Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s perk costs taxpayers $1 million

[sabra]

Source: Chicago Trib

Hastert’s aides and allies benefit from archive fund

Former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert has plowed through about $1 million in taxpayer dollars in the last two years for an office and staff in west suburban Yorkville, thanks to a little-known perk given to ex-speakers.

Hastert, 68, a lobbyist and business consultant who retired from Congress in 2007, has hired three of his former staffers at salaries of more than $100,000 apiece to run the publicly financed office.

Taxpayers also are paying monthly rent of $6,300 to a company partly owned by three sons of a Hastert mentor and business partner. Other public funds go for an $860-a-month 2008 GMC Yukon leased from a dealership owned by a Hastert friend and campaign donor.

Federal law allows former House speakers to maintain a taxpayer-funded office anywhere in the United States for up to five years. The purpose is to "facilitate the administration, settlement and conclusion of matters pertaining to or arising out of" a former speaker's tenure in the House.

Hastert is not allowed to use the office for his moneymaking ventures, including lobbying for the countries of Turkey and Luxembourg, sitting on the board of Chicago-based financial giant CME Group Inc. and giving speeches with an asking price of $25,000.


Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-use-this-hastert-0218-20100217,0,640306.story

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The monthly rent for Hastert's publicly funded office in Yorkville goes to a firm partly owned by the three sons of Dallas Ingemunson, a Hastert business partner and longtime political mentor. (Tribune photo by Chuck Berman / February 17, 2010)

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. If you said it was for food I could believe it.

[heli]

2. Good ol' Republican still pigging out at the public trough after all these years

[elehhhhna]

35. Let Turkey pay his bills -- they own him, anyway. Ask Sbel Edmonds.

He's a traitor & should be in GITMMO.

[nykym]

3. Maybe the new Finacial Board

can look at the expenditures and bring them down to a reasonable level. Limits need to be applied.

[BunkerHill24]

4. Thank you.....

Rec'd

[riderinthestorm]

5. I live out near Yorkville. This is a crumbling farm town. NOTHING is renting for $6300/mo here.

Nothing legit that is. Especially an office that looks as small and drab as that one in the pic (is that the office?) The furniture looks like it came from Office Depot, didn't I see that globe at Target?

Downtown Yorkville is very small and quite far away from Chicago where a $6300/month office might be more believable. There's not even a major highway or trainline through Yorkville that might have helped it's prospects (and helped boost rental rates). Commercial real estate prices in this area are dramatically depressed.

Edited to add that his son Ethan Hastert just had his butt kicked in the primary for his dad's old seat. So perhaps the residents of Kane County have had enough of the Hastert corruption.

[Jefferson23]

13. Very telling, thanks for that info. n/t

[riderinthestorm]

18. Dennis Hastert was behind the big push for the by-pass to go through

in the town right next door to Yorkville (Big Rock). How conveeenienent eh? Lots of land scams and development craziness while that project was pushed hard by Hastert in Washington. Now that he's gone and the economy has crashed, that project is way dead. The only area out here with even marginal prospects is located about 15 miles north of Yorkville where the PGA has located a major tournament, the tollway goes right to Chicago, and there's a commercial airport with plenty of room to expand. Even that town though (Sugar Grove) has seen all development work come to a screeching halt with major land/development deals stopped cold.

So there's a couple new housing developments in Yorkville, and a lovely large Shell station but nothing to sustain the growth. It's damn far from Chicago (I'm going to guess almost an hour and a half) without mass transit to assist in the commute. The downtown probably could be charming (it's right on a lovely river) but it's been neglected for too long.

Bottom line: anyone getting $6300/month renting office space here is running a scam. And that office in the pic is definitely NOT some prime piece of real estate.

[Jefferson23]

19. Scam and Hastert go hand in hand, again, my thanks for the info.

[UpInArms]

6. Ass-Turd is the gift that keeps on taking.

:puke:

[Dappleganger]

7. Bring back tar-and-feathering...

and pitchforks in the ass!

[Drops_not_Dope]

8. What

he's not in Prison yet?

[Wizard777]

9. The link doesn't work

[sabra]

10. fixed... thanks!

:hi:

[nevergiveup]

11. His son just lost the Republican primary for his dad's old seat.

Dennis is no longer a God in this district.

[surrealAmerican]

12. Not at all surprising, considering it's Dennis Hastert.

Milking the system for all he can get, is about what I'd expect from him.

[madmax]

14. The freakers are always complaining

about the Dem's spending be it for the office furnishings or a diplomatic trip. Just once I'd like to see them post something that shines a light on the shit their rep's do. JUST ONCE.

[LeftinOH]

15. Well, the money certainly wasn't used for decorating that office n/t

[Blue_Tires]

29. probably pocketed the rest...

[Enrique]

16. I hope Lincoln's ghost haunts his fat ass n/t

[BumRushDaShow]

17. The Drudge Siren!

Oh wait....

:eyes:

If this had been Pelosi instead of Has-been, his entire site would be in red. But alas, not a mention. :rofl:

[LiberalFighter]

20. 5 years is too long. It should be not longer than 3 years.

[erpowers]

21. Needs to End

I had heard about this perk somewhere before, but I do not remember. However, this perk needs to be ended as soon as possible.

On another note this is just another example of Republican hypocrisy. There has been much talk on the left about Republican hypocrisy, this can be added to the list. They complain about spending taxpayer money to fund programs that help middle class and poor people and then they accept taxpayer money to support themselves. They are the ones always complaining about welfare queens, but they have no problem letting the government take care of them. Hastert should have turned down the money on the basis of his ideology.

[Mari333]

22. I used to live right near that town

15 miles away. horrible red area, so glad I moved.

[newtothegame]

23. Sounds like a policy already in place, what exactly our we freaking out about?

"Federal law allows former House speakers to maintain a taxpayer-funded office anywhere in the United States for up to five years. The purpose is to "facilitate the administration, settlement and conclusion of matters pertaining to or arising out of" a former speaker's tenure in the House."

How sure are we that this wasn't Clinton or Carter that enacted this policy? A waste of money, yes. But milking the country? Outright evil? It was voted on and approved by YOUR congressmen.

[Divine Discontent]

26. never heard of it before, as the article suggests few knew, glad they reported it, it needs to end

after 1 year, also, three staffers paid over $100K a year? Really? That's ridiculous. How about 1 at whatever the median salary is for the area, because, this is a FORMER gov't employee, not a current one. Yes, the law needs changed, but it sounds like Dennis is using it great enrichment for millions for his buddies, and renting off a business friend giving him $6K plus a month, and a campaign donation source for the lease of the vehicle.

[MrMickeysMom]

24. Who could ask for anything more?

While we're at it, why don't we pay their health care, huh?

If federal lawmakers allowed this to happen, would you please inform me whether it was legislated recently?

How do we make them take it away... No one needs this perk. Not one of them.

[jaystemple]

25. Conservmedia

Geez, how do you think the conservamedia will spin this one?

[Juche]

27. Sibel Edmonds accused him of taking bribes from Turkey

http://www.democracynow.org/2005/8/10/did_speaker_hastert_accept_turkish_bribes

[troubledamerican]

38. Jackpot

[madrchsod]

28. we love denny out here....

he gave us 2.5 million from the federal transportation fund for a river front project. found out yesterday a two block street in our downtown is getting 100,000 in federal transportation funds to rebuild the street and sidewalks...it`s a federal highway! foster put the arm in to get that money.

whether it`s a democrat or a rethug--- it`s all about bringing the pork back home..

fat denny is getting a long time perfectly legal perk.his problem is he has really bad taste.

[Ruby the Liberal]

37. Sounds like lobbyist activity to me.

Which is "for-profit" not winding down open issues from his term.

[JohnWxy]

30. recommended!

[fasttense]

31. Another entitlement for uber rich politicians.

Sounds like an entitlement to me. We should cut it to reduce our budget deficit.

Where are the budget hawks on Congressional entitlements?

It's just the poor and middle class entitlements they want to reduce.

[proud patriot]

32. Meanwhile disabled people are getting their funding cut GRRRR

let's cut this program

[niceypoo]

33. Denny, 'Hide the pot roast,' Hastert ...

... rears his ugly head once more.

[LaPera]

34. We all knew what a republican liar & slob Hastert's was & is-All republicans do the same as Hastert

Republicans like Hastert are always point the finger at the Dems spending myth, to take the heat and focus away from themselves...ALL the republicans now in office are no different than the lying hateful, greedy pig Hastert!

[Ruby the Liberal]

36. What the F is he spending $100,000/staffer for if not for-profit motives?

I call bullshit. Audit the fat bastard.

[lonestarnot]

39. And he ate the whole fucking thing.

[rocktivity]

40. .

x(
rocktivity

[Overseas]

41. K&R to showcase the habits of Republican "fiscal conservatives" //nt