Well, That’s Odd

Jim Burroway

May 28th, 2015

Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert agreed to pay $3.5 million in apparent hush money to a longtime acquaintance, then lied to the FBI when asked about suspicious cash withdrawals from several banks, federal prosecutors alleged Thursday.

The stunning indictment of the longtime Republican powerhouse alleged he gave about $1.7 million in cash to the acquaintance, identified only as Individual A in the charges, to “compensate for and conceal (Hastert’s) prior misconduct” against Individual A that had occurred years earlier.

So says the Chicago Tribune, which posted the indictment here. It’s an interesting read:

a. From approximately 1965 to 1981, defendant JOHN DENNIS HASTERT was a high school teacher and coach in Yorkville, Illinois. From approximately 1981 to 2007, defendant JOHN DENNIS HASTERT was an elected public official, including eight years as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. From approximately 2008 to the present, defendant JOHN DENNIS HASTERT has worked as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C.

b. Individual A has been a resident of Yorkville, Illinois and has known defendant JOHN DENNIS HASTERT most of Individual A’s life.

c. In or about 2010, Individual A met with defendant JOHN DENNIS HASTERT multiple times. During at least one of the meetings, Individual A and defendant discussed past misconduct by defendant against Individual A that had occurred years earlier.

d. During the 2010 meetings and subsequent discussions, defendant JOHN DENNIS HASTERT agreed to provide Individual A $3.5 million in order to compensate for and conceal his prior misconduct against Individual A. …

Jack

May 29th, 2015

Larry Craig meets Jerry Sandusky. Looks like he had a strongly held belief about the sanctity of jockstraps.

Ben in oakland

May 29th, 2015

I was at the gym yesterday when the TV screens that are everywhere indicated hastert’s indictment. There wasn’t any information available, and I remember thinking, “wonder if it’s a dead girl or a live boy.” Only in this morning’s paper was there an indication that this was something financial. But now, one has to wonder. Personally, I think it would be very funny if what the implication of this article is comes to light.

But then, I have a very odd sense of humor when it comes to Republicans.

Timothy Kincaid

May 29th, 2015

Very very little information about Individual A. No hints as to age or gender.

Paul Douglas

May 29th, 2015

God’s
Own
Party
!

CPT_Doom

May 29th, 2015

Anonymous sources are now stating that Individual A is a man, and that the payoff resulted from inappropriate sexual contact when Hastert was a coach/teacher, prior to his career in politics. Apparently there have been rumors for years. I give it until Monday morning before the whole story is out; you know his hometown has to be crawling with media.

enough already

May 29th, 2015

Hastert is always trumpeting how Christian he is and that’s why he knifes women and gays and starving children and sick elderly people in the back.
So – it can only be a man he sexually abused. Conservative, Christian, GOP leader, male – has to be. There is nothing else.

JEM

May 29th, 2015

L.A. Times now reporting exactly what we all thought it was.

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

Ben in Oakland

May 29th, 2015

Still an allegation, JEM, without much substantiation.

Still, I was hoping that this would be another hypocritical-republican-family-values- hypocrite issue, as deaths and good things come in threes. we have the Duggar scandal, we have the minister in michigan scandal, and now, with luck, we have the Hastert is a molester possibility.

The three of these, plus the vote in Ireland, and I would say it has been an excellent week.

Jack

May 29th, 2015

It’s a shame Tom Foley didn’t live to see this.

Eric Payne

May 29th, 2015

@Ben in Oakland,

I’m sorry, but I have to take exception to your statement – actually, what I want to do is scream at you, “What the FUCK are you talking about???” — but I’ll stay civilized.

Think of the Duggars girls. At least two of them have been, at the mildest, “inappropriately touched,” and at the worst, outright sexually molested. By their own brother. Then their own parents arrange it that brother can confess to his actions but, also, remain both legally unpunished and unpunishable… All while they all are still living in the family home.

If these allegations against Hassert are, indeed, true, he used his position within the educational system to prey on adolescents placed in his charge.

There’s absolutely no place for smugness in any of this… filth. Rather than rolling in self-centered glee over their fall… Think of their victims.

Ben in Oakland

May 29th, 2015

Eric, I understand your strong feelings on the subject. I don’t disagree with you, except in what is almost a personal attack on me.

I don’t disagree with you at all about Hastert, but it is done with, and a long time ago.

I don’t disagree with you, but the victim may have been a consensual victim, and not a victim of the same sort as the Duggar girls. Not that that excuses Hastert.

And Hastert paid him a lot of money. I have a suspicion that if the man was blackmailing Hastert, that doesn’t make him a lot better than he ought to be. Not that that excuses Hastert.

I always think of the victims. But that doesn’t prevent me from thoroughly enjoying what I hope is the downfall of yet another Christian, Republican, family-values-gotta-stop-the-gays hypocrite.

Eric Payne

May 29th, 2015

Ben,

Point taken. I tend to have a knee-jerk reaction to any type of sex scandal involving teens or children.

Did anyone else hear the latest? TLC is talking about a Duggar “spin off,” focusing on the just married daughter — whichever one that is — adjusting to her new role as wife.

Think she’ll let the cameras in on her therapy sessions?

Truly, truly sick.

Timothy Kincaid

May 29th, 2015

We also need to consider that irrespective of what Hastert did or didn’t do, this appears to be extortion.

Jim Burroway

May 29th, 2015

“…this appears to be extortion.”

That was my thought as well — and saying that does not mean that I see Hastert as “just a victim” necessarily, or that the possible/alleged “extortionist” is therefore not also a victim (If, indeed he is one; we don’t even know how much was consensual and perhaps even perfectly legal, although “misconduct” here is a nebulous term that could easily indicate otherwise). It probably isn’t such a neat and tidy zero-sum kind of thing. That’s just my speculation though. I’m sure more will come out sooner rather than later.

Lord_Byron

May 29th, 2015

@Jim

“we don’t even know how much was consensual and perhaps even perfectly legal”

From my understanding, and I could be completely wrong, but it is always illegal for a student to have sex with a teacher/coach even if the students are at the age of consent. Because of the imbalance of power, like a minister or cop, the legal system doesn’t allow a student to consent because of the question of power.

Jim Burroway

May 29th, 2015

That’s a good reason to say it’s always immoral, although I don’t know exactly if I would go that far without knowing the details. But it may not necessarily be illegal (although maybe it is in New York) and it may not have necessarily been illegal at the time.

enough already

May 30th, 2015

It need not be illegal to be wrong.
As for the person who demanded and got money – good for him.
He was abused by this monster, he deserves every penny he can get from the thug.
I have had it with the way these Christians treat gay people. I have had it with the way these Christians treat girls and women.

I just hope this man gets to keep the money and his privacy.

Leave A Comment

All comments reflect the opinions of commenters only. They are not necessarily those of anyone associated with Box Turtle Bulletin. Comments are subject to our Comments Policy.

(Required)
(Required, never shared)

PLEASE NOTE: All comments are subject to our Comments Policy.

 

Latest Posts

The Things You Learn from the Internet

"The Intel On This Wasn't 100 Percent"

From Fake News To Real Bullets: This Is The New Normal

NC Gov McCrory Throws In The Towel

Colorado Store Manager Verbally Attacks "Faggot That Voted For Hillary" In Front of 4-Year-Old Son

Associated Press Updates "Alt-Right" Usage Guide

A Challenge for Blue Bubble Democrats

Baptist Churches in Dallas, Austin Expelled Over LGBT-Affirming Stance

Featured Reports

What Are Little Boys Made Of?

In this original BTB Investigation, we unveil the tragic story of Kirk Murphy, a four-year-old boy who was treated for “cross-gender disturbance” in 1970 by a young grad student by the name of George Rekers. This story is a stark reminder that there are severe and damaging consequences when therapists try to ensure that boys will be boys.

Slouching Towards Kampala: Uganda’s Deadly Embrace of Hate

When we first reported on three American anti-gay activists traveling to Kampala for a three-day conference, we had no idea that it would be the first report of a long string of events leading to a proposal to institute the death penalty for LGBT people. But that is exactly what happened. In this report, we review our collection of more than 500 posts to tell the story of one nation’s embrace of hatred toward gay people. This report will be updated continuously as events continue to unfold. Check here for the latest updates.

Paul Cameron’s World

In 2005, the Southern Poverty Law Center wrote that “[Paul] Cameron’s ‘science’ echoes Nazi Germany.” What the SPLC didn”t know was Cameron doesn’t just “echo” Nazi Germany. He quoted extensively from one of the Final Solution’s architects. This puts his fascination with quarantines, mandatory tattoos, and extermination being a “plausible idea” in a whole new and deeply disturbing light.

From the Inside: Focus on the Family’s “Love Won Out”

On February 10, I attended an all-day “Love Won Out” ex-gay conference in Phoenix, put on by Focus on the Family and Exodus International. In this series of reports, I talk about what I learned there: the people who go to these conferences, the things that they hear, and what this all means for them, their families and for the rest of us.

Prologue: Why I Went To “Love Won Out”
Part 1: What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Part 2: Parents Struggle With “No Exceptions”
Part 3: A Whole New Dialect
Part 4: It Depends On How The Meaning of the Word "Change" Changes
Part 5: A Candid Explanation For "Change"

The Heterosexual Agenda: Exposing The Myths

At last, the truth can now be told.

Using the same research methods employed by most anti-gay political pressure groups, we examine the statistics and the case studies that dispel many of the myths about heterosexuality. Download your copy today!

And don‘t miss our companion report, How To Write An Anti-Gay Tract In Fifteen Easy Steps.

Testing The Premise: Are Gays A Threat To Our Children?

Anti-gay activists often charge that gay men and women pose a threat to children. In this report, we explore the supposed connection between homosexuality and child sexual abuse, the conclusions reached by the most knowledgeable professionals in the field, and how anti-gay activists continue to ignore their findings. This has tremendous consequences, not just for gay men and women, but more importantly for the safety of all our children.

Straight From The Source: What the “Dutch Study” Really Says About Gay Couples

Anti-gay activists often cite the “Dutch Study” to claim that gay unions last only about 1½ years and that the these men have an average of eight additional partners per year outside of their steady relationship. In this report, we will take you step by step into the study to see whether the claims are true.

The FRC’s Briefs Are Showing

Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council submitted an Amicus Brief to the Maryland Court of Appeals as that court prepared to consider the issue of gay marriage. We examine just one small section of that brief to reveal the junk science and fraudulent claims of the Family “Research” Council.

Daniel Fetty Doesn’t Count

Daniel FettyThe FBI’s annual Hate Crime Statistics aren’t as complete as they ought to be, and their report for 2004 was no exception. In fact, their most recent report has quite a few glaring holes. Holes big enough for Daniel Fetty to fall through.