Rep. Aaron Schock attended dinner and drinks in 2011 at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and at a swank nightclub London — and never disclosed receiving a single gift on his financial disclosure form.

This past September, the Illinois Republican held a golf fundraiser — the “Aaron Schock Golf Classic” — at Anne Arundell Mannor in Maryland, but never reported a payment for use of the golf course and facilities on his campaign finance forms.


Schock, a fourth-term Republican congressman with a prized seat on the Ways and Means Committee, has hired lawyers and a crisis communications firm amid a burgeoning scandal over his high-spending ways and potential misuse of official and campaign funds. His office said it is performing an internal audit of his official accounts in response to questions over whether he improperly spent money from his House office budget and failed to report gifts.

On the multi-day trip to London in June 2011, Schock attended several elaborate dinners as the guest of a person invited by the Prince of Wales Foundation. Guests were also given a customized china plate with a personalized inscription on the last day of the festivities.

Schock cannot accept a gift — including food and beverage — exceeding $50 from any source. There is an exception for close personal friends. He would have had to get approval in writing from the House Ethics Committee for any gifts worth more than $250 from personal friends, and he would have had to report accepting a gift on his annual financial disclosure forms.

Sallie McKinney, the head of the Prince of Wales Foundation, which hosted the events in London, said the foundation did not pay for Schock to attend.

“He was a guest of a guest of the Prince of Wales, so he has no involvement with the foundation and therefore wasn’t in any way, shape or form involved other than attending a dinner as a guest of a guest,” McKinney said. “We don’t cover any travel, plans, cost, anything for any of our patrons, so that would have been done on his own or in correlation with his guest.”

McKinney declined to name the guest who brought Schock and his friend, Shea Ledford, to all of the foundation’s official events. Joining them on the trip was Jeannie Etchart, his then-scheduler and a former employee of the Prince of Wales Foundation.

Schock has declined to answer questions about his participation in the events.

A spokesman for the congressman said the golf fundraiser is part of his review of his campaign and official spending.

“It is the PAC’s understanding that all required expenses in connection with this event have been paid,” a spokesman for Schock said in a statement. “However, if it is determined at the conclusion of the review that any required expenses remain unpaid, the PAC will make prompt payment. Congressman Schock takes his compliance responsibilities seriously which is why he has initiated a proactive review of this issue and others.”

Schock’s trip to London is also part of his internal audit. His office is reviewing compliance procedures in his official office, campaign and leadership PACs, it has said.

Within weeks of the Sept. 23 golf event, Schock paid for other amenities he treated donors to during the fundraiser — including course-side masseuses, a personal cigar roller complete with his initials on the band and monogrammed shirts — according to campaign reports.

The fundraiser, on a private course in Harwood, Maryland, collected at least $125,000, according to a LinkedIn post by Elizabeth Stone, the daughter of the course’s owner and a former intern for Schock. However, nearly five months after the event, Schock’s political committees showed no payment or in-kind donation in their filings for use of the facility and the course.

Lawmakers must pay for any goods or services they use as part of fundraising events. They can accept “in-kind contributions” of goods and services from donors up to $2,600 per election for their reelection committees or $5,000 for leadership PACs, but the donations must be disclosed on reports to the Federal Election Commission.

The owner of the golf course, according to news reports, is William Stone, chairman of the software company SS&C. He declined to comment on the event. Stone and Albert Lord, the former chief executive of Sallie Mae and original founder of the course, each contributed $50,000 to “Schock Victory Committee” shortly after the fundraiser.

These images of Rep. Aaron Schock at his golf classic were presented in an online photogallery. | Jonathon Link photos

That account is able to accept tens of thousands of dollars because it funnels money to several other fundraising committees, including several Schock-related entities and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Jonathon Link, Schock’s personal photographer, took numerous photos of the golf outing, including of attendees getting massages and smoking custom cigars.

Schock’s spending has come under scrutiny since The Washington Post reported early this month that he redecorated his office to match the theme of the PBS show “Downton Abbey,” a period drama based in Edwardian England. He has also flown on private jets, stayed in luxury hotels — including on the London trip — and collected tens of thousands of dollars in mileage reimbursements from his campaign and the government.

The Prince of Wales Foundation allows guests to rub elbows with British royalty at some of England’s most famous national landmarks.

Schock’s itinerary for the London trip included: cocktails with then-U.S. Ambassador Louis Susman at the ambassador’s official residence; cocktails and dinner at Windsor Castle; and cocktails, dinner and dancing at Annabel’s, a members-only restaurant. The capstone of the excursion was cocktails and dinner at Buckingham Palace in the Queen’s Gallery, with Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall Camilla in attendance. He also attended the Ascot races in the Royal Enclosure, the annual prestigious steeplechase.

Attendees of the events were also given an Anna Weatherley dinner plate when they exited the Palace on the last night of the event, with a custom note from the foundation on the back.

The England-based Prince of Wales Charitable Foundation has a U.S. arm that was set up in 1997. Its mission is to “promote, finance and advance projects” in the states and other countries involving “health care, disadvantaged young people, educational initiatives, arts and cultural programs as well as urban and rural renewal.”

Ethics experts said if Schock attended the dinners without approval from the Ethics Committee, there may be other exceptions that he could use to avoid a violation.

“In order for this dinner to work if it was not pre-approved by the Ethics Committee, it would need to fall under the ‘widely attended’ exemption,” said Kenneth Gross, a campaign finance law expert at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. “The House Ethics Committee often gives discretion to the member in deciding what is in connection with his duties as an office holder.”

For an event to fall under the “widely attended” exemption, it must have more than 30 people in attendance, the attendee must be invited by the organizer and it must be related to their duties. Schock, however, was not invited by the Prince of Wales Foundation, McKinney said.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated the last name of former Sallie Mae chief executive Albert Lord.

CORRECTION: Corrected by: Kat Borgerding @ 02/27/2015 12:14 PM CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated the last name of former Sallie Mae chief executive Albert Lord.