Disgraced Former House Speaker Dead At 84

Disgraced former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) has died, a local coroner confirmed. He was 84 years old.

Hastert, the longest-serving Republican House Speaker, died at his home over the weekend, Kendall County Coroner Jacquie Purcell said Monday.

Hastert later admitted to sexually abusing boys during his years as a high school wrestling coach. He served prison time for illegally structuring bank withdrawals to pay hush money to one of his victims, becoming the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to serve a prison sentence.

Hastert was born in 1942 and earned degrees from Wheaton College and Northern Illinois University. Before entering politics, he worked as a teacher and wrestling coach at Yorkville High School. In 1976, he was named Illinois Coach of the Year.

After years of teaching and coaching, Hastert was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives. He was elected to Congress in 1986.

Hastert served in the U.S. House from 1987-2007. He was mentored closely by then-House Minority Leader Robert H. Michel (R-IL), and rose through the ranks to serve as chief deputy whip. After House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) announced in 1998 that he would step down, Hastert emerged as his successor when Rep. Bob Livingston (R-LA), the party’s initial choice, withdrew after revelations about his extramarital affairs.

Referred to by some as the “accidental speaker,” Hastert led the House from 1999 until January 2007, after Republicans lost their majority in the 2006 elections. He resigned from Congress in November 2007.

He had been out of Congress for nearly a decade — and was working as a lobbyist — when the FBI and the IRS began investigating him over a series of bank transactions. He was indicted in 2015 for intentionally setting up bank transactions in an effort to avoid reporting requirements. He was also indicted for making false statements to the FBI. That charge was dropped under his plea agreement.

Hastert pleaded guilty in October 2015 to violating banking laws. At his sentencing the following April, he admitted the withdrawals were meant to pay a former wrestler who had accused him of sexual abuse during his time as coach at Yorkville High School. Hastert acknowledged sexually abusing other boys during that time as well, some of whom were as young as 14 at the time.

Because the statute of limitations had expired, Hastert was not charged with any crimes related to the sexual abuse — but U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin called him a “serial child molester” and ordered him to participate in a sex offender program before sentencing him to 15 months in prison and a $250,000 fine for the financial crimes. Hastert served 13 months and was released from federal prison in 2017.

“Mr. Hastert’s legend and legacy are gone, and in its place are a broken, humiliated man,” Zachary Fardon, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said at the time. “That is as it should be.”

More from this network:
Domains for Sale · GOTPeople.org · TheDSAPlatform · The Truth About Socialism

Donate to GOTPeople.org