Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert Indicted On Federal Charges

[mystery-ak]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/johnstanton/former-house-speaker-dennis-hastert-indicted-on-federal-char#.wyYyyXNNVQ

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert Indicted On Federal Charges

The Justice Department charged the Illinois Republican Thursday for evading reporting requirements and lying to the FBI as part of a scheme to pay off victims of “prior bad acts.”

Originally posted on May. 28, 2015, at 4:01 p.m. Updated on May. 28, 2015, at 4:12 p.m.

 John Stanton
BuzzFeed News Reporter



WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has indicted former House Speaker Dennis Hastert on reporting evasion charges and lying to the FBI as part of an effort to pay off victims of “prior bad acts.”

In an indictment handed down in the District Court of Northern Illinois, the Department of Justice and IRS charged Hastert, 73, with illegally transferring funds in an effort to avoid detection by the IRS, a scheme known as “structuring.”

In the indictment, Hastert is accused of agreeing to pay one individual $3.5 million.

Although the indictment specifies neither the “bad acts” nor the victims, sources said they could be from before Hastert, who is now a lobbyist in Washington, entered politics in 1980.

Hastert spent 20 years in the House representing Illinois, and was elected Speaker of the House in 1999 after former Speaker Newt Gingrich retired and the heir-apparent, former Rep. Bob Livingston, abruptly retired amidst charges he had carried on inappropriate sexual affairs.

Hastert’s tenure as speaker was marred by numerous scandals and controversies, including the political fight over Terri Schiavo, charges of corruption against Majority Leader Tom DeLay, and the resignation of Rep. Mark Foley in 2006 after it was reported Foley had an inappropriate relationship with an underage House page.

In the wake of the 2006 election, in which Democrats retook control of the House and Senate in part because of the House Republican conference’s repeated scandals, Hastert considered staying on in the Republican leadership, but instead retired.

Prior to entering politics, Hastert was a teacher and football and wrestling coach in Yorkville, Illinois, from 1964 until 1980, when he was elected to the state House of Representatives.

indictment can be read at link

[mountaineer]

The Four Worst Things About Dennis Hastert's Indictment, from the Federalist.

Excerpt:

....   In 2010, Dennis Hastert agreed to pay an individual $3.5 million “to compensate for and conceal his prior misconduct” with said individual. We don’t know anything about this individual other than that he or she lives in Yorkville, Illinois, and has known Hastert for much of his or her life. That’s where Hastert moved in the 1960s to teach high school economics and coach wrestling. From 1981 to 2007, Hastert represented the area in the Illinois state legislature and as a representative to the U.S. Congress. Since 2008, Hastert has worked as a lobbyist for D.C. firm Dickstein Shapiro.

We don’t know anything about the misconduct other than that it was something Hastert was willing to pay $3.5 million to conceal. As my colleague David Harsanyi said, “It must have been something pretty terrible for him to agree to $3.5 million and lie to the Feds. I haven’t done anything that’s worth paying $3.5 million. Maybe, like, $50,000 worth of bad. Tops.”

Some believe that the indictment gives a clue by beginning with the sentence, “From approximately 1965 to 1981, defendant JOHN DENNIS HASTERT was a high school teacher and coach in Yorkville, Illinois.” Having said that, there are no charges related to the misconduct. That could mean, among other things, that the bad conduct wasn’t illegal or, if it was, that the statute of limitations ran out.

Was This Blackmail?

Does this sound like Hastert was being blackmailed? Indeed it does sound like that is a possibility. The indictment mentions that the feds were investigating whether the payments were part of a criminal extortion attempt. But it’s also entirely possible that this was simply a contractual agreement to not disclose information ...

[jmyrlefuller]

Political corruption in Illinois? I never would've guessed. /sarc

[mystery-ak]

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/243442-hastert-posts-4500-bail

May 29, 2015, 12:41 pm
Hastert posts $4,500 bail

By Ben Kamisar

Former Speaker Dennis Hastert has been released on his own recognizance on a preliminary bail of $4,500 less than one day after a surprise indictment.

Hastert did not appear in court and was not required to, as the preliminary bail set by a magistrate judge is a formality. Judge Thomas Durkin will set his bond at an arraignment in the near future, but no specific date has been set.

The former Speaker has not been seen in public since being indicted on charges  he broke banking laws by paying hush money to prevent a longtime acquaintance from exposing what his indictment referred to as “prior misconduct.”

There are few details about why Hastert allegedly paid “Individual A” $3.5 million to stay quiet. The Justice Department does not explain the supposed impropriety that prompted the payments, and Buzzfeed News reports that it did not elaborate at the request of Hastert’s attorneys.

The indictment only explains that “Individual A” is from Hastert’s hometown of Yorkville, Ill., and has known the lawmaker for most of the individual’s life. The document also mentions Hastert’s past career as a high school teacher in Yorkville from 1965 to 1981.

The school district said in a statement to The Associated Press that no one has made an allegation of misconduct against Hastert and that it had no prior knowledge of the indictment.

The indictment accuses Hastert of illegally structuring large cash withdrawals just under $10,000, the amount required to trigger reporting requirements, in order to pay “Individual A” to stay silent.

Hastert also allegedly lied to federal agents investigating the withdrawals and told them he wanted to take out the money because he didn’t trust the banking system. 

[DCPatriot]

"Child molestation" for $500, Alex. 

[EC]

I assume the new Hastert rule will be "Don't get caught."

[flowers]

Interesting timing.  I wonder why now?

[mountaineer]

"Child molestation" for $500, Alex.

That's what WhiteHouseDossier.com is saying.

[DCPatriot]

His crime that caused the arrest was.....lying to the FBI.

He was being blackmailed to keep the secret of what happened when he was a teacher and wrestling coach.

[mystery-ak]

That's what WhiteHouseDossier.com is saying.

WOW..

[Lando Lincoln]

Hmmm... Warning shot from the Justice Department to any compromised Republican who isn't playing ball?

[flowers]

Hmmm... Warning shot from the Justice Department to any compromised Republican who isn't playing ball?

Has to be. I read he spoke out-loud against amnesty recently.

[mystery-ak]

Well it's all over the net now...

Dennis Hastert Paid to Hide Sexual Misconduct With Student: Official
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/dennis-hastert-indictment-fed-say-cover-was-related-sexual-misconduct-n366776

[flowers]

Well it's all over the net now...

Dennis Hastert Paid to Hide Sexual Misconduct With Student: Official
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/dennis-hastert-indictment-fed-say-cover-was-related-sexual-misconduct-n366776

If he had one.......you know it didn't stop there. 

[kevindavis007]

I'm so embarrassed to be from Illinois..

[GourmetDan]

If he had one.......you know it didn't stop there.

You just don't get to that level unless you are 'malleable'.

Course, the gay sex is a yawner these days... it's the structuring that's the real crime...   

[jmyrlefuller]

You just don't get to that level unless you are 'malleable'.

Course, the gay sex is a yawner these days... it's the structuring that's the real crime...   

Gay sex is a yawner, only if you're a Democrat.

[GourmetDan]

Gay sex is a yawner, only if you're a Democrat.

We must have lots of Democrats around here then...

[mountaineer]

Anyone with such activity in his background should think twice about running for office, as these stories have a way of getting out.

[truth_seeker]

I'll make a guess, that sometime during his political career, he had occasion to lecture about the need for morals, traditional family values, etc.

--Sex outside marriage
--Sex with children
--Sex with the same sex

Little stuff, like that. Stuff the GOP traditionally opposes.
 
I guess in the wake of Gingrich and Livingstone, nobody bothered to vett goode olde Denny Hastert, the "coach."

On wiki it says Hastert was/is an "evangelical" Christian. No military service. Entered office with $270,000 left with $4 to 17 million.

Has already paid his adolescent victim over $1 million, one source says $1.7 million, of a promised $3.5 million.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Hastert

[jmyrlefuller]

I guess in the wake of Gingrich and Livingstone, nobody bothered to vett goode olde Denny Hastert, the "coach."

Gingrich and Livingstone outed themselves. Hastert knew better. He wanted the power more. Besides, three straight speakers stepping down would have looked, rightfully, like a disaster for the GOP.

It's as if there's no one in Congress who is truly faithful.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Anyone with such activity in his background should think twice about running for office, as these stories have a way of getting out.

To keep it a secret, such acts make you easy to be blackmailed and politically owned while in office. 

I may need to adjust my tin foil hat---but I'd still like someone to convince me Roberts' 180 on Obamacare wasn't because something was about to fall out of his closet. 

[DCPatriot]

Anyone with such activity in his background should think twice about running for office, as these stories have a way of getting out.

Yeah....but back in 1972, there was no internet or social media.   Google's founder, Larry Page,  wouldn't be born for another year. 

[Bigun]

Gingrich and Livingstone outed themselves. Hastert knew better. He wanted the power more. Besides, three straight speakers stepping down would have looked, rightfully, like a disaster for the GOP.

It's as if there's no one in Congress who is truly faithful.

Which begs the question "What do they have on Boehner?"

[truth_seeker]

Whenever I see the crowds on internet political forums start to elevate anybody to a messianic status (Palin, Cruz....before that, Buchanan, etc.) I try to remind myself these are all self-selected members of a rather scummy subset of our society.

No, they are not all bad. But if you follow the lifetimes of politicians, often you wind up feeling that none of them are truly "good" people.

And now one can make a very lucrative career, from it. Get into office, hold office for awhile, leave office and become a lobbyist, or "investment banker," or partner in a major law firm. Or now a media figure like Palin, Santorum, Huckaboo.

I know a guy who became mayor of my city before he turned 30. Lawyer. He never pursued higher office. Ever since he has been a partner in a law firm which specializes in local government, representing builders etc. Nice guy, too. Low key. An opinion molder. GOPe, for those here today that want that description.