* Politico…

The question to Rep. Aaron Schock was simple: Do you think you’ve broken any rules or federal laws? But the scandal-plagued congressman did not have a definitive answer. […]

During the interview, Schock seemed frustrated with the persistent questions in recent weeks about his lavish lifestyle and seemingly lax accounting of his spending of taxpayer and campaign dollars. He was, at turns, testy, reflective and willing to play the victim. He declined repeatedly to answer whether he ever accepted an improper gift as a member of Congress. […]

In a comment sure to enrage his Capitol Hill colleagues, he argued that if the media spent time digging into the spending of other lawmakers — like they have his — reporters would “find a story to write about any member of Congress.” […]

“Well, I would say I take my compliance obligations seriously,” he said when asked whether he accepted improper gifts. “So, to your point, you know, obviously there’s things that we’re going through and if there need to be amendments to my reports, there will be.”

Asked again if he thinks he has accepted anything for free and not disclosed it, Schock said, “I have not, uh,” and then paused. “I would just leave it at that.”

He was equally evasive about whether he had broken House ethics rules or federal campaign laws.

“Well, I certainly hope not,” he first said. Pressed again whether he could say confidently he has not, Schock replied, “Well, I’m not an attorney.” […]

Asked whether he feels singled out, Schock said, “I’m just simply saying that I think it’s gotten to the point where folks are,” he paused for six seconds, “I’ll leave it at that.”

That’s quite a slanted story, but if Schock didn’t want to answer questions, he shouldn’t have taken any.

* Medialite piles on…

In 2010, on the Bravo reality TV series Top Chef he certainly gave the impression that he understood, almost authoritatively, Congressional ethics rules. Season 7, filmed in Washington, D.C., like many seasons of Top Chef, held challenges thematically based on the season’s location. During that one, he was invited to guest judge a challenge inspired by — yes, seriously — ethics rules dictating what members of Congress can and cannot accept as gifts.

In this case, the “gift” was food: an ethics rule passed in 2008 dictated what sorts of food and meals members of Congress could and couldn’t accept. Food at receptions, for example, as long as it could fit on a toothpick and could be eaten while standing up, were kosher. The argument went that lobbyists could buy undue influence by treating members of Congress and their staffers to free steak dinners and the like — but not just by serving a steak on stick. (Citizen.org has a thorough breakdown of the meal restrictions on members of Congress.)

So when host Padma Lakshmi announced that the challenge was to create a gourmet dish that could fit on a toothpick, she tapped Rep. Schock, then the youngest member of Congress. In what now appears to be a completely forgotten and likely regrettable memory, he provided a quick lesson on Congressional ethics rules:

When you become a new member of Congress and win an election, the first day is spent on ethics. Believe it or not, a good portion of that discussion is about food. Basically, the Ethics committee wants to make sure that there’s not too much undue influence between the elected officials and the paid lobbyists in Washington, D.C.