Congressman resigns over Downton Abbey faux pas
Last month, the Washington Post published a piece about a Republican congressman.
Aaron Schock, who’s 33, had outfitted his Capitol Hill office with “a gold-colored wall sconce,” a “crystal chandelier,” and “massive arrangements of pheasant feathers.”
All that was inspired by one of the congressman’s favorite shows, “Downton Abbey.”
That article raised some questions — namely, about how he paid for that redecoration, and Schock ultimately spent $40,000 to re-pay the government.
Well this morning, Politico reported Schock “billed the federal government and his campaign for logging roughly 170,000 miles on his personal car,” but when he sold that car, it “had … roughly 80,000 miles on the odometer.”
This afternoon, Congressman Schock resigned.
And so, he’ll have to give up something that was so important to Lord Grantham: His title.
Marketplace is on a mission.
We believe Main Street matters as much as Wall Street, economic news is made relevant and real through human stories, and a touch of humor helps enliven topics you might typically find…well, dull.
Through the signature style that only Marketplace can deliver, we’re on a mission to raise the economic intelligence of the country—but we don’t do it alone. We count on listeners and readers like you to keep this public service free and accessible to all. Will you become a partner in our mission today?