Federal Prosecutors Convene Grand Jury, Begin Probing Schock's Finances

A much younger Aaron Schock looking over the shoulder of Gov. Rod Blagovich (CapitolFax.com Photo)

If U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) believed resigning his seat in Congress would make his problems go away, he was mistaken. CNN was first to confirm that the FBI and federal prosecutors are investigating questions raised from various media reports about spending by Schock's congressional office and campaign finance-related matters. Sources told CNN the probe is focusing on three questions in particular, including mileage reimbursements Schock received from his congressional office allotment, travel paid by campaign donors and in-kind donations from campaign donors that may have not been reported.

The Springfield State Journal-Register also reported that subpoenas were already being sent out to potential witnesses and FBI agents were beginning to visit people who were being compelled to testify by subpoena. A federal grand jury will be convened in Springfield to handle the probe. The first grand jury meeting is scheduled for April 7 according to the Journal-Register. The Federal Elections Commission also confirmed that its staff lawyers were reviewing a complaint filed against Schock's campaign committee by a liberal-leaning watchdog group, CREW.

While the criminal probe of Schock is easy to justify, the circumstances of how quickly his political career has been taken down and the ensuing criminal investigation can't be ignored. The onslaught of negative news stories over the past six weeks were well-orchestrated. "Nothing in politics happens by accident," former President Franklin Roosevelt once said. "If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way." A Washington-based Democratic political consulting firm run by former top Obama campaign aides, Smoot Tewes, played a key role in pitching negative information regarding Schock's congressional office and campaign spending to reporters in Washington and back in his home state.

The obvious beneficiary of Schock's rapid downfall is State Sen. Darin LaHood, who waited less than 24 hours before announcing his campaign to replace Schock in a special election to be held to replace him. The nominal Republican is the son of former U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, Schock's predecessor and long-time Washington insider deeply distrusted by conservative Republicans. LaHood accepted an appointment as Obama's first Transportation Secretary during his first term. Since leaving the administration, LaHood has been working as a consultant for Meridiam Infastructure, the multi-national French-based company that is heavily invested in acquiring control of key transportation and government installations through public-private partnership agreements. This is the same company the administration of Mayor Greg Ballard selected to build, operate and manage a new criminal justice center for Marion County under a 35-year agreement.

The Justice Department has been very selective in cases it chooses to prosecute in Illinois, aggressively targeting some public officials, such as former Governors George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich and former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.,  while protecting from prosecution other high-profile politicians with equally as troubling problems, including former Gov. James Thompson, former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Barack Obama during his tenure in the Illinois Senate and the U.S. Senate. Gov. Thompson, a former federal prosecutor who sent dozens of corrupt pols to prison and an avid antique collector, actually posted wish lists at his favorite antique stores so lobbyists seeking to curry favor with him could purchase valuable antiques as gifts for him to add to his collection. Others once close to Obama have been very aggressively prosecuted for the least of crimes or suicided. Many believe the unusual arrest and premature prosecution of Blagojevich before he completed what the feds contended was the "sale" of Obama's Senate seat before Obama took office was intended both to silence a potentially loud critic of Obama who possessed damaging information about him, and to avoid the possible entrapment of Obama and his closest associates, including Obama, Rahm Emanuel and Valerie Jarrett, in the scheme to sell the Senate seat.

There is reason to believe Rep. Schock may possess damning information about some powerful people in Republican Party circles who need to silence him. Schock, a younger doppelganger for Neil Patrick Harris, grew up at a very young age not unlike Harris and the character he played in his first starring role as Doogie Howser, M.D., the child prodigy who became the youngest licensed medical doctor in the country at the age of 14. Schock similarly grew up early, displaying an uncanny knack for investing and creating wealth at a very early age, opening his first IRA account at the age of 14 and earning a bachelor's degree in finance from Bradley University by the time he turned 19. It's no secret that young child actors in Hollywood like Harris are often sexually exploited by predatory Hollywood executives. Despite their young age, many of them seem to have no problem being exploited as long as it advances their careers.

Although not as much reported about, that predatory element has its existence in politics as well, particularly in Washington and our state capitols where attractive young interns are frequently sexually exploited by the persons to whom they look up and seek to emulate. Have you ever stopped to think about who picks the interns and pages and why they're chosen? Is it by accident that most of them have well above average good looks? Powerful people obviously became enamored by Schock at a very early age, were drawn to him and went out of their way to advance his career in business and politics. To them, Schock is the ideal "cake boy," a toy with which they are infatuated if sometimes in a sick and perverse way. By the age of 22, he was a state lawmaker, and by 27 he had become one of the youngest members of Congress. To the least discerning, Schock's meteoric rise had much more to do with his good looks than anything being churned out by his brain or just plain luck.

Following Schock's resignation, local news reporters interviewed Schock's father, Dr. Richard Schock, who made some rather peculiar statements in defense of his son, who he believed was being unfairly targeted. A worried and confused-looking Dr. Schock said his son told him he was resigning to protect his campaign supporters and friends from a grueling investigation, but the opening of a federal probe means their involvement in his affairs are far from over. Schock surprised many when he flat out acknowledged his son had broken the law and tried to liken it to his own problems with the IRS, who he said had audited him several times specifically about mileage reimbursements.

Dr. Schock was also very defensive about the big elephant in the room that his unmarried son is gay. Without prompting by reporter, Aaron's father acknowledged he's "a little different," has a taste for "stylish clothing" and "he's not running around with women," but he insisted he's not gay. "Everyone's throwing up their arms," he said. "They can't figure out Aaron so he must be crooked." His father was unsure what his son's future held for him, but he was confident he would find success again, "if he's not in jail." One couldn't help but notice the worry in a father's eyes that his son posed a danger to some very powerful people with a very uncertain future, if not a bit naive about the reason for his son's meteoric rise to power and fame. There are also probably more than a few people worried what Schock could write in a tell-all book in which he depict himself as the victim, which is why he might not be as lucky as he's been thus far in his life.