House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., during a news conference on the GOP health savings accounts bill. (Photo by Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images)
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Former Rep. Dennis Hastert, the Illinois congressional member who rose to become the longest-serving Republican Speaker of the House before landing in prison and being labeled a “serial child molester” by a federal judge, has died. He was 84.
The Kendall County Coroner’s Office confirmed Hastert died over the weekend at his home from natural causes.
The backstory:
Hastert, who was born in Aurora, Illinois, was first elected to the House, representing suburban Chicago’s 14th District, in 1986 and was elevated to the Speaker role 13 years later, following the downfall of then-Speaker Newt Gingrich.
The Illinois lawmaker held on to the position for the next eight years, until Democrats reclaimed the chamber after the 2006 elections. After handing the gavel to incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi the following January, Hastert stepped down in November of that year.
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A former high school teacher and wrestling coach, Hastert pleaded guilty to trying to evade bank reporting requirements in 2015 and was sentenced to 15 months in prison. The U.S. Justice Department alleged Hastert violated banking regulations so he could pay $3.5 million in hush money to a person over a sexual abuse violation.
At least four former students have accused Hastert of abusing them between 1965 and 1981, while Hastert was working at a high school in Yorkville, Illinois. Hastert was not charged in relation to their allegations because the statute of limitations had expired.
“The defendant is a serial child molester,” federal judge Thomas Durkin said during Hastert’s sentencing. “Nothing is more stunning than having ‘serial child molester’ and ‘Speaker of the House’ in the same sentence.”
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