Lawyers For Ex-House Speaker Dennis Hastert Negotiate Possible Plea Deal

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert departs the federal courthouse Tuesday, June 9, 2015, in Chicago after his arraignment on federal charges that he broke federal banking laws and lied about the money when questione... Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert departs the federal courthouse Tuesday, June 9, 2015, in Chicago after his arraignment on federal charges that he broke federal banking laws and lied about the money when questioned by the FBI. The indictment two weeks ago alleged Hastert agreed to pay $3.5 million to someone from his days as a high school teacher not to reveal a secret about past misconduct. (AP Photo/Christian K. Lee) MORE LESS
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Lawyers for indicted former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) are negotiating a possible guilty plea with federal prosecutors, The Chicago Tribune reported Monday.

John Gallo, an attorney for Hastert, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Block discussed the negotiations before U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin at a Monday hearing. Gallo told Durkin that Hastert’s legal team and federal prosecutors were talking about how to resolve the case before it goes to trial, according to the Tribune.

Hastert pleaded not guilty in June to structuring bank withdrawals to evade reporting requirements and lying to the FBI about those transactions. The indictment against Hastert alleged that he withdrew the money in order to pay out $3.5 million in hush money to an unidentified individual as compensation for “prior misconduct” against that person.

News reports based on information from anonymous federal law enforcement sources later alleged that the “prior misconduct” was sexual abuse and that the unidentified “Individual A” was a male student at Yorkville High School when Hastert taught and coached wrestling there from 1965 to 1981.

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  1. He’s only willing to plead guilty because prosecutors are promising to lock him up with “younger” inmates –

  2. Hastert to “wife” : “Sorry, honey, but that’s the deal we made with the judge – Make sure we pack extra Vaseline.”

  3. A lot of money involved. How much will that influence the outcome? O ne for you, two for me!

  4. If nothing else, evidence again that the ruling elites are not geniuses.

  5. So Denny is going to walk away with a fine, and we’ll never know who Individual A is, nor be reminded of what hypocritical deviants the Christo-fascists are. Typical.

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