Former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, who held his position from 1999 through 2007, and represented Illinois' 14th Congressional District for 20 years, is facing a federal indictment for trying to evade federal bank reporting requirements, and lying to investigators about the purpose of those bank transactions.
A date for Hastert's arraignment had not been announced as of press time, but it reportedly could come as early as the week of June 1.
Quoting sources familiar with the situation, the New York Times reported, on May 29, that Hastert was allegedly paying a man not to report that he had sexually abused him several decades ago. The abuse claims were not substantiated by the FBI, but reportedly stem from Hastert's time as a teacher and wrestling coach in Yorkville, Illinois, from 1965 to 1981.
Hastert had agreed to pay the man $3.5 million, and was strategically withdrawing funds from a series of bank accounts in the hopes of avoiding bank reporting requirements, according to prosecutors; he had so far paid about $1.7 million. Hastert also allegedly lied to the FBI about the purpose of the transactions.
Judge Thomas M. Durkin of Northern District Court has been assigned to Hastert's case. The former speaker has since resigned from the lobbyist firm for whom he had been working. Wheaton College has also removed his name from the J. Dennis Hastert Center for Economics, Government, and Public Policy.
Hastert's colleagues, constituents and friends initially expressed surprise at the charges Hastert faced. "He was the coach," said U.S. Rep. Peter King, R-NY, in the New York Times. "He was a solid guy, he never raised his voice. This has really come out of nowhere."
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel told Chicago Sun-Times, "We served together in Congress and, while we had our differences about both policy and politics, he served his public, his constituents and he served the state of Illinois. And he did it with distinction. I am saddened by this news. Nobody wants to see a person's career in public service have this as their capstone."
But, though many who know him have congenial recollections about Hastert, he left behind a voting record that was often at odds with the LGBT and progressive communities.
Hastert was a relatively low-profile congressman when he became House Speaker, after the office became associated with scandal in the late '90s, first with the marital indiscretions of then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and then, U.S. Rep. Bob Livingston, R-LA, who was pegged as Gingrich's replacement until word of his infidelities broke as well. Hastert then stepped in.
But many commentators at the time said Hastert's new position did not portend good things for the LGBT community.
"While Livingston was hardly anyone's idea of a pro-gay politician, he may seem moderate in retrospect," said the Advocate in 1999, just as Hastert took on the House Speaker's office. "At least [Livingston] has signed a nondiscrimination pledge regarding hiring practices in his office. Hastert, a hitherto obscure six-term Republican from Illinois, has not even taken that rudimentary step. Hastert has consistently received a 0% rating on gay issues from the Human Rights Campaign … and earned an only slightly less dismal 16% rating in 1998 from AIDS Action, an advocacy group also based in Washington, D.C. An evangelical Christian, Hastert's main claim to fame is that he is a close ally of House majority whip Tom Delay, one of the most conservative representatives in Congress and the driving force behind the impeachment of President Clinton."
Associated Press noted in 1998 that Hastert's ratings by organizations on the other end of the political spectrum were consistently above average: the National Right to Life Committee, Christian Coalition, Chamber of Commerce and National Rifle Association all gave Hastert 100-percent ratings.
Hastert was a co-sponsor of the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, and voted both in favor of Don't Ask Don't Tell and against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
It was associations with a sex scandal that ultimately resulted in his leaving office as well. Hastert's mishandling of the situation surrounding U.S. Rep. Mark Foley's, R-Fla., having sent sexually explicit messages to House pages was considered to be a significant factor in the Republicans losing the House to the Democrats in the 2006 midterm elections.
Huffington Post noted May 29 that it was rules from the Patriot Actwhich Hastert helped push through in 2001that led to his eventual indictment. The Patriot Act allows banks to consult with one another to report and analyze suspicions about a client if that client's transaction patterns seem unusual.