Aaron Schock: What Will Happen to the “Downton Abbey” Office - East Idaho News
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Aaron Schock: What Will Happen to the “Downton Abbey” Office

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abc aaron schock downton abbey office jc 150317 16x9 992?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1427801293566ABC News(WASHINGTON) — Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock’s resignation from his position in Congress takes effect Tuesday, and as the FBI continues its investigation into his finances, one question remains. What will happen to the pheasant feathers, golden sconces, picture frames and “drippy crystal chandelier” of the Downton Abbey-inspired office that led to greater scrutiny of Schock’s spending?

Functionally, Schock’s office will remain staffed, and continue offering services to the constituents of the 18th Congressional District of Illinois. The office will be supervised by the Clerk of the House until a new member is elected.

After the special election, the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer of the House and the Office of the Architect of the Capitol will “make sure the office is ready for a new Representative,” according to a spokesperson with the Office of the Clerk.

In this case, that work could include a new coat of paint (or many coats) to cover Schock’s choice of red. Typically, when a member resigns, workers with the Architect’s office give the member their office nameplate, remove pictures and repaint office walls at the incoming member’s discretion, according to a spokesperson for the Architect’s office.

In this case, anything beyond “some touch up work” on Schock’s office is considered “unlikely,” the spokesperson added.

All furniture purchased using Schock’s Members’ Representational Allowance — the official taxpayer-funded stipend used to operate Congressional offices — will remain in the office.

But Schock has the option of taking the décor with him when he leaves Washington.

When he personally cut a check to the design firm Euro Trash for the $35,000 in renovations, the furnishings became his private property, according to the Office of the Chief Administrator of the House.

Schock refused to answer any questions about his plans or the investigation into his spending when spotted leaving the Capitol for the final time last week. His office also did not respond to requests for comment.

In his farewell speech from the House floor, the embattled congressman cited President Abraham Lincoln — whose Springfield home full of period furniture is now a museum in Schock’s home district — as a source of inspiration who overcame setbacks in his public and private life on the way to the White House.

“[Lincoln’s] continual perseverance in the face of these trials — never giving up — is something all Americans should be inspired by, especially when going through a valley in life,” Schock said on the House floor Thursday. “I believe that through life’s struggles, we learn from our mistakes, and we learn more about ourselves.”

Now, Schock could bring some more hardware back to Illinois’s 18th District.


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