Aaron Schock, who announced his resignation from the US Congress on Tuesday, is the latest politician to suffer a pratfall on the glossy surface of a lavishly decorated interior. First it was discovered that the congressman’s berth on Capitol Hill had been redecorated in a style said to have been inspired by the costume drama Downton Abbey. Then it turned out that Euro Trash LLC, the company that did the work, had made no charge for its services. When questions were raised about the propriety of the gift Mr Schock ponied up $40,000 of his own cash, but it was not enough to save him. His office — a theatrical splash of blood red walls, pheasant feather arrangements and candelabras — will soon be occupied by someone else.
艾倫•朔克(Aaron Schock)於不久前宣佈從美國國會辭職，成爲最新一位栽在室內浮華裝潢上的政治家。首先是人們發現，這位議員在國會山莊辦公室的裝修風格據說是從古裝大戲《唐頓莊園》(Downton Abbey，右圖爲唐頓莊園的拍攝地點海克利爾城堡（Highclere Castle）)中得到靈感的。接著有證據表明，負責裝修工作的Euro Trash LLC公司沒有爲該服務收取任何費用。當朔克被質疑這份禮物是否恰當時，他自掏腰包付清了4萬美元的裝修費，但此舉不足以挽救他的聲譽。他的那間有著血紅色牆壁、雉羽插瓶、枝形大吊燈，充斥著戲劇氣息的辦公室，很快就將迎來新的主人。