Former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert dead at 84
Former Republican Rep. Dennis Hastert, who was the longest-serving GOP House Speaker before falling into disgrace for breaking banking laws, died on Monday at the age of 84.Hastert died peacefully...
By Fox News · Fox News
Former Republican Rep. Dennis Hastert, who was the longest-serving GOP House Speaker before falling into disgrace for breaking banking laws, died on Monday at the age of 84. Hastert died peacefully of natural causes at his home, according to Kendall County Coroner Jacquie Purcell. The longtime politician represented Illinois' 14th Congressional district for 20 years and served as Speaker of the House for eight years before retiring in 2007. His career was later tarnished by a bank fraud conviction linked to his efforts to quash the story of a former student who accused him of sexual abuse during his time as a high school wrestling coach. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison in 2016. Hastert also underwent sex offender treatment, two years of supervised release after his time behind bars and paid a $250,000 fine to a crime victims fund. Hastert pleaded guilty in the case to attempting to pay $3.5 million to an unnamed individual to keep his alleged sexual abuse a secret. Before he sentenced Hastert, Judge Thomas M. Durkin described the then-74-year-old Illinois Republican as a "serial child molester," and that "accusing Individual A of extorting you was unconscionable." This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.