Former House speaker Dennis Hastert was finally forced to break his silence and enter a plea in federal charges of banking fraud before a judge today.
Hastert pled not guilty to illegally “structuring” withdrawals of millions of dollars in hush money to silence a sex abuse victim referenced opaquely as “Individual A,” then paid a $4500 bond and surrendered his passport.
Mr. “A” is said to have been a minor at the time of the alleged sexual misconduct and the ex congressman his school teacher and wrestling coach -- several decades ago.
Although the statute of limitations on any such criminal acts would have long ago expired, and the high school itself never received a single complaint against Hastert, he nevertheless felt vulnerable to the possibility of exposure.
In short, the stellar ex teacher, coach, legislator and lobbyist, who was thought until recently to be cleaner than Mr. Clean, was quietly and systematically being blackmailed.
Since that sex scandal first broke last month, a now-disgraced Dennis Hastert has basically been in hiding, patently refusing to answer any reporters’ requests for more information or comment.
Today, however, the 73-year-old’s appearance was unavoidable, though it did little to clarify the truly puzzling private matter that’s led to his highly public downfall.
