The week started with a delightful little piece about Congressman Aaron Schock (R-18th) redecorating his Washington office with a Downton Abbey twist. Since then, it seems as if the congressman has had nothing but bad news.
On Monday, Washington Post reporter Ben Terris stopped by Schock's office for an interview. There he met Annie Brahler, an interior decorator and the one who redesigned Schock's space with red walls, sconces, and pheasant feathers. An aide to Schock said the newly updated digs were inspired by the "red room" from the extravagant mansion where PBS's British period drama is set. But before he got more info, Terris received a call from Schock's communications director, Benjamin Cole, which ended the tour.
A few questions about the office popped up, most notably Brahler's slip that she had redecorated the office for free, a possible violation of House ethics (Schock has since said he will pay Brahler for her work). But the story caught on more because of the sheer ridiculousness of the situation, not helped when Schock responded to the article by quoting Taylor Swift: "Haters gonna hate."
That was by far the end of his troubles. On Thursday, Cole resigned from Schock's office after a series of racially charged Facebook posts of his surfaced. And today, the left-leaning site Blue Nation Review accused Schock of selling his house at an unusually high price to a major GOP donor in 2012.
But hey, maybe this is the end of it and he'll be able to relax this weekend. Downton Abbey is on, after all.