Rep. Aaron Schock’s Lectern Looks A Lot Like President Obama’s (PHOTOS)

Regardless of whether embattled Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) harbors aspirations for higher office, he appears to have his sights set on one small piece of the presidency: Barack Obama’s lectern.

BuzzFeed reported Monday that a lectern Schock sometimes uses at events around his district in Peoria, Illinois appears to be a replica of one of President Obama’s official lecterns known as “The Falcon.”

Schock’s lectern appears to be a discontinued model called “The Presidential” that was custom-made by a company called Mulnix Industries, according to the report. In an investigation last month, USA Today counted a $5,123 purchase from Mulnix Industries among the more than $79,061 Schock spent on furniture in early 2010 using a taxpayer-funded account.

“The Presidential” retailed for about $5,000, the company’s general manager, Phil Crane, told BuzzFeed, adding that it was “very likely” he sold one to Schock.

BuzzFeed’s article came on the same day that Politico and the Chicago Sun-Times reported that congressional ethics investigators had reached out to Schock’s associates amid increased media scrutiny of the congressman’s finances.

After the Washington Post published photos of Schock’s lavish new Capitol Hill office, which was allegedly inspired by the PBS period drama “Downton Abbey,” the Associated Press trawled through the congressman’s Instagram account and found that he spent even more taxpayer and campaign funds on expensive flights on donor’s planes.

A Schock representative told BuzzFeed that the congressman’s lectern is “similar to that used by many Members of Congress at events so that members of the media have a place to attach their microphones and recorders.”

Compare Schock’s lectern:

A photo posted by Aaron Schock (@aaronschock) on Oct 24, 2013 at 1:44pm PDT

A photo posted by Aaron Schock (@aaronschock) on Sep 24, 2013 at 5:43am PDT

With Obama’s lectern:

Image via AP.