'Schock value' at Congressional Dinner

It was all about the Schock value for lawmakers yucking it up at the Washington Press Club Foundations Congressional Dinner.

News of Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) giving his Rayburn House Office Building work digs a Downton Abbey-esque makeover complete with interior decorator-styled red walls, chandeliers and feather arrangements dominated the annual fete Wednesday at Washingtons Mandarin Oriental.

MSNBC host Alex Wagner, the emcee at the fundraising dinner, honed in on the Schock office saga from the get-go: Most of you know the news this week that Aaron Schock decorated his office in the style of Downton Abbey. What I did not realize is that this is apparently a thing on Capitol Hill, she told the crowd.

[Rep.] Darrell Issa, his office takes inspiration from True Detective, Wagner said of the California Republican. [Rep. Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.)] office is inspired by Game of Thrones. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Wager said, is a diehard fan of Sons of Anarchy. Wagner then said the perpetually tan Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) of course has taken inspiration [on] dcor from Orange is the New Black.

But Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) appeared to defend Schocks new office color scheme, saying, It should be clear that the Ethics Committee said that members of Congress can paint their walls any damn color that they want to paint them, and its not violating any kind of rule.

While he has attended the Congressional Dinner in the past, ITK did not eye Schock at Wednesdays soiree. But that didnt keep the crowd from buzzing about the 33-year-old congressman. A female companion was overheard asking Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) if she thought Schock was in attendance at the journalist and lawmaker-filled festivities. I dont know, Gabbard was heard replying, he might be hiding.

Gardner got seemingly high marks from the crowd for his rapid-fire delivery of one-liners at the event, which traditionally features a pair of lawmakers who deliver humorous remarks. I recognize I was not the original speaker for the night, the Senate freshman said with a grin. I wasnt the first pick. But you know how [Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.)] is he can be so picky about the groups he talks to, Gardner quipped to huge laughs from the audience, making light of the House majority Whips speech before a white supremacist group in 2002.

Rangels remarks appeared to be more off-the-cuff, aside from a short bit in which the veteran congressman received a fictional call (on his flip-phone) from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Telling Bibi who is poised to speak before a joint session of Congress next month that he had lunch with President Obama earlier in the day, Rangel cracked, Im afraid your name never came up.

Among those spotted at the dinner: Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Joaqun Castro (D-Texas), Mimi Walters (R-Calif.), Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Dennis Ross (R-Fla.), Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.), Kristi Noem (R-S.D.), Ami Bera (D-Calif.), Tom Cole (R-Okla.), a selfie-snapping Sean Duffy (R-Wis.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Barbara Comstock (R-Va.), James Clyburn (D-S.C.), Gwen Graham (D-Fla.), PBS NewsHours Gwen Ifill, journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault (who received the Washington Press Club Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award), NBCs Luke Russert, Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Angus King (I-Maine), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Al Franken (D-Minn.) and CNNs Wolf Blitzer.

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'Schock value' at Congressional Dinner