A U.S. district judge assigned to rule on the theft and fraud case of a former congressman resigned recently, but the Edgar County Watchdogs (ECW) still have one big question: What took you so long?
The judge, Sue Myerscough, was to preside over the case of Aaron Schock, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (R-92nd District) who has pleaded not guilty to 24 criminal charges, ranging from fraud and theft of government funds to filing false tax returns and making false statements.
The case is taking place in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois in Urbana.
Schock’s political life quickly rose and fell. After being elected as the youngest member of Congress in 2009, he became something of a media darling for his youthfulness and physique, even being hailed for his “six-pack abs” on the Colbert Report and appearing on the June 2011 cover of Men’s Health magazine.
But questions quickly arose about his spending habits and lifestyle, and in 2015 the Washington Post revealed that Schock had decorated his office opulently. The Washington watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, D.C., (CREW) filed a complaint, concerned about his spending, and Chicago’s NBC News alleged that Schock spent campaign cash on workout DVDs. Further scrutiny revealed a slew of inappropriate expenditures, including vehicles, legal fees, renovations and travel expenses between 2009 and 2014.
Schock resigned in 2015, ahead of an ethics inquiry, but was indicted in November 2016.
Myerscough recused herself in mid-January, but only after being asked by Schock's attorneys to do so. The attorneys sent the judge a letter noting that as a congressman, Schock had worked to get a commission for Judge James Shadid before one for Myerscough, which gave Shadid seniority and allowed him to become chief judge for the district.
The lawyers also noted that Myerscough had considered a congressional run in the same district and time as Schock, and that the judge’s daughter is engaged to someone working in the same law firm as the defense.
The Edgar County Watchdogs are now demanding to know why it took Myercough until January to resign – and why she did so only after being called out.
“Mr. Schock’s actions made sure that Judge Myerscough would never become chief judge and that Judge Shadid would become chief judge,” Ronald Rotunda, a law professor at California’s Chapman University said, according to ECW. “Judge Shadid owed Mr. Schock a debt of gratitude and Judge Myerscough has a debt of ingratitude.”
Reiterating its stance that “Illinois has a culture of corruption,” the ECW cited many previous cases of dishonesty in the Land of Lincoln, stating that “Over time, that corruption becomes a way of doing business that people accept and even come to believe it’s legal.”
ECW reminded constituents that deception has become so commonplace that the population might be at risk of gradually adjusting to a new “normal,” perhaps unconsciously accepting the infractions.
“Eventually, that mindset becomes a criminal operation,” the group said.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story noted Schock had pleaded guilty to criminal charges. This was incorrect. The story has been changed for accuracy. We regret the error.
Alerts Sign-up