PEORIA, Ill. — The question to Rep. Aaron Schock was simple: Do you think you’ve broken any rules or federal laws? But the scandal-plagued congressman did not have a definitive answer.

“Well, I certainly hope not,” Schock said. “I’m not an attorney.” The 33-year-old Republican went on to argue that he does his “best” and takes his obligations “very seriously,” which is why he’s enlisted outside advisers to help audit his office’s procedures.


“That’s what we can all do, is our best effort,” Schock said.

And so it went for six defensive minutes with POLITICO on Tuesday, in one of the lawmaker’s most extensive interviews with the press since news of his big-spending, sloppy-accounting ways — from luxury hotels and fine dining paid for with public and campaign money to gifts that apparently should have been reported but weren’t — erupted a month ago.

But Schock did not have many answers.

In six years, he skyrocketed through the ranks of the House GOP, becoming one of the party’s most prolific fundraisers — with a lifestyle to match. He boasted a colorful Instagram account documenting his world travels. He appeared on the cover of Men’s Health magazine, showing off his six-pack abs. He dressed well, hung out with celebrities, rubbed shoulders with world leaders.

But that high-flying lifestyle now threatens to be his undoing. Schock’s inability to say with certainty on Tuesday that he hasn’t broken the law or accepted an improper gift does not augur well for his chances of weathering a scandal that seems to deepen by the day with some new revelation — let alone his once-promising prospects of ascending to statewide office.

The scrutiny is plainly getting to him.

During the interview, Schock seemed frustrated with the persistent questions in recent weeks about his lavish lifestyle and seemingly lax accounting of his spending of taxpayer and campaign dollars. He was, at turns, testy, reflective and willing to play the victim. He declined repeatedly to answer whether he ever accepted an improper gift as a member of Congress.

Schock has hired a crisis communications firm, in addition to Jones Day attorneys William McGinley and Don McGahn. McGahn was a top commissioner at the Federal Election Commission and McGinley is one of the top ethics attorneys in Washington. His hiring of the high-powered outside team is a sure sign of how seriously Schock is treating the potential fallout from his actions.

In a comment sure to enrage his Capitol Hill colleagues, he argued that if the media spent time digging into the spending of other lawmakers — like they have his — reporters would “find a story to write about any member of Congress.”

The fourth-term Republican from this working-class city has faced growing criticism about his government and campaign spending. He has taken private jet flights on the taxpayer’s and his campaign’s dime and frequently runs up big tabs at posh hotels when he’s raising money for Republicans.

Schock said he expects to amend a host of records because of errors in his reporting of spending. He has repaid the government tens of thousands of dollars for redecorating his office in the theme of the PBS drama “Downton Abbey” and also cut a check to cover the use of a private plane for a trip from Washington to Peoria and then to a Chicago Bears football game. More recently, the Chicago Sun-Times uncovered a pricey government-paid trip for 10 employees to New York.

And POLITICO this week reported on a $3,425 line item for a “software” purchase. An executive at the software firm said he never sold the congressman software and that the expenditure was actually for Schock’s use of his private airplane.

For much of this episode, he has remained silent. His staff alerted local Illinois media of events here this week but left the national press in the dark about what he was doing. POLITICO learned of a speech he was slated to give to AmeriCorps volunteers Tuesday and traveled to the district to approach him.

He seemed to grow increasingly irritated with the questioning.

“Well, I would say I take my compliance obligations seriously,” he said when asked whether he accepted improper gifts. “So, to your point, you know, obviously there’s things that we’re going through and if there need to be amendments to my reports, there will be.”

Asked again if he thinks he has accepted anything for free and not disclosed it, Schock said, “I have not, uh,” and then paused. “I would just leave it at that.”

He was equally evasive about whether he had broken House ethics rules or federal campaign laws.

“Well, I certainly hope not,” he first said. Pressed again whether he could say confidently he has not, Schock replied, “Well, I’m not an attorney.”

When reminded he was a member of Congress and should know the rules, he said, “And I do my best to do that, and that’s why I take my obligations very seriously, and that’s why I’ve got folks reviewing our processes and procedures and our filings as well as giving me direction and advice on how best to move forward.”

At a news conference here last week, Schock said he had been reflecting on his actions. On Tuesday , Schock seem to indicate that he will take fewer trips on private jets — and therefore, appear less often in his district. He said his reliance on that exclusive mode of travel was meant solely to help him get around the district and see more constituents.

“Well, I think what’s clear is that it’s better for me to do fewer events in my district and drive to them than it is to rent a plane and try to get to more events in my district,” he said.

At the same time, Schock defended paying for posh hotels, saying it’s a must for any member of Congress trying to raise money from donors.

“A lot of the events that I do are fundraising events at nice restaurants or nice hotels, and the reason for that is because that’s where you raise money,” he said. “So to ask that question of me separate from somebody else who’s a big fundraiser or an effective fundraiser, I would simply say, ‘You’re going to do the most successful events possible.’”

Schock made clear he feels he’s being unfairly targeted. Hundreds of lawmakers serve in Congress for years and never face the level of scrutiny he’s encountered. He noted that he has not spent the money on compliance that other members at his level do.

He also blamed his rapid rise for the troubles he’s facing.

“I would just say, you know, on my campaign side, we’ve grown rather quickly, and when you’re the fifth-largest fundraiser for the party in the country on the House side, you know, I recognize that we need certain systems in place and so that’s what we’ve gone about doing,” Schock said, adding he expects to revise erroneous reports.

Pore over the finance records of any member of Congress, the congressman said, and any reporter could find similar problems.

“I think that when you have six years of campaign reports and six years of [congressional office spending] reports, that whether you look at my reports or you look at any member of Congress’ reports, I’m sure that you can find a story to write about any member of Congress,” he said.

Asked whether he feels singled out, Schock said, “I’m just simply saying that I think it’s gotten to the point where folks are,” he paused for six seconds, “I’ll leave it at that.”

“Obviously, you’re in Peoria for a reason,” he said.

After giving a four-minute speech in a hotel ballroom here, Schock seemed to initially consider answering more questions from reporters. Then he declined, saying he had a lunch appointment.

He walked across the street to his office, trailed by several well-dressed aides.

John Bresnahan and Anna Palmer contributed to this report.