On Oct. 24, 2001, then-House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) shepherded the Patriot Act through the House of Representatives. It passed 357 to 66, advancing to the Senate and then-President George W. Bush’s desk for signing.
Hastert took credit for House passage in a 2011 interview, claiming it “wasn’t popular, and there was a lot of fight in the Congress” over it.
Little did Hastert know at the time that the law he helped pass would give federal law enforcement the tools to indict him on charges of violating banking-related reporting requirements more than a decade later.
The Department of Justice on Thursday announced Hastert's indictment for agreeing to pay $3.5 million in hush money to keep someone quiet about his “prior misconduct.” The indictment accuses Hastert of structuring bank withdrawals to avoid bank reporting requirements, and lying to the FBI about the nature of the withdrawals. It does not reveal the “misconduct” that Hastert was trying to conceal. The recipient of the money was a resident of Yorkville, Illinois, where Hastert taught high school and coached wrestling from 1965 to 1981.
The indictment suggests that law enforcement officials relied on the Patriot Act’s expansion of bank reporting requirements to snare Hastert. As the IRS notes, “the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 increased the scope” of cash reporting laws “to help trace funds used for terrorism.” The Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, which was amended by the Patriot Act, had already required banks to report suspicious transactions.
Also, for some reason his name is ringing a distant bell about another scandal a few years ago. I don't usually remember names, but for some reason his is in my memory. Help anyone?
people on the news right now are making a big deal that he was the "mr squeaky-clean" and nobody every saw this coming....
Also, for some reason his name is ringing a distant bell about another scandal a few years ago. I don't usually remember names, but for some reason his is in my memory. Help anyone?
people on the news right now are making a big deal that he was the "mr squeaky-clean" and nobody every saw this coming....
I am thinking he was more of a crusader against someone else in a scandal. Perhaps Bill Clinton? For some reason I remember Stephanie Miller talking about this guy a lot.
people on the news right now are making a big deal that he was the "mr squeaky-clean" and nobody every saw this coming....
I am thinking he was more of a crusader against someone else in a scandal. Perhaps Bill Clinton? For some reason I remember Stephanie Miller talking about this guy a lot.
There was a slight kerfuffle over his receipt of federal funds while serving as a lobbyist, though I don't remember details.
Eta: wiki has some details, though I'm unable to c&p on my device. link
Also, for some reason his name is ringing a distant bell about another scandal a few years ago. I don't usually remember names, but for some reason his is in my memory. Help anyone?
people on the news right now are making a big deal that he was the "mr squeaky-clean" and nobody every saw this coming....
lol- or you're getting him confused with all the other GOP speakers who had sexual immorality problems. he did also preside as SOTH while the tom foley (under age minor gay sex scandal) unfolded & his office didn't do mch about it apparently.
So why are his payments illegal? Did he steal the money or hide it from his taxes or something?
Eta: never mind. He is charged with violating banking laws by taking out large sums of money without reporting it and then lying about how he spent the money. Huh.
This is the most amoral despicable political party in the history of ever.
Yes. Pedophiles are only ever Republicans.
No.
Pedophiles are not only ever Republicans.
But the Republican Party is the only party that tries to legislate morality while its prominent members simultaneously lead the most amoral life in the shadows.
Also, for some reason his name is ringing a distant bell about another scandal a few years ago. I don't usually remember names, but for some reason his is in my memory. Help anyone?
people on the news right now are making a big deal that he was the "mr squeaky-clean" and nobody every saw this coming....
When he replaced Gingrich, it was very much a welcome change of pace. There was a lot of talk, even by Republicans, of a fresh start, clean slate, new beginning, etc.. He lacked all of Gingrich's fire and personal animus.
During the Clinton Impeachment, after newt resigned his seat as speaker, Bob Livingston was expected to become next Repub Speaker of the House. When news of Livingston's own extracurricular activities were revealed, he stepped down. Who did GOP select as the next speaker but none other than Denny Hastert.
Embattled former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) reportedly told friends that he was a "victim" in the scandal involving his alleged agreement to pay $3.5 million in hush money to an individual he had reportedly sexually abused, Chicago TV station WBBM reported.
Hastert was indicted last week on bank-related charges stemming from the alleged agreement to pay millions of dollars to "Individual A" to compensate for "prior misconduct" against that person that had occurred years earlier. Later news reports based on anonymous federal law enforcement sources said that "Individual A" was a male student whom Hastert had allegedly sexually abused when he was a high school teacher and wrestling coach in Yorkville, Illinois.
Television station WBBM on Friday spoke with nearly a dozen of Hastert's associates, whom the news station did not identify. Hastert allegedly told friends that he was sorry to put them through such an ordeal.
“I am a victim, too,” Hastert told friends, according to WBBM.
The former House speaker has not been seen in public nor commented on the charges against him since the indictment was unveiled Thursday. It's unclear whether Hastert has an attorney.