Former Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC) likely knew about allegations that former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) sexually abused a male student when he previously worked as a high school teacher and wrestling coach, an anonymous source told The Huffington Post for an article published Tuesday.
The source, who HuffPost said did not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told the news site that Watt had been approached about the alleged abuse years ago by someone who knew him informally and was acting as an intermediary for the family of Hastert’s alleged victim. The conversation happened “relatively early” in Hastert’s tenure as House speaker, according to the report.
HuffPost reported that it was unclear whether Watt, who is currently the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, did anything with that information. Watt was a six-year Democratic veteran of the House when Hastert was unexpectedly elected to the lead the Republican-controlled chamber in 1999.
A spokeswoman for Watt declined to comment to HuffPost.
Hastert was indicted Thursday on bank-related charges stemming from his alleged agreement to pay out $3.5 million to “compensate for and conceal prior misconduct” against a person identified only as “Individual A.” The indictment did not specify the misconduct, but said it occurred years earlier.
Later news reports based on anonymous federal law enforcement sources identified “Individual A” as a male student from Hastert’s time teaching and coaching at a high school in Yorkville, Illinois. Those sources said the “misconduct” mentioned in the indictment was sexual abuse.
Hastert is scheduled to be arraigned June 9 in U.S. district court in Chicago. He hasn’t commented publicly on the charges and it’s unclear whether he’s retained a lawyer.
Sorry I doubt this story. I can’t think of too many reason a Dem would have kept a credible story like this under wraps, unless he wasn’t sure if it was true. Think how damaging that would have been to the GOP especially with impeachment and all the turmoil in the US House leadership.
This strikes me as one of the techniques the GOP used (saw it during the Mark Foley story) it essentially “try to tar dems too, so people think everyone is just as bad”. Rightwing news will pick this up, and conservatives can say “see dems are just as bad”. During Foley story I saw stories also alleging black democrats knew something. But once again I go to motive. Why would he have kept this secret when it would have helped Dems maybe win back the US House?
We really don’t know how backroom Congress works in the shadows, do we? Is it not possible that I can get something big from you if I know your dirt and promise to keep it quiet? Is it not possible that leverage is more important to me than defending a Pres., for example, who doesn’t even know my name from sex-hypocrites? Please recall that J. Edgar Hoover made blackmail semi-official government policy.
“The source, who HuffPost said did not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter”
“Watt, who is currently the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency”
=
I smell Republican plant calling HuffPo to change the subject. Black guy in charge of the FHFA might as well have a bullseye on his back with respect tot he Teatrolls and angry GOPers whose world domination schemes came to an abrupt halt in 2008 because, they claim, “Fannie and Freddie fucked everything up because something something poor minorities shouldn’t be allowed to become landed gentry.”
Besides, EVERYONE KNOWS THIS: Anonymous source = “impunity to lie in the news.”
But how could he have been sure it was true? What could he have done about it? Neither state or federal law enforcement would have been able to do anything due to the statute of limitations. It only became a matter they could go after when Hastert began paying blackmail, which happened much later.
Had he outed any such info–likely against the wishes of the victim and his family-- he’d almost certainly have been ruthlessly attacked himself, with little to nothing positive to show for it. Additionally, the actual victim might well have been exposed and had his life messed up yet again.