Rep. Aaron Schock In Trouble For Bringing Male Companion On Trip To India

March 13, 2015 ● by Dan Avery

Schock and Link (at left) at a event

Republican Rep. Aaron Schock—y’know, the guy with the office that looks like a set piece from Downton Abbey—is facing accusations he’s been using official funds on lavish trips and personal items.

Related: Aaron Schock Spotted Outside Gay Bathhouse In Florida

“He’s dropped tens of thousands of dollars at pricey hotels and restaurants in Miami, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Vail and Aspen,” reports Wonkette. “In one trip to Las Vegas, he spent $5,000 at the Wynn. He also cut checks to the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco, Vail and Washington.”

Totally butch Schock in Patagonia

That’s not an uncommon charge against a congressman, but it brought to light thatthe totally-not-gay Schock has been spending a lot of time with his “personal photographer” Jonathon Link.

Yes, that’s Jonathon with an O.

Jonathon Link

He even brought Link, a former Dallas wedding photographer, on a trip to India in 2013 that was paid for by the Global Poverty Project.

Related: Aaron Schock “Almost Drowned” Swimming With Army Cadets

Under House rules, representatives can “accept private money for a companion’s travel expenses only if the companion is a staffer, spouse or child. ”

Link wasn’t added to Schock’s payroll until September  2014.

The National Journal reports:

Jonathon Link, Schock’s full time personal photographer, started September 1 and was paid $4,166 for that month, which translates to an annual salary of about $50,000.

In the final three months of the year, he was paid $17,500, which translates to an annual salary of about $70,000.

In addition to his congressional salary, Link’s photography studio was paid more than $29,000 during the final three months of the year for “Web Dev Hst, Email and Rltd Serv.”

Now we’re not going to declare Link and Schock are secret boyfriends. We’ll happilyimply it, though.

It’s a shame, too—if everything was out in the open, they’d make the cutest couple in Congress.

Of course then it might be hard  for Schock to explain voting against marriage equality, hate-crime laws and lifting the ban on gays in the military.