Nov. 18--Lawyers for Aaron Schock lashed out at federal prosecutors in a court filing Wednesday, saying the government has disparaged the former congressman with "vitriol" and "improper accusations" in its ongoing investigation.
Schock's lawyers accused prosecutors of misstatements and false accusations "that raise serious concerns regarding the approach to the investigation as a whole."
"The entire matter has the characteristics of an investigation into a person in hopes of finding something, anything, which might justify the effort," they wrote.
Schock, a Peoria Republican, quit Congress March 31 and has been the target of a federal grand jury meeting in Springfield since April. Questions have been raised about his use of his office allowance and campaign dollars.
The strong words from his attorneys come amid a legal battle over what documents Schock, who has been subpoenaed twice, must produce. Defense lawyers said they may move to quash the second subpoena served on Schock.
The former lawmaker has handed over numerous documents but claims he has the right to hold on to others based on attorney-client privilege and other grounds. A judge is reviewing some documents in chambers to see if they should be given to government lawyers.
Defense lawyers said they had been "rebuffed at every opportunity" to work with prosecutors on responding to Schock's subpoena.
Mark Hubbard, a spokesman for Schock's legal team, said in a statement Wednesday that "the government's superfluous filings ignore Mr. Shock's responsiveness and are intended to unfairly perpetuate its unfounded and disparaging labels and innuendo that impugn Mr. Schock's character."
A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Springfield had no comment.
kskiba@tribpub.com
