 pm:
- Wensicia -
It’s his son for crying out loud - cut him some slack.
- Ace of Mace - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 12:26 pm:
De Nile is a river that flows through….
- Wordslinger - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 12:28 pm:
Dr. Schock is under no obligation to talk to the press and should stop doing it, for his son’s sake. Whatever his heartbreak, he needs to choke it down and stop choosing to air it to the world and doing his son harm with his public comments.
- Casual Observer - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 12:39 pm:
Aaron Schock’s is going through the hard process now of learning who his true friends really are. Leave his family out of it.
- Annon3 - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 12:45 pm:
I feel sad for Dr.Schock but if JJJ does register surely Rosty should. It appears that whoever is behind this hit job has more ammunition best to ask for privacy durning these times and stop talking.
But the again may the Congressman has honestly told her s father how bad this could get.
- Annon3 - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 12:47 pm:
Has not honestly told his Dad…. Sorry
- Amalia - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 1:10 pm:
well, the dad’s life is his life and he can do whatever he feels. and I can dislike it.
- anonin' - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 1:13 pm:
Chicago Tonight drags Pat Brady and a shrink in to mush up Schock a little bit….funniest part is Brady trying to make ScarinDarinLaHood into a grand political leaders
http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2015/03/18/downfall-congressman-aaron-schock
- Ethan Hawk - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 1:19 pm:
The father’s talking to the media appeared to me to be a knee-jerk reaction by someone who was overwhelmed by unconditional love for his child. It was sad. Doctor Schock’s talk with the media seemed to espouse those simple Midwestern values such as speaking out with what you believe to be the truth and damn the consequences. I will give Dr. Schock credit for not trying to cop a plea for Aaron’s alleged transgressions due to a sudden bipolar medical condition. I will (for the time being) give young (and very immature)Aaron Schock the benefit of the doubt that perhaps his transgressions were possibly due to ineptness of Aaron’s part or perhaps misplaced trust in inept staffers who were in charge of the filing of his inaccurate and incorrect expenditure reports. If an indictment is forthcoming, then the truth will come out. Icarus Schock should have invested taxpayer money in a pair of carbon fiber wings instead of an inferior and discounted pair of used waxed wings like Jessie Junior and Rod had once unwisely purchased.
- flea - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 1:20 pm:
Shock is the hit man in this thing…he beat himself up pretty good all the way along. Apparently he wasn’t looking in the mirror enough…
- Nick Naylor - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 2:04 pm:
Dr. Schock seems to be in denial of a few things involving his son. Equating his son’s situation with the president using Air Force One to go on vacation is strange. It’s as if President Obama was the first president to do this. Referencing Benghazi and fast & Furious as if his son Aaron played no role in his own undoing? Very strange but heart-pulling, too.
- QCLib - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 2:28 pm:
During one of the Schock stories on CapFax, a commenter left a nearly identical comment about the POTUS. Seems a little suspicious, because not many people attack the POTUS for using AF1.
- BlameBruceRauner - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 2:38 pm:
Grasping at straws, trying to blame something other than his sons irresponsible behavior. Hope that he doesn’t go to jail, for the dads sake, but cmon man get a grip, he defrauded tax payers and lived like a rock star on our dime. Not cool
- Mcleaniac - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 3:43 pm:
watching all the locals around here deleting their fb and pics standing next to Schock ! Big Donors who just a few weeks ago bragged about how close they were to Rep. Schock now say they hardly even knew or met the guy ! lol
- MrJM - Thursday, Mar 19, 15 @ 4:36 pm:
“During one of the Schock stories on CapFax, a commenter left a nearly identical comment about the POTUS.”
That was BehindTheScenes. If it’s the same person, he(?) has left occasional CapFax comments since at least 09.
That Air Force One talking point is a popular among the lower-upper class. They resent anything that could be viewed as a display of wealth by the Obamas, e.g. use of a private plane, Michelle’s designer clothes, trips, etc.
The resentful lower-upper class feel that they deserve the finer things not… people like… people like THEM.
– MrJM