Former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock appeared in U.S. District Court in Springfield this week in a dispute with prosecutors over documents pertaining to the federal investigation of his office.
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Schock, 34, was accompanied by four defense lawyers for the hearing, held Tuesday and Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Sue Myerscough. However, the court record is sealed.
Schock attended the two-day federal hearing where authorities were trying to determine if he should be held in contempt of court.
Both Schock’s attorney, George Terwillinger, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Bass said both sides reached an agreement. Schock also received an “production of immunity letter”, which means that by turning over more documents to the government he doesn’t authenticate the records or provide testimony about the records.
Still outstanding is an issue regarding Schock’s campaign and official House records, which continues to be litigated, according to Terwilliger. “We are very pleased that we reached an agreement with the government that protects Mr. Schock’s rights as we complete the task of making available thousands of pages of documents”. The speech and debate clause is intended to protect members of Congress “from essentially being harassed by the executive branch”, said Washington attorney Brett Kappel, a partner at Akerman LLP who is not involved in the Schock case.
Paul confirmed that the hearing started out as a “closed” session, but was later opened to the public.
The Peoria Journal-Star reported that Schock’s team has contended that some of the documents requested by the court are protected from public view.
Schock is under federal investigation over his use of taxpayer and campaign money.
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Schock and his attorneys have been in federal court in Springfield this week as federal prosecutors sought to have Schock held in civil contempt. The Peoria Republican has hardly been seen since he resigned in March as questions arose over his spending habits.
