House GOP Leader: ‘Premature’ To Consider Removing Hastert Portrait

Incoming House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif. speaks at the Faith and Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority event in Washington, Friday, June 20, 2014. Organizers said more than 1,000 evangelical leaders we... Incoming House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif. speaks at the Faith and Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority event in Washington, Friday, June 20, 2014. Organizers said more than 1,000 evangelical leaders were attending the conference, designed to mobilize religious conservative voters ahead of the upcoming midterm elections and the 2016 presidential contest. While polls suggest that social conservatives are losing their fight against gay marriage, Republican officials across the political spectrum concede that evangelical Christian voters continue to play a critical role in Republican politics. (AP Photo/Molly Riley) MORE LESS
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House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said Monday that it would be “premature” to consider removing embattled House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s (R-IL) portrait from the Capitol.

“Let the investigation take place,” McCarthy said, according to The Washington Times.

Hastert was indicted Thursday on bank-related charges stemming from his alleged agreement to pay $3.5 million in hush money to a person identified only as “Individual A.” Hastert agreed to pay the money “in order to compensate for and conceal his prior misconduct” against “Individual A” that had occurred years earlier, according to the indictment.

Later news reports cited anonymous federal law enforcement sources who said “Individual A” was a male student and the “misconduct” was sexual abuse that allegedly occurred while Hastert was working as a high school teacher and wrestling coach in Yorkville, Illinois.

McCarthy also told reporters that he was “shocked” by the “disturbing” news about Hastert, according to The Hill. The leader added that the chamber should let “due process” play out before it considers launching its own investigation or review of the former speaker, according to the report.

Hastert’s alma mater, Wheaton College, announced Sunday that it would remove the former speaker’s name from its school of government and economics. Hastert had resigned from his namesake school’s board of advisers on Friday.

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  1. Right… Because a serial pedophile/rapist can STILL be an “honorable” Republican…

  2. He continued, “First we need to see how many underage boys he molested, because if we removed politician’s portraits for every little felony…”

  3. I wouldn’t remove it. What a perfect memorial of fin de siècle American politics, where money, illicit sex, and mediocrity all intersect.

    Hastert was the representative that the late Nebraska Senator Roman Hruska called for when he said of mediocre people, “They are entitled to a little representation, aren’t they, and a little chance?” Denny Hastert’s portrait is a good reminder of how many venal, corrupt, and morally bankrupt people govern this country, and how easy we make it for them to do it.

  4. I agree. Keep his portrait right next to Foley’s so everyone can be reminded of the cesspool that both swam in.

  5. Headline: Kevin soft on sexual predators.

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