Dennis Hastert, the Illinois Republican who became the longest-serving GOP House speaker before serving prison time in a hush money case involving sexual abuse, has died at 84.
Kendall County Coroner Jacquie Purcell confirmed Monday that Hastert died at home over the weekend of natural causes. No further details were released.
Hastert represented Illinois in Congress from 1987 to 2007 and led House Republicans through much of President George W. Bush’s administration. His years in Washington were later overshadowed by revelations that he had sexually abused teenage boys while working as a high school wrestling coach.
His path to the speaker’s office opened unexpectedly after Newt Gingrich stepped down in 1998. Rep. Bob Livingston initially emerged as Gingrich’s successor but withdrew amid revelations of extramarital affairs.
Hastert became the “accidental speaker” and went on to hold the job longer than any other Republican.
An ally of House Republican leader Robert H. Michel, Hastert had worked his way through the GOP ranks before becoming chief deputy whip in 1995. He criticized the Clinton administration and later worked closely with Bush to move the Republican president’s agenda through Congress.
His approach to managing the chamber became associated with the informal Hastert rule, under which Republican leaders generally bring bills to the floor only when a majority of their own members support them. The practice has continued to shape legislative fights under subsequent GOP speakers.
POLL: Will You Support Trump And His Candidates In The Midterms?
After Republicans lost their House majority in the 2006 midterms, Hastert left leadership. He resigned from Congress in 2007 and became a lobbyist and consultant.
Federal investigators began scrutinizing his bank transactions in 2013. Two years later, he was indicted on charges of structuring withdrawals to evade reporting requirements and making false statements to the FBI.
Hastert pleaded guilty to the banking offense in 2015. The withdrawals were tied to hush money payments to a man he had sexually abused as a student.
At his 2016 sentencing, Hastert admitted abusing boys during his years as a wrestling coach. U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin called him a “serial child molester” and sentenced him to 15 months in prison. The judge also imposed a $250,000 fine and ordered him to participate in a sex offender program.
Hastert was not charged with sexual abuse because the statutes of limitations had expired. He served 13 months in federal prison before his release in 2017, becoming the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to serve a prison sentence.
Born in Aurora, Illinois, in 1942, Hastert grew up in a farming community and earned an economics degree from Wheaton College before continuing his education at Northern Illinois University.
He spent 16 years teaching and coaching wrestling in Illinois and was named Illinois Coach of the Year in 1976. He later served in the state legislature before winning election to Illinois’ 14th Congressional District in 1986.
Hastert married Jean Kahl in 1973. The couple had two sons.
POLL: Should Jasmine Crockett Be Censured?
Continue reading...
[ H/T Trending Politics ]
