Dennis Hastert Reportedly Tells Associates ‘I Am A Victim, Too’

Former House Speaker, Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., walks through Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 15, 2007, after delivering a speech on the House floor where he announced his plans to lea... Former House Speaker, Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., walks through Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 15, 2007, after delivering a speech on the House floor where he announced his plans to leave the House of Representatives by the end of the year. (AP Photos/Susan Walsh) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Embattled former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) reportedly told friends that he was a “victim” in the scandal involving his alleged agreement to pay $3.5 million in hush money to an individual he had reportedly sexually abused, Chicago TV station WBBM reported.

Hastert was indicted last week on bank-related charges stemming from the alleged agreement to pay millions of dollars to “Individual A” to compensate for “prior misconduct” against that person that had occurred years earlier. Later news reports based on anonymous federal law enforcement sources said that “Individual A” was a male student whom Hastert had allegedly sexually abused when he was a high school teacher and wrestling coach in Yorkville, Illinois.

Television station WBBM on Friday spoke with nearly a dozen of Hastert’s associates, whom the news station did not identify. Hastert allegedly told friends that he was sorry to put them through such an ordeal.

“I am a victim, too,” Hastert told friends, according to WBBM.

The former House speaker has not been seen in public nor commented on the charges against him since the indictment was unveiled Thursday. It’s unclear whether Hastert has an attorney.

Latest DC

Notable Replies

  1. Hastert / Duggar…“What about ME? Won’t somebody think of ME? ~BooHoo! BooHoo!~!”

    These depraved, disgusting, whiny Con and Bagger Republican pedophiles are true exemplars of “The Party of Personal Responsibility,” huh?
    Republicans and Conservatives think nothing of spending 60-70 million dollars on a stupid quest to the ends of the earth over stains on a blue dress, but shining the spotlight on damned child molesters like Hastert and Duggar is a ~gasp!~ witch hunt!

    FOX News defense in a nutshell: “Won’t somebody think of the child molesters!”

  2. Unfortunately he won’t suffer nearly as much as he probably should.

  3. Avatar for jinnj jinnj says:

    “I am a victim, too,”
    … Yeah … that’s why you agreed to pay this guy $3.5 million to not talk about what YOU did to him

  4. How long before a FOX news reader/gasbag opens a GoFundMe page for Denny?

    I can just hear Megyn Kelly: “Haven’t we all molested a kid or two?” Geraldo (whose head is as empty as Al Capone’s vault) has already said that “…the embarrassment is enough.” And that odious cesspool of Righties and Baggers apologists ran to the Duggars’ defense as well.
    F*ck that bunch of pedophile enablers at FOX.

  5. Well if he is a victim and it is blackmail then he first should have told the FBI instead of lie to them and 2nd my understanding is they can not charge for blackmail unless they have a cooperative victim and Hastert is not cooperating. So victim…I think not.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

77 more replies

Participants

Avatar for ajm Avatar for fgs Avatar for srfromgr Avatar for silas1898 Avatar for clunkertruck Avatar for leftflank Avatar for trippin Avatar for theod Avatar for firstprime Avatar for krusher Avatar for teenlaqueefa Avatar for bradbennett Avatar for jimtoday Avatar for zauche Avatar for mrcomments Avatar for dont Avatar for sherlock1 Avatar for kitty Avatar for dickweed Avatar for darrtown Avatar for josephp55 Avatar for jinnj Avatar for wsayscoupgood Avatar for ljb860

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: