Dennis Hastert Paid to Hide Sexual Relationship With Student: NBC

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

Tsk. Tsk. Those Traditional Family Values are hard to cover up for long.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/dennis-hastert-indictment-fed-say-cover-was-related-sexual-misconduct-n366776

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert paid a man to conceal a sexual relationship they had while the man was a student at the high school where Hastert taught, a federal law enforcement official told NBC News on Friday.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity. Tribune reported earlier in the day that two unnamed federal officials said that Hastert paid a man from his past to conceal sexual misconduct.

Hastert was indicted Thursday on charges that he structured bank withdrawals to avoid federal reporting requirements and later lied about it to the FBI. The indictment said that Hastert was paying an unidentified person from his past to conceal Hastert's "prior misconduct." The indictment did not specify the alleged misconduct or name the person.

The Yorkville, Illinois, school district where Hastert taught and coached wrestling from 1965 to 1981 said that it had "no knowledge of Mr. Hastert's alleged misconduct, nor has any individual contacted the District to report any such misconduct."

Charles Hastert, a nephew, told NBC News on Friday that his uncle "has always been as honest and clean as they come." He said he believes the charges are probably a political witch-hunt.

[morningfog]

1. Sexual abuse of a minor. And Denny is "the clean one" of the repub bunch.

[workinclasszero]

14. And Josh Duggar is the holy one

[malaise]

2. Clean as the driven snow

NOT

One more criminal ReTHUG
Just imagine the coverage if this was a Democrat

[Spitfire of ATJ]

35. "Driven snow" is slush.

[DanTex]

3. Maybe I'm missing something, but shouldn't he also be charged with child abuse/rape rather than

just misleading the government about bank withdrawals?

[RandySF]

8. That's up to the State of NY.

[jeff47]

10. IL, not NY (nt)

[Brother Buzz]

9. I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on television...

but I believe the child abuse/rape thing would be a state issue, but lying to the FBI is a federal crime.

[jeff47]

11. Those would be state charges, and I have no idea what the relevant statute of limitations is.

Nor would it necessarily be child abuse/rape. High school, so the kid could have been 18.

Also would require a cooperating witness - the former kid. He may not want to prosecute since that brings up the blackmail.

[City Lights]

4. WHAT DO WE TELL THE CHILDREN?!?!?!?

That was Henry Hyde's constant remark during the Clinton-Lewinsky period.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

38. I keep thinking about that jersey in his office signed by his students....

[meow2u3]

52. Here's what we tell the children

Republican politicians are like your mom and dad when they tell you, "Do what I tell you; don't do what I do."

[xfundy]

5. The floodgates are finally opening.

Can they stem the tide?

[MohRokTah]

6. And this guy who was part of the impeachment of a president for getting a blowjob????

[daleanime]

23. Yeahup.....

Kind of sick, isn't?

[awoke_in_2003]

25. Like my minister grandfather told me in the early 80's

the ones who preach the loudest are trying to cover up the sound of the skeletons rattling in their closet.

[Enthusiast]

31. Well, we must stamp out blow jobs where ever they occur.

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[mythology]

50. That was different

Because nobody knew he had trouble keeping his hands off of kids, nobody knew to ask him under oath about it.

Besides, no doubt the kid was just asking for it dressed like that. So it's really not his fault, he couldn't help himself.

Sure it's actually illegal to sexually abuse kids as opposed to getting a blowjob from a consenting adult, but he technically didn't do what he helped impeach a president over.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

7. What kind of sexual misconduct would be worth three million to keep hidden?

For Republicans, wearing diapers with prostitutes is considered normal behavior. Something tells me this must be something akin to the Sandusky scandal and the meltdown of his career, something that would show Hastert as the biggest hypocrite in his party of hypocrites.

But of course Hastert should be given the opportunity to defend himself in the court of public opinion, if he chooses to. Republicans didn't cut Bill Clinton any breaks, however, when his scandal broke, but of course we know they're ultimate hypocrites.

[Stuart G]

19. Well said, "Republicans didn't cut Bill Clinton any breaks..."

Remember that one..

[Jim Lane]

22. I had thought there might be child support on top of the hush money.

My guess was that he had an affair with an underage student and that it resulted in a pregnancy. He was exposed to a charge of statutory rape plus a paternity suit.

If, however, the student was male, then my theory becomes less likely.

If, however, there was more than one student....

[still_one]

32. It was a male student

[Jim Lane]

43. Well, I *did* mention that in my post -- also that there might be more than one student. (n/t)

[still_one]

44. Missed it, but I think your speculation is right on

[dixiegrrrrl]

12. Rec......

Wonder how many layers there are to this story?

[SoapBox]

28. Super ditto!

...let me know how it all turns out.

I've got things like earning a living, taking out the trash, walking the dog and other things that the 99% do. It doesn't include having sex with high schoolers.

[brooklynite]

13. "A political witch hunt" nine years after he left office

Yes, let's go with that one

[workinclasszero]

17. Ikr?

Smh

[JI7]

15. this seems to be a common issue for republican speakers

[peecoolyour]

16. Apparently some people are arguing that Hastert is a victim of overcriminalization.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

39. Ask them if their wrestling coach avoided asparagus.

[Snobblevitch]

53. "Ask them if their wrestling coach avoided asparagus."

What does this mean? What am I missing?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

54. Asparagus is famous for giving semen a bad taste....

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/all-about-sex/200911/how-improve-the-taste-semen

So, subtly, you're asking them how their coach tasted.

[Snobblevitch]

55. Eeewww... I'm sorry I asked.

[still_one]

45. Are they arguing that Asshat shouldn't be charged?

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

18. I wonder if Mike Huckabee will come to his defense, saying it's insensitive to condemn his

child molestation. It would be funny if there were photos of Huckabee alongside Hastert in public, to go along with the Huckabee photos showing him alongside Ted Nugent and Josh Duggar.

[KeepItReal]

20. He was busted by The USA Patriot Act's $10k transaction provisions

Nice work Bush & Co.

An actual criminal brought to justice with this law.

Now can we just let this law expire already?

[sufrommich]

21. He should be charged with sexual asault on a child now. nt

[PuraVidaDreamin]

24. How come barely any corporate news

Is labeling Hastert as either Republican or Democrat?

[B Calm]

26. FOX still saying he's a Democrat?

[Hoppy]

27. Does the buggeree get charged with extortion?

[hedda_foil]

29. I want to know where the money came from.

He and his wife were both school teachers. He coached the wrestling team. Their families weren't wealthy. So how in he'll did he come up with $3 million in payoff money?

[jwirr]

37. R money?

[countryjake]

42. Lobbying

Former House speaker Dennis Hastert indicted by federal grand jury
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/05/28/former-house-speaker-dennis-hastert-indicted/

~snip~

Hastert’s ability to make such large cash payments probably came from his career as a K Street lobbyist. He entered Congress in 1987 with a net worth of no more than $270,000 and then exited worth somewhere between $4 million and $17 million, according to congressional disclosure documents. Much of his wealth, however, was tied up in real estate holdings.

Since Hastert became a lobbyist, his clients have paid millions of dollars for his services.

Last year, Hastert took the helm of Dickstein’s lobbying practice at a time when it was undergoing major structural changes.

A large group of lobbyists had departed for rival Greenberg Traurig, taking significant business, and Hastert was tapped to help rebuild Dickstein’s lobbying business.

His clients included Peabody Energy, the Secure ID Coalition and Fuels America, according to lobbying records.

So, he was already worth millions when he retired from Congress in 2007, and since, he's went on to a very lucrative career lobbying for Big Tobacco and Energy.

[still_one]

30. Yeah right, political witch hunt, which is why your child molestor uncle

was paying hush money

[winstars]

33. Can we get rid of the HASTERT RULE NOW!!!!

[8 track mind]

34. Bartcop.

My memory might be failing me, but why do I vaguely remember Bartcop writing stories about Mr. Hasert having an improper relationship? Does anyone remember this?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

41. Actually, he had a running gag he had no sex scandal because he couldn't get laid...

Before this whole Trent Lott mess dies down, I think we should
remember how Denny Hastert got his job as Speaker of the House.

After Gingrich was caught whoring around, Livingston was given a shot.
But Larry Flynt had tapes of Livingston licking the boots of his dominatrix,
so he had to step down, and then a panic set in on the GOP.

They were in the process of impeaching a president for having sex, and they
couldn't find any Republicans who weren't screwing around on their wives!!

Panic!
Panic!

What would happen the the shrinking credibility of the GOP if the THIRD
Speaker in a row was guilty of the "crime" they impeched Clinton for?

Panic!
Panic!

They kept looking and kept looking. Everyone in line for the job had cheated
and proof was out there, (even tho reporters would NEVER tell on a Republican)
so they kept digging and kept digging until they found Dennis Hastert.

Who?

Dennis Hastert, a wrestling coach from Illinois.

Since they had to find a House Republican who has always been faithful to his wife,
Denny Hastert suddenly became the third most powerful man on the planet, mostly
because babes don't find sweaty wrestling coaches all that screwable.

Now fast-forward to this week.

Trent Lott got caught being a racist prick.
Next in line was Oklahoma's Junior embarrassment - Don Rickles (R-Racist).

But, just like Livingston and all the other House Republicans, Rickles was just as big
of a racist prick as Lott was, so he had to be passed over. They finally settled on Frist,
and that was only because he's so new to politics, his name isn't on a whole gaggle of
"screw the African American" legislation - so he got the top job.

In closing (crowd does the wave) the second-biggest reason Smirky McHandjob was
selected to be our president is because he's one of the few Republicans who didn't spend
most of the ninties rooting around inside Clinton's zipper for some non-existent "proof"
that would show Clinton to be a murdering, drug-dealing, serial-rapist.

So, we got Hastert because he's as unlucky as Ken Starr with women,
we got Smirky McHandjob because he wasn't in on the GOP's cockhunt
and now Frist is king of the senate because he's too new to have a record.

It's amazing how we pick our leaders, isn't it?

http://www.bartcop.com/0958.htm

[hedda_foil]

46. Wasn't there a rumor about his very close relationship with his gay chief of staff?

[missingfink]

51. "The sweaty wrestler"

Bartcop was great - my favorite read of the day. I wish he was still alive and putting out that daily publication. Bart had nicknames for most of the prominent 'R's'. Dennis Hastert was "the sweaty wrestler" because of his background as a coach. Someone else was labeled "the viscious Pigboy". I'll let the readers attempt to ID that person.

[jwirr]

36. Traditional family value lies while he is speaker of the House and is impeaching Bill Clinton for

some thing that was not a crime. Hypocrisy another traditional R value.

[PowerToThePeople]

40. "probably a political witch-hunt" and paying 3.5 million hush $$.

Hmmm, something does not line up here Charles Hastert.

[passiveporcupine]

47. a little more info

Hastert, 73, of Plano, Ill., was charged with one count each of structuring currency transactions to evade currency transaction reports and making a false statement to the FBI, counts that each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. He will be arraigned later at U.S. District Court in downtown Chicago.

A top official, who would not be identified speaking about the federal charges in Chicago, said investigators also spoke with a second person who raised similar allegations that corroborated what the student said.

The second person was not being paid by Hastert, the official said.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-hastert-misconduct-20150529-story.html

So it sounds like it's the student who is blackmailing him, and another student was also abused, but didn't blackmail him. Is there a statute of limitations on blackmail?

[carolinayellowdog]

48. the blackmail happened in 2010 according to the story

not the first time I've heard about the wrestling coach/sex abuse issues, but damdifino where it was discussed before. For Individual A to wait 30 years and then demand 3.5 million in hush money is almost as despicable as the original abuse.

[passiveporcupine]

49. I don't think I could ever put child molestation in the same category as blackmail

Child molestation sticks with you for life. But I do think blackmail is nasty too. I guess I don't find it nearly as bad, if the person being blackmailed hurt someone else, because that is karma. If it was just a mutual adult affair or something, then I'd put more weight on the blackmailer. It's also possible the kid was not up to taking any action against him when he was younger. And I wish, instead of blackmail, he had just made this public...but then where would that leave him if charges can't be made because of statue of limitations. I still like the public shaming part of it. The fact that this is revealed now has cost Hastert his current lobbying job. But he's rich enough now, he probably can live well without the income. Not in jail though. I hope he goes to jail for these new charges.

According to the link in my post, he's only paid out 1.7 million of the 3.5 agreed on, so I think the blackmailing may still be going on. After all, he had to be sneaky about the withdrawals, so it would take some time to get that much money through.

[tabasco]

56. You have no evidence there was any blackmail

The victim could have been ready to report Hastert's crimes and Hastert offered money to keep him quiet.

Nowhere in the indictment or news story is there a mention of a victim blackmailing Hastert.

So, stop making shit up.