Disgraced Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) drew a parallel between the ethics inquiries that led to his resignation and former President Abraham Lincoln’s career Thursday in a farewell speech.
Schock, a fourth-term congressman and a rising star in the Republican Party, announced last week that he would resign effective March 31. News outlets had raised questions about Schock’s potential misuse of taxpayer and campaign funds, leading the FBI and a grand jury to investigate whether he broke any laws.
While he didn’t bring up those pitfalls in his speech on the House floor, he did invoke Lincoln’s “defeats.”
“Abraham Lincoln held this seat in Congress for one term. But few faced as many defeats in his personal business and public life as he did,” Schock said, according to a transcript of his remarks. “His continual perseverance in the face of these trials, never giving up, is something all of us Americans should be inspired by, especially when going through a valley in life.”
“I believe that through life’s struggles, we learn from our mistakes and we learn more about ourselves,” he added. “And I know that this is not the end of a story, but rather the beginning of a new chapter.”
It’s unclear exactly what “defeats” of Lincoln’s Schock was referring to, but Slate pointed out last week that both were accused of the same transgression: billing taxpayers for excess mileage.
Schock announced his resignation hours after Politico inquired about the congressman being reimbursed by the federal government and his own campaign for 90,000 miles more than he actually drove on his personal car. A ProPublica story earlier that same day explained how a journalist once accused Lincoln of receiving $677, or $18,700 in today’s dollars, in excess mileage when he served in Congress.
Schock…you’re more like Trafficante than you are Lincoln.
Yes Aaron, just like the late great President Lincoln your first name begins with the letter “A” and just like Honest Abe, your political career is over.
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What a fucking hypocrite!
What a fucking asshole!
Sorry about the language, but this maroon (and I mean that in the kindest, Bugs Bunny way, to paraphrase Tucker Carlson) is undeserving of any respect whatsoever, including grammatical.
I believe every gay person in American, when confronted with the despicable Mr. Schock, should rightfully kick him in his shriveled balls and laugh. He deserves nothing less. I want this motherfucker reduced to giving blowjobs to truckers in a gas station bathroom. And if anyone is offended by this angry gay man’s remarks, then go Cheney yourself, schoolmarm!
Well, it was rumored that Lincoln was gay!
He thus exhibits the same level of self-delusion as Cruz.