Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert Dies at 84
Dennis Hastert, former House Speaker and convicted of child abuse, dies at 84.
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Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who admitted to sexually abusing teenage boys, has died at the age of 84. The disgraced former speaker passed away on Saturday from natural causes while under hospice care, according to the Kendall County coroner.
Longest-Serving Republican Speaker
Hastert served as speaker from 1999 to 2007, making him the longest-serving Republican House speaker. He became the highest-ranking elected official to serve a prison sentence in 2016 after being convicted of concealing hush money payments to cover up the sexual abuse of teenage boys during his time as a high school wrestling coach.
Conviction and Prison Sentence
Hastert pleaded guilty in 2015 to violating banking laws by making repeated large cash withdrawals, which were revealed to be going to one of his victims. U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin, an Obama appointee, called Hastert a “serial child molester” and sentenced him to 15 months in prison. Hastert served 13 months in prison before his release in 2017.
Political Career and Resignation
Hastert served in Congress from 1987 to 2007. He became known as the “accidental speaker” after former Republican Louisiana Rep. Bob Livingston announced in December 1998 that he would not become speaker due to reports about his extramarital affairs. Hastert then gathered support from Republican leaders, prompting him to become speaker in 1999.
Hastert resigned from Congress on Nov. 26, 2007, and became a lobbyist and consultant.
FBI and IRS Investigation
The FBI and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigated Hastert in 2013 surrounding suspicions that he was illegally structuring bank transactions. The investigation led to his guilty plea in 2015.
NEW: Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert has died. He holds two unique markers in U.S. history: The longest-serving Republican House speaker and the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to serve a prison sentence. https://t.co/gXakwo2q7N
Source: Daily Caller
