Republican Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert Allegedly Had Sexual Relations With Former Male Student

[zuluweta 250]

I'm liberal but I think Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky was a huge mistake. I have to say that in contrast to Hastert's scandal, there was no underlying crime in having a consensual affair with a young woman who was an adult at the time of the affair.

[zuluweta 250]

Barney Frank: Dennis Hastert's Sexual Misconduct Scandal Makes Bill Clinton Look Like 'Almost A Virgin'

by Rahel Gebreyes, Huffington Post, June 2, 2015

In a HuffPost Live conversation on Monday, former Congressman Barney Frank spoke out against Dennis Hastert's "hypocrisy" amid Hastert's sexual misconduct scandal, which came to light this past weekend.

Hastert, a former Republican Speaker of the House, allegedly paid more than $1.7 million to an unnamed person in an effort to cover-up accusations of sexual abuse. Hastert was charged with bank fraud for withdrawing the money in small increments so he would not be required to report the transactions to the FBI. While Hastert has stayed mum about allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a male student during his time as a high school wrestling coach and history teacher, Frank had no problem pointing out the irony of Hastert's alleged misconduct.

Frank noted that Hastert, along with Newt Gingrich and Bob Livingston, have all faced sexual misconduct allegations or allegations of infidelity, yet they all participated in Bill Clinton's impeachment proceedings for his own misconduct.

"These people get together and impeach Bill Clinton, who looks like almost a virgin in that crowd," Frank told host Alyona Minkovski.

Frank also discussed Hastert's opposition to gay marriage, calling it "the kind of hypocrisy that should be penalized," considering the allegations he is now facing.

"Dennis Hastert twice as Speaker tried to get the house to pass a constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage [and], in fact, retroactively would have canceled marriages that happened in Massachusetts," he said. "So when someone who himself has engaged in same-sex activity then uses his position of great power to try to penalize other people who are doing that, that's the kind of hypocrisy that should be penalized."

Link to article - http://tinyurl.com/o3oppl4

Link to video - http://tinyurl.com/qe4wrwn

Edited June 3, 2015 by zuluweta

[zuluweta 250]

So Republicans condemn male Democrats for having sex with women but accept man on man sex. What a surprise.

When Republican House Rep Mark Foley had his male page scandal, Republican House Speaker dragged his feet acting on the allegations.

Now we know why.

[zuluweta 250]

Why Individual A Is Not Charged In The Dennis Hastert Case

by Michael Helfand, Chicago Now, June 3, 2015

There's nothing that makes me laugh more than seeing a holier than thou politician, from either party, exposed as a fraud. It appears (allegedly) that Dennis Hastert, conservative hero, is a closeted gay man or a pedophile. There are certainly many rumors floating around about both things. I could care less if he or anyone else is gay, but it's awesome if it lead to his downfall given his pathetic voting record on gay rights.

On the other hand, if he's a child molester then there's a special place in hell waiting for him if there wasn't already. As you may recall, he previously resigned as Speaker of the House for failing to report Mark Foley, another Republican who was having inappropriate relationships with boys.

In articles I've read on the case, the one common theme I've seen in the comments section has been "Why isn't the kid he slept with being charged with extortion." In fact I was interviewed by the AP on this case a few days ago and it was their first question.

In the indictment, this person is listed as Individual A.

The belief is that he was somehow extorting money from Hastert. I'm willing to bet that what really happened is that a lawyer was hired by individual A and worked out a settlement that included a confidentiality clause and agreement not to sue. In exchange, Hastert agreed to pay him $3.5 million, but as sometimes happens, agreed to do it over time, or in this case, $50,000.00 a month.

That's not extortion, that's a common civil case.

If that didn't happen and it was extortion then the other logical explanation is that Individual A is being given immunity for his cooperation in testifying against Hastert. Hastert is the big fish, not some minor who was taken advantage of sexually. Can you imagine if that kid went to jail and Hastert walked away without a penalty? That would be an absurd miscarriage of justice.

Criminally speaking, it's too late for Hastert to be arrested in Illinois for molesting any kid. But that's not why he's getting arrested.

He's in trouble for the same reason Martha Stewart is which is because he lied to the FBI when they questioned why he was making so many large withdrawals of cash and then tried to conceal those actions by making smaller transactions. If he was smart, when the FBI first interviewed him he would have said, "It's none of your business and I'm not going to answer any questions" or simply plead the 5th.

So it's a pretty interesting case, but that's mostly because a big hypocrite is having a tremendous downfall and has essentially lost the respect and admiration of anyone in his life along with his job, freedom and reputation. Other than that he's golden. But as fascinating as his downfall is, it's really a straight forward lying to the FBI case and the fact that Individual A is not charged is not surprising and is actually justice no matter what happened to him.

Link to article - http://tinyurl.com/ouh3trs

Edited June 3, 2015 by zuluweta

[zuluweta 250]

Double posting deleted.

Edited June 3, 2015 by zuluweta

[JohnR! 5,495]

Just more misinformation from the RD... Are you surprised?

I still wonder how Hillary plays into this story? Did she make Hastert do this? Is that what we're getting at?

[zuluweta 250]

Just more misinformation from the RD... Are you surprised?

What does RD mean?

[zuluweta 250]

GOP’s obscene sex-cop hypocrisy: Dennis Hastert, Hillary and the absurdity of the Clinton impeachment

(Why won't Hillary speak to the press? The answer lies in the media's treatment of Bill during the Lewinsky scandal)

by Eric Boehlert, Media Matters

The raucous political warfare of the 1990s returned into view late last week with the stunning news that former Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert is under indictment for allegedly agreeing to pay more than $3 million in hush money to cover up sexual abuse involving a male student at a high school where Hastert taught decades ago.

Hastert’s unsettling case doesn’t have anything to do with partisan politics, per se. But his rise to the speakership back in 1998 sure did. Like virtually everything else inside the Beltway at the time, Hastert’s promotion revolved around the Republicans’ relentless impeachment pursuit against President Bill Clinton. And today, Hastert’s alleged crime once again throws into focus what a strange and hypocritical spectacle it was for GOP men to play sex cop and crusade for impeachment.

The impeachment of Bill Clinton defined American politics in the 1990s. It also defined the Beltway press, which still clings to many of the bad Clinton-related habits it formed that decade. The impeachment farce, where the press teamed up with Republicans to wage war on a Democrat, could also explain why the Clintons today might not fully trust the media as Hillary Clinton expands her presidential run and the press stands “primed” to take her down.

Why won’t Hillary Clinton open up to the press? Why can’t Bill and Hillary handle the media? Why has she ”withdrawn into a gilded shell“? Why does she wear media “armor“? Those questions have been rehashed in recent months as journalists focus on themselves and what role they’ll play in the unfolding nomination contest.

A suggestion: Follow the path back to Dennis Hastert’s impeachment era for clues to those Clinton press questions.

During the 1990s, Hastert remained a firm advocate of impeachment, at one point condemning the president for his “inability to abide by the law.” Hastert stressed, “The evidence in President Clinton’s case is overwhelming that he has abused and violated the public trust.”

Of course it was the impeachment imbroglio that elevated Hastert, indirectly, to his lofty position of speaker of the House; a position he later leveraged into millions by becoming a very wealthy lobbyist.

The background: Former Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich was forced to resign in 1998 after the impeachment-obsessed GOP faced disastrous midterm losses. (Gingrich later admitted he was engaged in an affair with a Congressional aide at the time.) Up next was Rep. Bob Livingston (R-LA), chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee. “One of the loudest of those calling for the House to impeach Clinton over an extra-marital affair,” noted the National Journal, Livingston was soon ousted after he was forced to publicly confess to committing adultery “on occasion.”

Link to article - http://tinyurl.com/qjg3vn8

Edited June 4, 2015 by zuluweta

[zuluweta 250]

Alleged Dennis Hastert Sex Abuse Victim Steve Reinboldt ID'd: Reports

NBC News, June 5, 2015

The sister of a now-deceased Illinois man has identified him as an alleged victim of sexual abuse at the hands of Dennis Hastert, according to reports.

Steve Reinboldt was abused thoughout his high school years while serving as the equipment manager of the wrestling team coached by Hastert in Yorkville, Illinois, Jolene Burdge told ABC News and The Associated Press.

NBC News has not independently confirmed Burdge's allegation.

Reinboldt graduated from Yorkville High School in 1971, she told ABC, and died in 1995 from complications resulting from AIDS.

Hastert was indicted last week on charges that he structured bank withdrawals to avoid federal reporting requirements and later lied about it to the FBI. NBC News has made repeated attempts to reach Hastert without success.

Federal law enforcement sources have told NBC News that Hastert was paying a man to keep him quiet about allegations of sexual misconduct while Hastert was a high school teacher in Yorkville.

Hastert taught history and was also the wrestling coach at Yorkville High School from 1965 to 1981 while the man he was paying was a student.

The man, called "Individual A" in court documents, has not been named publicly. Federal authorities say Hastert agreed in 2010 to pay him $3.5 million to cover up "prior misconduct," according to the indictment.

Hastert represented his Illinois congressional district from 1987 to 2007, and served as House speaker for eight years. He has not appeared publicly since the indictment was handed down. He is due to make a court appearance on the charges Tuesday in Chicago.

Many of those who wrestled under Hastert's coaching say they had no inkling of any inappropriate behavior and had not even heard any rumors about his sexuality.

"I was on the wrestling team four years and I'm shocked at the allegations, and I certainly have no idea who would have made an allegation like that," Robert Goins, a minister who graduated in 1970, told NBC News. "I never would have seen it coming."

Link to article - http://tinyurl.com/omvqtm4

Edited June 5, 2015 by zuluweta

[zuluweta 250]

Dennis Hastert Could Face Uphill Legal Battle for Allegedly Lying About Hush Money

by Erik Ortiz, NBC News, June 9, 2015

Dennis Hastert spoke in a whisper in a packed federal courthouse Tuesday — his first public appearance since authorities charged him last month with illegally evading banking rules and lying about it to the FBI.

But the former House speaker from Illinois — now embroiled in a sexual misconduct scandal tied to his days as a high school wrestling coach — will have to come in loud and clear to bat away the allegations.

That's because Hastert is in the middle of a legal minefield with charges that are held up not only by an apparent paper trail, but by the 73-year-old former congressman's own mouth, legal experts told NBC News.

"The paper trail is not his biggest problem," said Paul Caron, a professor at Pepperdine University School of Law.

"The biggest problem is that he ran his mouth when first questioned by the FBI (last year), which opened himself up to these charges."

"Had he just shut up when questioned, the government would have a much more difficult time proving the (evading) charge," Caron added. "And the lying charge would disappear."

In addition, the feds might not be so eager to release their grip on Hastert given that the case isn't merely a classic money laundering scheme.

The federal indictment says Hastert was hiding $3.5 million in payments he was making in 2010 to an "Individual A" in order to conceal past misconduct.

The details of his alleged actions have not been revealed publicly, although federal sources have told NBC News that Hastert was allegedly paying to cover up sexual misconduct while he was a teacher and coach in Yorkville, Illinois, from 1965 to 1981.

The sister of a now-deceased Illinois man identified him as an alleged victim of sexual abuse by Hastert when he was a student at Yorkville High School. Any sexual abuse claims wouldn't likely result in criminal charges against Hastert because the statute of limitations have expired, experts say.

Hastert has not responded to repeated requests for comment from NBC News.

"I think the government may see the (bank withdrawal) structuring charge as a way to punish Hastert for the crime that can no longer be prosecuted," said Stephen Gillers, a law professor at New York University.

Gillers added that Hastert's legal team will have its work cut out for it to provide a compelling reason for why Hastert allegedly made more than 100 withdrawals from his personal bank account of just under $10,000 — an amount that would have triggered reporting to the IRS.

"The government has to prove Hastert's state of mind, not merely the withdrawals," Gillers added. "But given how many there were, the inference will be strong that evasion was his purpose."

But the reason for the alleged evasion could open up the potentially explosive revelations about why he was making the payments to unnamed Individual A in the first place.

And in that case, it also opens up the possibility that the defense would paint Hastert as the victim — with him forking over the alleged "hush money" because he was being extorted, legal analysts said.

"It can win him some sympathy with a jury, but not much if the jury believes the allegation of sexual abuse," Gillers said. "Hastert would have a hard time presenting himself as a victim of extortion deserving sympathy without also admitting the underlying offense that he paid to hush up."

As for lying to the FBI, Gillers added, a taped recording of Hastert's conversations with the feds would appear to benefit the prosecution. (The same charge of lying to federal investigators helped a jury convict home goods maven Martha Stewart in 2004.)

During Hastert's arraignment Tuesday in Chicago, his high-powered attorney, Thomas Green, entered not guilty pleas on his behalf. Hastert softly responded with, "yes, sir," when asked by the judge whether he understood the conditions of his bail.

The two charges against the one-time GOP power player carry a maximum five-year prison sentence each.

But Hastert's defense may have a way out if prosecutors are willing to negotiate a plea deal — should he want one, said Richard Kling, a professor at the Chicago-Kent College of Law.

"If the feds can prove what's in the indictment, they have a good case. Lying to the FBI is typically a slam dunk," Kling said. "Therefore, it's going to be in (Hastert's) best interest to avoid a trial."

Link to article - http://tinyurl.com/pq4mwop

[zuluweta 250]

Dennis Hastert Before The Fall

Papers from the former House speaker’s congressional years suggest there was more than a touch of hypocrisy in his long record as a staunch social conservative.
by Josh Gerstein, Poilitico, June 11, 2015

Just before his election as House speaker in 1999, Dennis Hastert spearheaded legislation to prevent use of the Internet to encourage sexual acts with children. As he often did, Hastert invoked his personal history “as a father and a person who has dealt with public schools for a long time” to urge passage.

“We must continue to be proactive warding off pedophiles and other creeps who want to take advantage of our children,” Hastert said, according to an account of an Internet forum he held in his congressional district.

Known among his colleagues as “the Coach,” Hastert cultivated a nice-guy image and man-of-the-people persona during his years on Capitol Hill. But papers from Hastert’s congressional years suggest that there was more than a touch of hypocrisy in Hastert’s long record as a staunch social conservative.

Long after he’d become a powerful figure on Capitol Hill, Hastert reflected often about the values and strategy he learned in 16 years teaching at Yorkville High School in Illinois. He never gave a hint that there was a darker side to his early career as a teacher, coach and Explorer Scout leader, a picture that has begun to emerge since his May 28 indictment on federal charges.

“I’m sure you can understand how important wrestling is for the development of adolescents in their crucial high school years,” he wrote in a 2005 letter to a retiring Maryland wrestling coach. “And in my role as Speaker of the House, I still employ many of my old coaching techniques while trying to achieve our goals here on Capitol Hill.”

Hastert, 73, was arraigned Tuesday on charges that he arranged nearly $1 million bank withdrawals to avoid filing disclosure reports, then lied to the FBI about it. The money was allegedly part of a $3.5 million payment Hastert agreed to make to an unidentified former male student over what was reportedly past sexual misconduct. The sister of another former Hastert student, who died two decades ago — Steve Reinboldt — has accused Hastert of victimizing her brother but said the family never sought money.

Hastert’s extensive collection of personal papers and memorabilia, housed at Wheaton’s Billy Graham Center for Evangelism, offers few clues about his relationships with former students or insights into any of the ethical scandals that rocked the House during his tenure as the chamber’s longest-serving Republican speaker. A Wheaton archivist gave POLITICO permission to review the files but asked that extensive document use be approved by Hastert’s former chief of staff, Scott Palmer. Palmer did not return phone calls or emails.

The records show that Hastert’s office kept a legislative file titled “Homosexuals,” filled with policy statements from social conservative groups like the Traditional Values Coalition and the Family Research Council that criticized same-sex marriage and Clinton administration efforts to prevent discrimination against gays and lesbians. The file also includes a 1996 Weekly Standard article, “Pedophilia Chic” that warned that “revisionist suggestions about pedophilia” were being embraced by the left.

Hastert co-sponsored a successful effort to impose stiff federal criminal penalties for Web-based pedophiles, a cause that he said was inspired by a mother’s visit to his Batavia district office. The woman told Hastert that her 9-year-old daughter had been targeted on the Internet by a sexual predator, creating such fear that the family moved to a city in Hastert’s district. Hastert issued a concerned letter to constituents to flag the dangers.

“This bill sends a strong message to the most heinous of criminals who prey upon our children — you will be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” Hastert said at the time.

Hastert billed himself as a social conservative from his earliest days in the Illinois Legislature, when he sided with the Moral Majority to fight a bill barring discrimination against gays.

The Hastert congressional files show that his influence escalated dramatically with his selection as speaker. Republican members wrote him to try to schedule floor debates and appealed to him for seats on their favorite committees. His mailbox was filled with requests from members like former former Arizona Rep. Jim Kolbe who wanted re-appointment to the board that supervised the House page program, and Florida Rep. Mark Foley, who wanted to join a parliamentary exchange with NATO countries.

“The need to represent U.S. interests and work to strengthen our ties with NATO is more pressing now than ever before,” Foley, from West Palm Beach, wrote to Hastert in December 2004.

Two years later, Foley led Hastert into one of the biggest scandals of his career. Foley was accused in 2006 of sending sexually explicit text messages to male teenagers in the House page program and showing up inebriated at the page dormitory. Hastert’s office was criticized for failing to act promptly when Foley’s behavior was first reported. The House page program never recovered and was disbanded in 2011. There appear to be no hints of that scandal in Hastert’s papers.

Throughout his congressional years, Hastert traveled widely on taxpayer-funded congressional delegations with staff and other members, leading CODELS to Russia, Korea, Israel and Colombia. He collected gifts — a sterling silver clock from 10 Downing Street, an etching from Russia — and eventually donated them to the archives, along with boxes of awards from groups like the National Pork Producers Association and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

After resigning in 2007 to pursue a lobbying career, Hastert again ventured far from his Plano, Illinois, home with adventures in Singapore and Saudi Arabia. Some of the travel and push for greater income came in 2010, when federal prosecutors contend the former speaker struck a deal to pay an acquaintance $3.5 million to keep quiet about Hastert’s “past misconduct.”

Because of the federal charges, Hastert’s early dealings with legal and judicial figures are getting special scrutiny. The federal judge assigned to Hastert’s criminal case, Thomas Durkin, formally recused himself Tuesday because of perceptions about his ties to the former speaker and others involved in the case. However, the judge said he would not ultimately step aside if both the prosecution and defense agree he should continue.

At Hastert’s arraignment, Durkin detailed his work with Hastert’s son Ethan at a Chicago-based law firm and $1,500 in donations made to the former speaker’s reelection campaigns over a decade ago. Durkin also noted that his brother Jim is the Republican minority leader of the Illinois House.

Hastert’s archival files reveal yet another connection: Jim Durkin once lobbied Hastert to block proposed federal legislation that would have ended a program offering prosecutors a public-service forgiveness for student debt. “This is not a time in which government should be eliminating resources but rather investing resources in a system whose integrity has been challenged,” Jim Durkin wrote to Hastert in 2000.

If the current judge gives up Hastert’s case, the former speaker’s files show ties to other judges who might take it over.

In a 2005 thank-you note, then-Illinois Solicitor General Gary Feinerman said he was “deeply grateful” to Hastert for his support in a potential nomination for a federal judgeship in Chicago. Feinerman didn’t make it to the bench at that time but got the nod from President Barack Obama in 2009 and was confirmed to the lifetime post the next year. (Judge Durkin acknowledged in court Tuesday that he’d sought similar help from Hastert’s office to win his appointment.)

The Hastert records also show federal judges in Illinois reaching out to him for help funding courthouse renovations and increased security after the 2005 murders of the husband and mother of U.S. District Court Judge Joan Lefkow. One such plea came from the chief district court judge in Chicago at the time, Charles Kocoras, who asked Hastert to give more resources to the U.S. Marshals Service for security systems for judges’ homes and other security measures.

Hastert’s files don’t appear to contain a reply. Kocoras is now overseeing a federal civil lawsuit filed against the former speaker by an ex-business partner, David John, who claims Hastert used taxpayer funds to advance his lobbying career. Kocoras has dismissed the case twice but another attempt to refile the suit is pending.

Hastert’s files also show that in 2005, Hastert met with top leaders of the FBI in Chicago to urge them to combat money laundering in connection with drug trafficking. Hastert now stands charged with a type of money-laundering offense, known as structuring, for breaking nearly $1 million in cash withdrawals into increments of less than $10,000 in order to avoid federal reporting requirements.

In the main, though, the records illustrate the rise of an Illinois farm boy to a government leader who mingled with presidents and foreign potentates. The files also show how ordinary folk from Illinois— including some former students — streamed into Hastert’s Capitol Hill office and signed the guest register.

The archives include notes of thanks and friendship from nearly every former U.S. president alive during Hastert’s tenure as speaker. “I am so very proud of your leadership,” George H.W. Bush wrote on a Walker’s Point card in 2001, adding a “#41” to his signature.

“Thanks for coming to the ranch,” President-Elect George W. Bush wrote in December 2000. “Together we can make a real difference for our country.”

President Bill Clinton penned a handwritten thank-you note to Hastert for coming along on a trip to South America. “The day in Colombia was great,” Clinton wrote in 2000.

A 1999 note from former President Jimmy Carter said he and wife Rosalynn enjoyed Hastert’s appearance on a PBS show and “appreciate the difficulty of your job and also the way you are approaching your duties.”

There are personal notes from Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. A letter from singer Bono declined an invite to a St. Patrick’s Day event but called a Hastert-hosted party at the 2004 GOP convention “hugely memorable.”

Hastert’s 2005 surgery to remove kidney stones brought well wishes from politicians of all stripes. “I don’t know what brings those on — raising hell with Democrats?” Sen. Di*ck Durbin (D-Ill.) joked.

The papers also hint at Hastert’s religious devotion. One file includes a copy of music from a church hymnal and, on the opposite side, an extremely ornate cross hand-drawn in ink.

In the lower right hand corner, the sketch is signed: “Dennis Hastert.”

Link to article - http://tinyurl.com/neukgup

Edited June 11, 2015 by zuluweta

[JohnR! 5,495]

Rectal Database....

What does RD mean?

[zuluweta 250]

Why would anyone say Hastert was squeaky clean?

http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-was-hastert-squeaky-clean-20150531-column.html

[JohnR! 5,495]

I was thinking just that. What a bunch of losers!

All these ultra conservatives fighting gay marriage and such are all closet gays. Every last one of them. Their biggest fear is that their affairs will propose to them.