Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R) was indicted Thursday on charges of violating banking-related reporting requirements.
According to the AP, the Republican agreed to pay $3.5 million in hush money to keep a person from the town where he was a longtime high school teacher silent about "prior misconduct" by Hastert.
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Find out more about Hastert's background and history in the House below:
Family
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Hastert was born on Jan. 2, 1942, in Aurora, Illinois. He has two children, Ethan and Joshua, with his wife, Jean.
Nickname
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Hastert often goes by "Denny."
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Coaching And Teaching
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Hastert was a history teacher at Yorkville High School in Illinois from 1964 to 1980. While working there, Hastert coached football and wrestling.
House Experience
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Hastert began serving in the Illinois House of Representatives in 1980, and the U.S. House of Representatives in 1987. He served as the House chief deputy minority whip from 1995 to 1999.
Foley Scandal
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Hastert and others in GOP leadership were embroiled in scandal in 2006 when it was revealed then-Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) had sent sexually explicit instant messages and emails to male congressional pages.The Republican leadership’s handling of the scandal, with Hastert at the helm, played a key role in that year’s midterm elections, when the GOP sustained a major shellacking and was forced to hand over control of the House to Democrats, after dominating it since 1994.
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Speaker Of The House
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Hastert served as speaker of the House from 1999 to 2007, and is the longest-serving Republican speaker in U.S. history.
Hastert Resignation
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Hastert announced he would not run for re-election in August 2007. He formally announced his resignation from Congress on the House floor in November 2007.
Dickstein Shapiro
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In May 2008, Hastert agreed to join the lobbying firm Dickstein Shapiro as a senior advisor.
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Indictment
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The AP reports:
Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert agreed to pay $3.5 million in hush money to keep a person from the town where he was a longtime high school teacher silent about "prior misconduct" by the Illinois Republican who once was second in line to the U.S. presidency, according to a federal grand jury indictment handed down Thursday.The indictment, which doesn't describe the alleged misconduct by Hastert, charges the 73-year-old with one count of evading bank regulations by withdrawing $952,000 in increments of less than $10,000 to skirt reporting requirements. He also is charged with one count of lying to the FBI about the reason for the unusual withdrawals.
Retirement From Dickstein Shapiro
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Upon news of his indictment, Hastert resigned from Dickstein Shapiro.
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