So What Did Hastert Do?

"The Coach", former House Speaker turned high-priced lobbyist, is the target of a mysterious indictment. The Times has some details (and attaches the indictment) and the WaPo has some speculation that is informative for its omissions. [BREAKING UPDATES below]

Background from the Times:

CHICAGO — J. Dennis Hastert, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, has been charged with lying to the F.B.I. and making cash withdrawals from banks in a way that was designed to hide that he was paying $3.5 million to someone for his “misconduct” from years ago, a federal indictment released on Thursday said.

Mr. Hastert, 73, the longest-serving Republican speaker, had worked as a lobbyist since leaving office. The indictment, announced by the United States attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said Mr. Hastert, who was once a high school teacher and wrestling coach in Yorkville, Ill., had so far paid $1.7 million to the person, who had lived in Yorkville and had known Mr. Hastert for most of his or her life. Mr. Hastert worked in Yorkville from 1965 to 1981.

In 2010, during meetings between Mr. Hastert and the unnamed individual, the two discussed “past misconduct” by Mr. Hastert against the person, according to the indictment.

In those meetings and in later discussions, Mr. Hastert agreed to provide money to the person “in order to compensate for and conceal his prior misconduct,” the indictment said. It said he was structuring the cash withdrawals in increments designed to avoid bank reporting requirements. The indictment does not provide details of the misconduct.

So we don't even know if the misconduct was criminal. Let me toss out two possibilities. First, maybe this was an "I Know What We Did Last Summer" scenario, where Hastert and a high school buddy did something dreadful, leaving an unsolved crime in their dark past. Think "Kennedyesque DUI, with a hit-and-run victim". The obvious weakness of this scenario - where are the other indictments and the rest of the investigation? Does the other perpetrator get a pass? If there is a statute of limitations issue on the underlying act, isn't there a prosecutor clever enough to figure out how to indict a multi-year conspiracy to conceal that act?

Or, if there is an ongoing investigation into the other perp or perps and Hastert has become a cooperating witness, why was this indictment unsealed now? As we saw just yesterday with the FIFA indictments, various cooperating offenders had their pleas kept sealed for years.

Which takes me to the obvious scenario - Hastert is paying child support to the mother (or child) of an out-of-wedlock relationship from his youth. A possible clue - the indictment is quoted as saying, my emphasis, that Hastert was paying in order to compensate for and conceal his prior misconduct...”. And why is this coming out now? Well, for years Hastert was a lowly-paid teacher, and then a (relatively) low-paid member of the House. But now? Back to the Times:

Since leaving office, Mr. Hastert has been a prominent lobbyist in Washington. He is co-leader of the Public Policy & Political Law Practice at the Washington law firm of Dickstein Shapiro, according to the firm’s website.

And he moonlights as the firm's bagman, paying off officials and staffers that the lobbyists are bribing? Please. Hastert is finally cashing in on his Washington connections, as is his acquaintance from his youth. And for all anyone knows, Hastert may have been paying this person a pittance out of his own somewhat larger pittance for years without attracting attention; this only caught the Feds attention when Hastert's paycheck spiked:

According to the federal indictment made public on Thursday, Mr. Hastert gave money to the unnamed person for four years, starting in 2010.

At first, Mr. Hastert provided $50,000 in cash from several bank accounts to the person every six weeks, for a total of 15 such exchanges, the indictment said.

Banks are required to report cash withdrawals of more than $10,000, and in April 2012, bank officials questioned Mr. Hastert about sizable withdrawals from his accounts.

That July, Mr. Hastert began making smaller withdrawals, of less than $10,000, and he continued providing them to the person at prearranged meeting places and times, the indictment said.

Later, the arrangements changed so that Mr. Hastert was providing $100,000 every three months, the indictment said.

Is that a lot of money to Hastert? I don't know. But he is no longer an elected official, so a conventional sex scandal wouldn't cost him his office. That suggests he might be paying out of a sense of obligation, rather than simply a desire to conceal this.

In any case, Hastert gets huge points off for this:

By 2013, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service began investigating the withdrawals, focusing, federal authorities said, on whether cash was being taken out in a way that was intended to evade bank reporting requirements.

Last Dec. 8, Mr. Hastert was interviewed by federal agents. He told the agents that he was not paying anyone with the money, but was keeping the withdrawals for himself because he felt unsafe with the banking system.

“Yeah,” Mr. Hastert told the agents, according to the indictment. “I kept the cash. That’s what I’m doing.”

Don't lie to the FBI. My goodness, Hastert works at a law firm - get a damn lawyer. That way you don't create a crime while the Feds are investigating a non-crime. When Hastert makes his next court appearance, I want to see his attorney in the appropriate t-shirt.

So, my current guess - Hastert is guilty of trying to do the right thing by supporting an illicit child and then was a damn idiot who lied to the FBI about it. The rest is politicized, Chicagoland, Obamaland BS.

WHILE ON THE SUBJECT OF STUPID:

Possibly the dumbest passage in the NY Times is this:

This is not the first time a political figure has attracted attention through banking practices. Eliot Spitzer, then the governor of New York, came to the attention of federal investigators after bank officials noticed that he was moving around thousands of dollars in a manner they thought was intended to conceal the purpose and source of the money. As it turned out, Mr. Spitzer was using the money to pay for prostitutes. He resigned when the payments became public; he was not charged with a crime.

Hmm, Spitzer was a public official and former State Attorney General engaging in criminal activity he had prosecuted and denounced. By comparison, Hastert is... what? The Feds know but won't say. The Times doesn't know but is taking this indictment at face value.

The WaPo ruminates on blackmail, never notes the possible that Hastert is being a dutiful dad (maybe Hastert can come clean in a Father's Day interview with George Stephanopoulos, friend to adulterers?) and includes this absurdity: 

Blackmail couldn’t really exist until the rise of capitalism and modern social mores. A king was always a king, whether or not he behaved badly, but a businessman or politician who lost his reputation could face ruin — as Josh Duggar is finding out.

“It was a crime that only emerged in the 19th century,” Angus McLaren, a professor emeritus of history at the University of Victoria and the author of “Sexual Blackmail: A Modern History,” told the New York Times in 2009 after David Letterman was blackmailed for his extramarital affairs. “If one was an aristocrat, say, you couldn’t lose your position because of trifling with the housemaids.”

Really? Wait'll they get a chance to watch the blackmailing in "Game of Thrones", which has a medieval feel to it.  The Three Musketeers was set in the 17th century but blackmail of the Queen was a key plot point. And it was not just her position but her head that was at risk if the King discovered her infidelity. Or for Shakespeareans, "Richard III" is full of regal blackmail. 

AND WHERE IS THE IRS IN THIS? How did Hastert give away that much money without getting caught in the gift tax/estate tax maze? Would any IRS action occur separately, or would it be part of this indictment? Over to the legal eagles...

BREAKING UPDATES: From NBC News:

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert paid a man to conceal a sexual relationship they had while the man was a student at the high school where Hastert taught, a federal law enforcement official told NBC News on Friday.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity. Tribune newspapers reported earlier in the day that two unnamed federal officials said that Hastert paid a man from his past to conceal sexual misconduct.

Just to nitpick, those stories don't necessarily support each other - paying "a man from his past to conceal sexual misconduct" might mean the man in question was his lovechild. The ChiTrib has an overly optimistic business model but the LA Times has seemingly similar coverage.

Well. Cannonfire is good on the gay angle.

And do let me add, as my ship goes down - as Isaac Asimov explained in "The Gods Themselves", in nature "one" is rarely the right answer. If this was an abused student, why aren't there others, as with Jerry Sandusky of Penn State? Is the FBI really just moving on without resolving that? Or are they hoping the publicity will bring forward more victims? Oh, brother.

From the NY Times:

The man – who was not identified in court papers — told the F.B.I. that he had been inappropriately touched by Mr. Hastert when Mr. Hastert was a high school teacher and wrestling coach, the two people said on Friday. The people briefed on the investigation spoke on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to be identified discussing a federal investigation.

The F.B.I. declined to comment.

It was not clear when the alleged behavior occurred. But according to court documents, Mr. Hastert was a high school teacher and coach in Yorkville, Ill., from 1965 to 1981. The F.B.I. was not able to substantiate the allegations beyond the man’s statements.

Well, Hastert's payments seem to be substantiation. Although maybe they invented this as a cover for Hastert's real offense, because they figured that would bother people even more than pedophilia? I don't want to know...

FROM BUZZFEED VIA MATT DRUDGE: Why not?

Source: Investigators considered including a second alleged victim in the Hastert indictment, but ultimately chose not to do so.

A source familiar with the investigation told BuzzFeed News that U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon considered but did not pursue additional charges against former Speaker Dennis Hastert, which would have included a reference to an Individual B, one of potentially several alleged victims of “prior misdeeds.”

According to this source, no additional charges are expected to be filed against Hastert at this point.

 

Comments

[anonamom]

First

[Jeff Dobbs]

Hastert should have started a charity and hired this person on at a Blumenthalian pay level.

[narciso]

clearly he's trustworthy, or he could have started a hedge fund like Don Corzione, you don't let the money sit like that,

[Appalled]

I don't think speculation of a Danny Hastert love child is going to drive this type of behavior. (This is the sort of thing that creates visuals that drives the average tabloid reader to page 3 of the UK Sun.) I would, if forced to speculate, there is something behind this that Hastert reasonably feared would destroy future moneymaking activities. Good guessers should look at Hastert's clients to determine if past consensual sexual bad behavior would cause that. (I would guess not.) We could be talking garden variety corruption back in his Speaker days.

[narciso]

a hook for the new season of the Good Wife,

[narciso]

not to mention, Wolf Hall, which I won't further elaborate on,

[Rick Ballard]

The purpose of the indictment is to move attention away from Red Witch's graft as SoS.

Next up: "Everybody lies about graft!" or "I did not peddle influence with those men, not once!"

[Ben]

It isn't a crime to feather your lobbyist nest with blood money purloined from the public trust so why would the FBI take offense at a wealthy though corrupt closet homosexual trying to save his own squeaky clean reputation?

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

So, is it a crime to conceal taking out money to make payments that are not related to criminal behavior?

[Extraneus]

Live boy is my guess.

[Extraneus]

Football coach. Gym teacher.

[narciso]

isn't extortion, a crime, I think I read it somewhere,

[Buckeye]

Iggy

Have fun with the new pup.

Be sure to hide your favorite shoes!

[Dublindave]

Mmmmmm,what did Denny 'baby-girl' Hastert do while he worked as the coach of an all male team that would cause an accuser to extract 3.5 mllion dollars out of him in return for accusers silence?????

It's a tough one.

My guess is Baby-girl's gonna spend the rest of his life wearing nylons in prison.

[Dublindave]

Sorry......wrestling team...

[clarice]

TM and Jeff took the thoughts outta my head.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--Be sure to hide your favorite shoes!--

Heh. Just had to put my LLBeans on because he found the little assist tag on the back.

[Jeff Dobbs]

Oh, Instalanche. And he included my comment.

[Ben]

"Wrestling coach" in the Greek way is not a pleasant image.

[Appalled]

Rick:

If that was the Justice Department's aim -- that's a problem, because almost any crime is a reminder of what the Clintons have gotten away with.

If it is about consensual sex with young people (over the age of consent) -- well, there are Bill's adventures with Monica.

If it's about consensual sex with young male people (over the age of consent) -- well, Let's whisper some more about Huma, and why would the Justice Department be getting involved about sex.

If it is ambiguous corruption -- you can compare almost any act of bribery to something that's gone on with the Clinton foundation.

So, if this is supposed to be distraction -- I think Justice has given Hillary more problems through the magic of analogy.

[narciso]

of course, it's rationalizer not explainer:

http://twitchy.com/2015/05/28/vox-tackles-bernie-sanders-1972-rape-fantasy-one-of-many-highlights-of-a-profile-of-his-early-years/

[sbw]

Ext, I loved the old joke about the charge being reduced to a traffic violation -- following too closely behind.

[clarice]

If it was to support a child he hadn't known about, why would it be extortion,

[Tom Maguire]

Live boy is my guess.

That would be extortion, so where is the indictment? And why is Hastert paying *compensation* for the guys gayness? [Same questions for those who say this is garden variety corruption.] What, medical bills all these years later?

Hmm, unless this is analogous to a priest/altar boy thing and a former student is traumatized all these years later.

OK, definitely maybe, but I'm not changing my bet.

[henry]

Clarice, a benign explanation for the payments would have satisfied the FBI (although maybe not the IRS). Very odd behavior, except the guy is a pol from IL.

[Janet]

In 2010, during meetings between Mr. Hastert and the unnamed individual, the two discussed “past misconduct” by Mr. Hastert against the person, according to the indictment.

How did the United States attorney for the Northern District of Illinois know about this? Was this a sting operation after monitoring the withdrawals from his own accounts?

[Tom Maguire]

The purpose of the indictment is to move attention away from Red Witch's graft as SoS.

To which Appalled replies, doesn't this call attention to Hillary?

So let's get darker - this was a warning that Obama can indict ANYONE, so prominent Republicans need to keep their own mouths shut or start answering questions from the FBI about nothing.

Who will be left to cast the first stone?

I don't think Obama love Hillary, but she will be a better guardian of his "legacy" than any Evil Rep.

[narciso]

like I say, pikers,

://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2015/05/29/if-you-want-bill-clinton-to-show-up-at-your-charity-a-500000-donation-to-the-foundation-helps/

[surbuban gal]

OFFTOPIC: sorry, been working on an assignment and have just been catching up (as a lurker). But for the beer lovers, if you are going to Paris, or if Daddy wants a change:

http://bonjourparis.com/food-and-drink/top-spots-to-buy-or-drink-craft-beer-in-paris/

[narciso]

sorry about that:

http://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2015/05/29/if-you-want-bill-clinton-to-show-up-at-your-charity-a-500000-donation-to-the-foundation-helps/

[Extraneus]

Extortion (also called shakedown, outwrestling, and exaction) is a criminal offense of obtaining money, property, or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion.

What if there were no coercion?

"Coach, I think I should tell somebody about this."

"Would you keep quiet for $3.5M?"

"Well, ok."

[Jeff Dobbs]

TM:
I don't think Obama love Hillary, but she will be a better guardian of his "legacy" than any Evil Rep.

Competing tensions:

1) Giving Hillary the WH would create a "legacy" that diminishes Obama to the extent that everyone would be talking about the "Clinton third term", rather than Hillary serving "Obama's third term". 50 years from now, who knows - first black president would win out I guess (but perhaps not if Chelsea wins in 2032!!!)

2) However, if Hillary is the nominee, having her elected will give Obama something that even beloved Bill couldn't accomplish - 3 consecutive Democratic terms. A rarity in modern day presidential history.

Obama's ideal would be to have Hillary fail before the nomination - and getting whoever replaces her elected.

Come on Loretta, lynch Hillary.

[clarice]

henry, perhaps he didn't want the FBI to know. It's not as if they are apolitical. Or perhaps he was protecting her.

[James D.]

Given the track record of the DoJ over the past 6+ years, I'm just assuming that Hastert is being selectively prosecuted entirely for partisan political reasons to benefit the Obama administration in some way.

There is no reason to assume good faith or honesty on the part of anyone working for the Department of Justice at this point.

[Jim Miller]

Well, old Strom Thurmond made payments for years for his little indiscretion, so it isn't as if there aren't precedents. (It's hard to tell, but there seems to have been some real affection between Thrumond and his daughter. too.)

Here's a detail from Wikipedia about that Thurmond daughter that I had missed, or forgotten:

"[Essie Mae] Washington-Williams later joined the Daughters of the American Revolution and the United Daughters of the Confederacy, as she was eligible through her Thurmond ancestry. Thurmond was a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, a similar group for men.[37] She encouraged other African Americans to learn their ancestry and join the lineage associations, to promote a wider sense of American history, including its long history of interracial families."

Hastert has been married since 1973. He and his wife, Jean, have two children. I can imagine him not wanting to tell the three of them about a child he fathered, possibly while he was already married to Jean.

[narciso]

that's the most reasonable assumption, Hastert was the one who defended Jefferson on parliamentary privilege or some such rot, wasn't he,

[Threadkiller]

I think the timing is relevant to the Patriot Act debates (not the psi patriots).

Obama clips a prominent republican's wings using the "you can't withdraw your own money" legislation. Now all the GOPers will jump on the Rand Wagon and demand mucho reformos to the act.

When completed, Obama's gun running drug lord friends and all his Muslim Brothers can get back to banking as it should be. Clandestine.

[narciso]

well I was close,

http://www.foxnews.com/story/2006/05/24/hastert-demands-fbi-return-items-from-raid-rep-jefferson-office.html

they were insistent he was much better than Newt, when he did a fine impersonation of the captain of the Concordia,

[Robert]

Weren't there rumors during his time as Speaker that he was involved in some shady land deals in Illinois? I thought this was one the reasons he retired from Congress.

[Cygnus]

My guess is a homosexual relationship that started when the other person was of age, otherwise the FBI, the media and the D's would have pounced on the child molestation angle ; payments by Hastert would have negated the statue of limitations due to the ongoing criminal conspiracy to cover up the original sin.

[Jane]

This is probably the wrong thing to say, but that's a hell of a lot of money for child support.

[Appalled]

TM:

If this is blackmail for nasty things long ago, this could have been structured as an out of court settlement of contemplated litigation, where nobody admits liability for anything.

The possibility for a real crime in the back of all this is there. I despair of ever really hearing about it, though.

The real crime is that our elites have not dispatched Hillary to a well-paid sinecure someplace, and spared us her grifting ways. There is no way a party that is not, in some deep way corrupt, allowed her to become presumptive nominee.

[Marlene]

This my guess...if he fathered a child between 1965 and 1981,that child would be an adult now. Maybe Hastert and the mother of the child had an agreement to keep quiet all these years,but if the adult child found out that Hastert is his/her father, then maybe that is the person doing the blackmailing.

Ig,have fun with the puppy! How goes the housetraining?

[Jeff Dobbs]

Mr. Hastert had so far paid $1.7 million to the person

Have we ruled out Hastert paying for 6-7 Clinton speeches?

[glasater]

I can imagine him not wanting to tell the three of them about a child he fathered, possibly while he was already married to Jean

I'll bet 'Jean' knows the so-called transgression(s) by now.

[Extraneus]

What a surprise.

Rasmussen: Most Democrats Think Illegal Immigrants Should Vote

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--How goes the housetraining?--

Well, I've only got about twelve hours under my belt and most of that I was trying to sleep so no progress to report except the little chump is a poop machine.
It's complicated by the fact I can't toss him outside when I catch him in the act because he hasn't had his last parvo shot yet.
Presently rigging up the back deck to be safe [he fits through the railing].

[narciso]

they did allow her a sinecure, that's why the Spectre's of the world, or legion of Doom, see her as reliable,

[Extraneus]

Interactive charts:

Homicides and shootings spike while arrests decline in Baltimore City

[Stephanie]

rse, I guess it is the Stearman I'm wanting to go up in. They flyer just calls it a biplane, but the pic is of a yellow biplane.

[Extraneus]

Cuba removed from US terror sponsor list

[Jim Miller]

glasater - You are almost certainly right, but she may not have known before. The cash payments suggest that he was trying to hide where the money was going from someone.

Jane - Agreed. But the amount is possible if you assume some is back payments from when he had less money, some is hush money, and some went to pay for expensive therapy, or a college education, or whatever.

(I don't recall what NBA stars typically pay for their extra kids, 50K a year?)

[Extraneus]

Man with 1st name 'God' settles with credit rating agency

NEW YORK (AP) -- A New York City man whose first name is God has settled a lawsuit with a credit reporting agency that had refused to recognize his name as legitimate.

Under the agreement reached in Brooklyn federal court this week, Equifax will enter God Gazarov's name into its database. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Gazarov now has a robust 820 credit score.

[henry]

Jim, even if that is where & why the cash went out, there is a small matter of IRS & gift taxes. No more than $12,500/year* per indiscretion. Which suggests someone is getting the Rangel version of the tax code applied to them.

* this number changes year to year and would not apply to college tuition.

[Miss Marple]

I vote for the illegitimate child and/or thier spouse, who hearing about the relationship wanted money.

On a more positive note, here is the article about Carly Fiorina's interview with Andrea Mitchell, demonstrating her complete mastery of the issues and her really swell way of dealing with the press. Transcript is at bottom of article:

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/kyle-drennen/2015/05/27/carly-fiorina-runs-circles-around-andrea-mitchell-blasts-hillary

[narciso]

so, who's surprised by this, no one:

http://clashdaily.com/2015/05/hey-dumb-churches-obama-now-demanding-that-religious-grant-recipients-hire-gays/

[Eric Rasmusen]

At this point in his life, I expect Mr. Hastert cares more for his reputation and, even more, for keeping secrets from his family than for money.

A point in favor of the bastard hypothesis is that the blackmailer would have definite proof in these days of DNA testing. I haven't heard of any other Hastert scandals, so he could stonewall any accusation that had no physical evidence.

It seems unbelievably stupid that he would commit the seemingly motiveless crimes of withdrawing multiple under-$10,000 crimes and of lying to the FBI. It might well be foolishness, but another possibility is that he wanted to avoid double blackmail. If the FBI or the bank regulators learned that he was withdrawing large amounts and investigated, they might discover the underlying blackmailed conduct. Then the Administration could start blackmailing him too, asking for political favors.

[narciso]

naw that's crazy talk:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/dennis-hastert-blasts-republican-efforts-shut-government-article-1.1475575

the odd thing, he has not been for transparency, so what does this prove.

[Jim Miller]

henry - Oh, I don't doubt that Hastert was breaking laws; I'm just trying to figure out why.

It seems to me that any explanation has to account for at least these four things:

1. The timing hint. This relates to something that happened years ago, probably when he was a high school teacher.

2. The total amount.

3. The cash payments.

4. The fact that the other person has not been charged.

(There may be other things, which is why I said at least.)

[Stephanie]

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/243418-dennis-hastert's-weird-2014-CSPAN-call

some grain for the grist mill.

[Mastro1]

For $1.7 million this had better be juicier than a child out of wedlock. I mean really- who cares- he's almost retired.

Blackmail might work today for married people. Since your spouse gets half your stuff- at least- it might be better to pay to keep the attorneys away.

[Jim Miller]

Here's a list of some celebrity child support payments for those who, like me, were curious about the amounts.

[narciso]

I don't know where he would fall on the organizational chart, No 6?

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2015/05/shock-video-top-democratic-adviser-argues-for-more-limits-on-freedom-of-speech/

[Thomas Collins]

I'm in the camp that says for this kind of money, this was not Hastert knocking up a woman over the age of consent and now paying hush money/child support. I also agree that the structure of the indictment indicates that this happened when Hastert was a high school teacher and coach.

[narciso]

the reverse is probably true, the soccer scrum over every breath, every thought W ever made,

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/05/on-the-frenzy-over-sidney-blumenthal/394406/

[Extraneus]

In 2010, during meetings between Mr. Hastert and the unnamed individual, the two discussed “past misconduct” by Mr. Hastert against the person, according to the indictment.

In those meetings and in later discussions, Mr. Hastert agreed to provide money to the person “in order to compensate for and conceal his prior misconduct,” the indictment said.

I don't see how the love-child scenario explains "misconduct" "against" the victim of the misconduct. Who'd be the victim? The mother?

Also, $3.5M seems way too high for something like that.

I vote for something far more embarrassing.

[Miss Marple]

narciso,

An article by James Fallows! This morning, in The National Journal, a similar article by our old friend, the loathsome Joe Conason.

They are all coming out of the woodwork. I wonder if they have all been employed by the Clinton Foundation.

[Theo]

I agree with Ext and TC and others -- the love child scenario does not really add up. The priest/altar boy analogy makes a lot more sense.

Of course, we do not (yet) know, but I am surprised that Tom Maguire would so blithely assume the love child theory is true and not even seriously consider anything else.

Would a love child be that greedy? Maybe, but would anyone be so determined to pay so much to keep a love child quiet?

However, the abused former high school wrestler would be both likely to be very aggressive in seeking compensation and likely to find someone willing to pay it.

[boatbuilder]

It seems pretty obvious Hastert was getting someone to let air out of footballs...

[Jim Miller]

Well, a second family would explain the amounts, and it looks to me as if Kendall County, where Yorkville is located, is just large enough (more than 100K) so that one could be kept sort-of secret.

[Miss Marple]

You know, I really love investigating mysteries.

If our government didn't have so many crooks and commies, I might get more actual work done.

[Dave (in MA)]

Sniffing under-aged pickle/demonstrating some unorthodox wrestling holds inside the singlet?

[Theo]

Jim --

The only thing that could explain the amounts is fear of exposure. It is pretty clear that he was not paying to support a second family -- it could be done a lot cheaper than that, especially in Yorkville. He was paying someone to keep quiet. Would avoiding the exposure of a love child be worth THAT? Maybe, but I doubt it. Would avoiding the exposure of sexual exploitation of a student be worth that much? Probably.

I am not saying I know for sure. I do not of course. I am just saying that TM's original post seems to be way too cocksure that he has the answer.

[Extraneus]

First it was $50,000 every six weeks. Then $100,000 every three months.

Seems like a pretty exacting payment schedule for non-court-ordered child support, not to mention great fidelity to an informal payment plan.

On the bright side, Hastert must also have an 820 credit score.

[henry]

More odd, at this point Hastert would rather go to jail than explain what he is paying to cover up. That does not add up to a love child.

[Extraneus]

2010. Hmmm... When did the Sandusky thing start breaking?

[Try Hang Gliding]

He should have stuck with his original withdraws, telling the bank that he had nothing to hide and that they were more than welcomed to fill a currency transaction report. By splitting it up with transactions just under 10k he forced the bank to fill out suspicious transaction reports instead. Which report gets the attention of the Feds more? I own a foreign currency exchange; I write up my fair share of CTRS, and I'm just one little shop. Just imagine how many CTRs the Feds receive a year. The chance of them picking out his CTRs for scrutiny would have been pretty low.

[narciso]

odd, why didn't he use one of those crisis management shops, you hear so much about, this seems a very old school way of handling things,

[Truthbetold]

Child support!

Don't embarrass yourself.

[Putin]

Every where I go to see if I can get some attention, it's old guy perverts.

What is wrong with you people?!

Do I have to put on a tutu and waltz into Alsace Lorraine?

[CRichie]

Yeah, HAS to be a "good dad" thing. $3.5 million. After so many years.

Given the focus on coaching, you've got far more hints that this is Jerry Sandusky II than a deadbeat dad.

[Truthbetold]

Hastert is at the center of some far reaching scandals.

This will get very interesting. I'm sure Clarice will do her best to distract or downplay the importance of these developments.

[Some Guy]

Ig,

You probably know all this stuff, but having just gone through the puppy thing I'll post them anyway in case they might be helpful.

#1 mistake people make with new puppies is not making sure they get enough sleep. And enough is a lot more than you'd think. 16 hours is minimum.

Kennel training makes the house training twice as easy, and helps with the sleep issue. Also don't wait for him to give you a sign, just take him out every hour during the day (on leash if you need to, and I just set a reminder on phone). Praise and reward him every time he uses the outdoor facility. Overnight in the kennel is when they learn how to control their own.

Don't give him food of any kind without getting something from him. A sit, a stay, a come, etc. Do this from the beginning, and the later phases of training are much easier.

Good luck and enjoy!

[Will]

I think it is far more likely that this is a Jerry Sandusky situation- rumors have circulated about Hastert's orientation for years and it is not at all far fetched to speculate that this could stem from abuse committed by Hastert while he was a wrestling coach. Certainly this explanation is more consistent with the "Bruce" phone call, and it is easy to imagine the Sandusky case itself acting as a catalyst for the blackmailer.

[Jeff Dobbs]

This day in history: 62 years ago today, the person for whom Hillary Clinton was named nearly five years earlier made history by becoming the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

[narciso]

16 hours, since when are pups still for that long?

Dickson Shapiro, represents Erdogan, so it seems odd the regime would go after a main partner that way,

[Dave (in MA)]

The Sandusky case came to light the year after the Hastert payments had begun.

[narciso]

well Volodya is, ukraine is just trying to hold out?

http://www.globalpost.com/article/6563581/2015/05/28/russia-and-ukraine-are-gearing-all-out-war

[Truthbetold]

Analyze the timeline in the Hastert Story.

[narciso]

everything is the iceberg, and we only see the tip,

[Some Guy]

16 hours, since when are pups still for that long?

When they aren't being stimulated by outside factors. It diminishes as they age, but at 8 weeks 16 is the minimum. You'd be shocked at how much better behaved and happy they are if you make sure they get that sleep.

[Porchlight]

Just like human babies, SG. It's all about the sleep. Modern parents err IMO in thinking it's all about the food.

[Some Guy]

Oh, and it's not 16 hours straight.

[narciso]

btw, they arrested that Shepherd guy from Valdosta State, the one wishing death on everyone,

[Threadkiller]

One of the many problems with your analogy, SG, is the notion that "friend" has the same association to a repair business as McNally does to his employer.

[Truthbetold]

No, Porter Goss represents Turkey.

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/05/08/former-cia-director-porter-goss-registers-lobby-turkey/

[Dublindave]

So the problem isn't the supposed young boy from Yorkville that Denny sexually abused...the problem is the number of young boys over the years....in the House.....while he was leader.....what other Republicans knew about it and helped Deny cover it up?

We're literally going to have to do a full body cavity search of the entire Republican party day in and day out for the next two years...right past the election.......we're going to have to add Duggar to this and ask the painfull question...how many other Republicans were taking part?

Was it a ring?

I see Benghazi losing some of it's steam.

[People Nuncio]

The dastardly deed(s) referred to in the indictment occurred during Hastert's time as coach when he was in charge of underage and semi-adult boys, 1964±-1980. Can that give us a clue to what he perpetrated and which he was so eager to keep in the closet that he would pay over 3 million dollars to shut up an alleged victim? Was he teaching his young charges about the wide stance so favored by at least one American Senator? Nope, Hastert was not in the Senate. Where the heck did he get the $3 mill anyway? This is just the latest of several scandals involving Hastert. Look it up in Wikipedia.

[Mike Giles]

Uh, if you take money out of your account and then use it, what business is it of the FBI what you spend it on - assuming it's legal. And why the assumption that you won't structure your activities so as to avoid time consuming paperwork? Are you supposed to "WANT" to fill out innumerable government forms?

[Some Guy]

TK, change it to 'other mechanic' or 'other employee' if that makes you happy. (Won't post again on this topic here).