On Monday night, the Associated Press published a story questioning spending in Rep. Aaron Schock’s (R-Ill.) office. The news organization easily tracked the private planes, massage-company charges, and tickets to a Katy Perry concert paid for by his office and enjoyed by interns, thanks to incriminating evidence found on the representative’s Instagram feed. The feed was stuffed with selfies — which, as James Franco once told the New York Times, are “the new way to look someone right in the eye and say, ‘Hello, this is me’” — showing every exciting and expensive thing Schock has done on the job over the past two years.
Revelations about Schock’s expensing habits have become a familiar presence in the news since the world discovered his Downton Abbey–inspired digs at the Capitol earlier this month.
The 33-year-old lawmaker’s office is investigating the selfie-inducing spending, which will probably become a plot point on the next season of Black Mirror.
No one should be surprised that this happened, judging only from what appears when you type “Schock” and “selfie” into a Google search bar.
