Schock in awe; claims government dirty tricks

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Former Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock is claiming government dirty tricks in the corruption case that prosecutors are building against him.

Schock appears awe-struck by the latest government move to have him found in contempt of court.

A federal grand jury has been trying to obtain campaign and congressional records from him.

Schock's lawyers doing their best to block the three subpoenas, filing paperwork Friday afternoon that essentially alleges dirty tricks by the government.

Prosecutors invoked the name of disgraced president Richard Nixon Thursday as they tried to discredit Schock's application of executive privilege to ignore grand jury subpoenas.

In this lightning-quick response filed in federal court Friday, Schock's lawyers belittled the prosecutor's use of hyperbole and linguistic histrionics; they denounced the government's move in court as improper and claimed that it failed to comply with local court rules because it raised new, unanticipated arguments instead of merely responding as they say the rules prescribe.

Schock resigned in March after questions surfaced about how he spent taxpayer funds and political contributions, the most vivid spending for redecorating his Capitol Hill office in the style of "Downton Abbey" aristocracy.

Now, the one-time golden boy of the GOP has been reduced to seeking legal absolution with regular volleys in Springfield federal court, where the parties are due face-to-face a week from Friday.

A judge has been asked to allow arguments at that time about whether Schock should be found in contempt of court for not surrendering records that the grand jury has requested in three subpoenas.