Schock turns over disputed records to federal prosecutors

Former Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) has agreed to turn over around 3,000 records sought by federal prosecutors to avoid “a prolonged legal battle,” according to The Chicago-Sun Times.

The government had twice subpoenaed the records, the second time coming after a request by Schock’s lawyers for a judge to review the documents to see whether they were responsive to a subpoena.

{mosads}“Instead of awaiting the results of that review, the government circumvented this process by issuing a second subpoena to Mr. Schock for the very documents the Court has been reviewing,” Schock’s law firm, McGuire Woods, said in a statement.

“Rather than engage in a prolonged legal battle over the propriety of this new subpoena, Mr. Schock and his counsel agreed to turn over these additional documents to the government,” the statement said. “He has met his obligations and more while maintaining constitutional and legal privileges shared by all citizens.”

Schock resigned from Congress on March 31, following questions surrounding spending irregularities related to his official and campaign accounts.

Federal investigators have subpoenaed all financial, campaign and accounting records from Schock, including banking and financial institution, reimbursement and travel records.

The documents cover both his congressional and personal records, as well as records from his various political committees, staffers and relatives. 

Particular attention is being paid to Schock’s travel expenses, with investigators demanding “itineraries, calendars, schedules, modes of transportation, costs, and reimbursements.”

Other media reports have raised questions about Schock’s practice of spending tens of thousands of taxpayer and campaign dollars to fly aboard private planes owned by donors.

A grand jury in Springfield, Ill., has been hearing testimony related to Schock’s actions since the spring.