Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert has been indicted on federal charges alleging he agreed to pay $3.5 million in apparent hush money to a longtime acquaintance blackmailing him, then lied to the FBI when asked about suspicious cash withdrawals from several banks, federal prosecutors said.
The stunning indictment of the longtime Republican powerhouse alleged he gave about $1.7 million in cash to the acquaintance, identified only as Individual A in the charges, to “compensate for and conceal (Hastert’s) prior misconduct” against Individual A that had occurred years earlier.
He was taking out the money at sub-$10,000 clips in order to avoid the reporting requirements. Weird that he'd be charged if he was doing this as the VICTIM of blackmail. Very weird. Link - ( New Window )
He's accused of playing loose in the withdrawal of $952,000 (cash) to get around the law to report cash transactions over $10K. Oh yeah... He's also accused of lying to the FBI.
... elected to the House of Representatives after a teaching career. he was a retired high school teacher and wrestling coach. When elected, his net worth was < $500,000.00.
When Hastert left Congress, his net worth exceeded $5M. His current net worth is over $30M.
This is not a unique story, or exclusive to the Republican Party...
All the same...throw out all the bums....we need term limits in the worst way...and return to a citizen legislature and people willing to serve their communities and would be willing to work for nothing...
The only ones that could afford to work for nothing Â
was worth bupkis when he entered the Senate and is now a millionaire
That's a pretty casual suggestion of corruption. Reid has a history as a corruption fighter:
Quote:
In July of 1978, a man named Jack Gordon, who was later married to LaToya Jackson, offered Reid twelve thousand dollars to approve two new, carnival-like gaming devices for casino use. Reid reported the attempted bribe to the F.B.I. and arranged a meeting with Gordon in his office. By agreement, F.B.I. agents burst in to arrest Gordon at the point where Reid asked, “Is this the money?” Although he was taking part in a sting, Reid was unable to control his temper; the videotape shows him getting up from his chair and saying, “You son of a bitch, you tried to bribe me!” and attempting to choke Gordon, before startled agents pulled him off. “I was so angry with him for thinking he could bribe me,” Reid said, explaining his theatrical outburst. Gordon was convicted in federal court in 1979 and sentenced to six months in prison.
One day in 1981, Landra Reid noticed that the family station wagon was not running properly, and she discovered a cable under the hood and “something” sticking out of the gas tank. Police found a device that would have exploded had it been correctly grounded. Reid always blamed Gordon for the bomb, and the incident frightened his family—by then there were five children, four sons and a daughter—so that for a year they started the car by remote control.
Also, the property he and his wife lived on for 25 years in his hometown turned out to have some valuable mineral rights. A gold mining company recently bought it. So maybe he's corrupt (I dont know the guy), but it's not at all crazy to thing that he could amass 7 figures after working his whole life. Link - ( New Window )
He's accused of playing loose in the withdrawal of $952,000 (cash) to get around the law to report cash transactions over $10K. Oh yeah... He's also accused of lying to the FBI.
Well Bama, if that's what he did no wonder he got caught. Withdrawing $952,000 to stay under $10,000 will always get you caught. Maybe he should have withdrawn in $9,520 increments instead, the math would have worked much better (8->
He raises money every day running for office. He gets sworn in gets to have a picture taken with his/her family they go out to dinner to celebrate the very next day he/she is working the phones for reelection funds. So much money being moved every day and not all of it is properly accounted for
look at his children and some of what they've managed to accomplish by pluck and good luck. Not, incidentally, the identity of their father. And some of his friends have been similarly fortunate. One or two of them have been, well, criminal, but that happens.
This is not to suggest that Republicans are above this. My former governor is on bond pending appeal, and whether he wins the appeal or not what he did was shady as shit.
look at his children and some of what they've managed to accomplish by pluck and good luck. Not, incidentally, the identity of their father. And some of his friends have been similarly fortunate. One or two of them have been, well, criminal, but that happens.
This is not to suggest that Republicans are above this. My former governor is on bond pending appeal, and whether he wins the appeal or not what he did was shady as shit.
So the kids of very successful people tend to do very well. What's your point? Are you accusing Reid or his children of wrongdoing? Facts please.
for channeling money from a super-PAC into his gubernatorial campaign, and Reid's kids, Rory in particular, have a strange tendency to represent companies that covet Harry's political support.
Corruption Scandals Led to Harry Reid’s Abrupt “Retirement” Â
For nearly a decade Judicial Watch has investigated and exposed Reid’s involvement in a multitude of transgressions and JW even warned the Senate Ethics Committee, but not surprisingly, no action was ever taken. On multiple occasions the Senate minority leader appeared on JW’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians” list for his role in a number of political scandals that got more serious as his seniority and clout in Congress increased.
As far back as 2006 Reid was in hot water for violating Senate rules by concealing a seven-figure payoff on a suspicious land deal orchestrated by a longtime friend known for political bribery and mob ties. The influential senator secretly collected a $1.1 million profit on land he hadn’t personally owned for years. To hide the deal, Reid transferred ownership, legal liability and tax consequences to a company owned by a former casino lawyer who has been investigated by federal authorities. Months earlier Red got busted for accepting gifts from a state agency trying to influence him. In that scheme the lawmaker quietly took very expensive ringside boxing tickets from the Nevada Athletic Commission while that state agency was trying to influence him on the sport’s federal regulation.
In 2012 Reid made JW’s corrupt politician list because he was embroiled in an influence-peddling scandal involving a Chinese “green energy” client of a Nevada law firm run by his son Rory. The senator was one of the Nevada projects most prominent advocates, helping recruit the company during a 2011 trip to China and applying his political muscle on its behalf, according to a mainstream news report. Reid’s son was an attorney at the prominent Las Vegas firm that represented the Chinese Company, ENN Energy Group, and helped it locate a 9,000-acre desert site for well below its appraised value from Clark County.
In 2013 Reid was again named to JW’s most corrupt politician list for taking more than $130,000 in illegal campaign funds from a shady donor, Harvey Whittemore, who eventually went to jail. Whittemore hired four of the senator’s sons at a law firm in which he served as senior partner and worked with Reid on huge land deals that required federal legislation. Additionally, Reid sponsored at least $47 million in earmarks that directly benefitted organizations with close ties to one of his sons, Key Reid. The legislator also colluded with President Obama to nix a proposed nuclear waste dump in Yucca Mountain Nevada after U.S. taxpayers spent $15 billion on the project.
More recently Reid abused his authority to pressure the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to expedite a $115 million foreign investor visa deal critical to his son’s casino client. Reid got the DHS to override agency procedures to rush through hundreds of visa applications from foreign nationals who helped fund a Las Vegas hotel and casino that hired Rory Reid to provide legal representation for the project, according to a recent news report. The article goes into tremendous detail about the illicit scheme that evidently served as the straw that broke the camel’s back. A few days later Reid said he wouldn’t run for a sixth term in the Senate. His hometown newspaper called it a “surprise announcement.” On his government website, Reid posted a goodbye video saying he did his best though hasn’t been perfect.
"Facts" were requested. And while they come from Judicial Watch, there is a fair amount of smoke there. Which goes back to the discussion of yesterday, shouldn't we expect a little more than "nothing overtly (or demonstrably) criminal!"
for channeling money from a super-PAC into his gubernatorial campaign, and Reid's kids, Rory in particular, have a strange tendency to represent companies that covet Harry's political support.
#1 has nothing to do with Harry Reid. Should we smear Jeb, GWB, and GHWB for the sins of other Bushes like Neil and Prescott? #2 is troubling (and altogether too fucking common). I'll look more into that.
Buford's citation to JW has nothing to do with facts. JW has the credibility of a FoxNews.com comments section post. JW representing a "fact" makes me MORE likely to disbelieve that fact.
Here is Judicial Watch's 2012 10 Most Corrupt List: Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Sec'ty Chu, Hillary & Susan Rice, Holder, Jesse Jackson Jr, Menendez, Obama, Reid, Rivera (R-FL), Sebelius. So two GOP back benchers who had been condemned by most of their own party as corrupt hacks, and all the most prominent democrats. And the complaints about the Dems are typically policy/governance based and have nothing to do with corruption. Like Holder:
Quote:
A regular on our annual Top Ten Corrupt list, Holder shamelessly operates the most blatantly politicized Department of Justice (DOJ) in a generation. And, with the Operation Fast and Furious scandal, it is no exaggeration that his agency has blood on its hands.
It's really just such a ridiculous but predictable source for Buford to cite.
or shut up. If all you have is what you have posted so far, you may as well give up. Joker.
Again this thread has nothing to do with Harry Reid. But once again you've hijacked it like the Santorum thread yesterday. Why not start a seperate Harry Reid thread?
My old drill sergeant used to say "there are only two things that can getcha Pri, a whiskey glass and a woman's ass." I'm guessing it was the latter. Presumably a woman.
As far back as 2006 Reid was in hot water for violating Senate rules by concealing a seven-figure payoff on a suspicious land deal orchestrated by a longtime friend known for political bribery and mob ties. The influential senator secretly collected a $1.1 million profit on land he hadn’t personally owned for years. To hide the deal, Reid transferred ownership, legal liability and tax consequences to a company owned by a former casino lawyer who has been investigated by federal authorities.
FactCheck ...
Quote:
The AP’s story about Reid’s land transactions with his friend Jay Brown came out in 2006. According to the article, Reid bought what the AP called "undeveloped residential property on Las Vegas’ booming outskirts" in 1998 for about $400,000, and bought a second, adjacent parcel jointly with Brown, a former casino lawyer. In 2001, Reid sold the first parcel for the same price to a holding company that Brown created, AP said. Then in 2004, Brown’s company sold the land to other developers, and Reid got $1.1 million of the proceeds. So according to the records that AP looked at, it seemed as though Reid got his $400,000 back when he sold the land to the company in 2001, and also got $1.1 million on top of that when the company sold the land several years later, even though he no longer owned it.
On top of that, AP reported, Reid never disclosed on his Senate financial disclosure statement the 2001 sale of the land to the holding company, and when he collected the $1.1 million in 2004, he reported it on that year’s statement as a sale of land he owned personally.
Reid’s office, however, said no money changed hands when Reid transferred the land to the holding company in 2001; instead, Reid got an ownership stake in the company equal to the value of his land. If true, that means Reid didn’t get paid for the property until the company sold it in 2004, when he received nearly triple what he paid for it originally. Reed’s aides said he continued to pay taxes on the property and didn’t disclose the change in ownership because he considered it a "technical transfer."
Reid asked the Senate Ethics Committee whether he should amend his annual financial disclosure statements to reflect what had actually happened with the land. Then several days later, without waiting for a response from the panel, Reid did adjust his disclosure statement to reflect the circumstances of the land transfer, and also reported two much smaller land deals that had previously been unknown to the public. That pretty much put an end to press stories about the deal, until the matter was recently revived by the Angle campaign. [...]
The AP story contains no interviews with witnesses or any other information that indicates anything fishy took place, only that there was a discrepancy between records in Nevada and Reid’s Senate financial disclosure statement on this parcel of land. Reid was never charged with any ethics or legal violations, nor – at least according to public records – was he even investigated in connection with the matter.
My old drill sergeant used to say "there are only two things that can getcha Pri, a whiskey glass and a woman's ass." I'm guessing it was the latter. Presumably a woman.
I havent heard the rumor, but the charging doc is troublingly suggestive:
Quote:
At times material to
this indictment:
a. From approximately 1965 to 1981, defendant JOHN DENNIS HASTERT was a high school teacher and coach in Yorkville,
Illinois. From approximately 1981 to 2007, defendant JOHN DENNIS HASTERT was an elected public official , including eight years as Speaker of the United States House of
Representatives. From approximately 2008 to the
present, defendant JOHN DENNIS HASTERT has worked as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C.
Why would his time as a teacher and coach be "material"? Small chance it is money-corruption related, but the more likely thing is sex in a way that is relevant to school. Yikes. Hope that's not it.
but our government has become a "for profit duopoly". the main job and mission of our elected officials is to get re-elected. both parties.
What was the Clinton's net worth when the left office? Less than $3M. Now around $100M.
Obama's when he entered office? around $1.6M? now it's ten times that.
I don't think this is what our forefather's expected. this is just influence peddling.
end of rant. sorry.
Absolutely. And it's true of both elected officials and unelected figures such as senior civil servants and flag officers. It has almost nothing to do with party either, as lobbying firms and other folks looking for impressive names for the masthead aren't particularly partial (on the whole of course) to Republicans or Democrats.
In 2013 Reid was again named to JW’s most corrupt politician list for taking more than $130,000 in illegal campaign funds from a shady donor, Harvey Whittemore, who eventually went to jail.
Law360 ...
Quote:
Federal authorities claimed that scheme allowed Whittemore to make an individual campaign donation in excess of the federal limits. They further accused Whittemore of hiding the alleged scheme from the Federal Election Commission, Reid and his campaign committee.
Ike's buddies bought him a house near Gettysburg when he retired.
Reagan raised eyebrows when he accepted a six figure speaking fee from Japanese interests shortly after leaving office.
Clinton's friends arranged financing for his purchase of his home in NY after leaving office.
These all made the news.
It just seems that NOW elected officials expect to cash in and there's no public comment. It has nothing to do with either party. It has everything to do with the two party system.
Really, we might elect someone to the presidency who has amassed a fortune since her husband left the same office? Not by building and running a business, or investing her own capital, but all based on influence and access.
Clearly our forefathers were far from perfect... Â
but this sort of self-dealing probably didn't really start until the railroad era, whether it was out of the nobility of their spirit or because the opportunities for large-scale graft just weren't there yet.
Many of the founding fathers owned other human beings Â
but this sort of self-dealing probably didn't really start until the railroad era, whether it was out of the nobility of their spirit or because the opportunities for large-scale graft just weren't there yet.
Land deals were their thing. Many of Washington's cabinet meetings consisted of the Secs. accusing each other of corruption, libel and planning lawsuits. Purchasing votes was seen as political negotiations.
is a big no-no and something bankers are always on the alert for because we can go to jail too if we are reasonably seen to be facilitating the violations.
RE: RE: RE: Umm...you know what the rumors are for why he was paying hush money Â
I havent heard the rumor, but the charging doc is troublingly suggestive:
Quote:
At times material to
this indictment:
a. From approximately 1965 to 1981, defendant JOHN DENNIS HASTERT was a high school teacher and coach in Yorkville,
Illinois. From approximately 1981 to 2007, defendant JOHN DENNIS HASTERT was an elected public official , including eight years as Speaker of the United States House of
Representatives. From approximately 2008 to the
present, defendant JOHN DENNIS HASTERT has worked as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C.
Why would his time as a teacher and coach be "material"? Small chance it is money-corruption related, but the more likely thing is sex in a way that is relevant to school. Yikes. Hope that's not it.
That's pretty much my thoughts. The deliberate reference to his days as a school teacher make me think the blackmail might be something related to a statutory rape. I can't imagine any secret worth paying out $3.5mil for outside of someone knowing that either you committed a murder or that you fondled little boys.
RE: RE: Umm...you know what the rumors are for why he was paying hush money Â
My old drill sergeant used to say "there are only two things that can getcha Pri, a whiskey glass and a woman's ass." I'm guessing it was the latter. Presumably a woman.
1.7 million for an affair with a woman? Supposedly this was a younger person who he has known since they were a child...You don't pay 1.7M and lie to the FBI for just an affair
Markky, Reagan got a 2 million dollar "honararium" Â
Nobody is going to pay three and a half million dollars hush money unless the secret is radioactive.
Right. I dont think a simple affair cuts it.
Also, "profoundly gay" is great writing. If the post had said he was just "gay" then we'd view it is a fact, or representation of status and just move on. But put "profoundly" in there and the imagination runs.
it might be cheaper in the long run to pay seven figures in hush money than to pay child support for the next 17+ years.
That would be if you were trying to keep it quiet from the wife. But then you need to explain to her where the 3M went.
On top of that, once the FBI got involved the cats out of the bag on an affair, so why lie to them?
it might be cheaper in the long run to pay seven figures in hush money than to pay child support for the next 17+ years.
That would be if you were trying to keep it quiet from the wife. But then you need to explain to her where the 3M went.
On top of that, once the FBI got involved the cats out of the bag on an affair, so why lie to them?
I'd have to be creative in how I came up with the money. Hip hop mogul perhaps? Exotic dancer?
serious for a second, I'm kind of surprised that he didn't funnel the money to the blackmailer from a campaign fund in the form of consulting work. I know that leaves a paper trail but I rather do it that way than take what I consider the bigger risk based on my admittedly limited knowledge of the anti-money laundering laws
for channeling money from a super-PAC into his gubernatorial campaign, and Reid's kids, Rory in particular, have a strange tendency to represent companies that covet Harry's political support.
#1 has nothing to do with Harry Reid. Should we smear Jeb, GWB, and GHWB for the sins of other Bushes like Neil and Prescott? #2 is troubling (and altogether too fucking common). I'll look more into that.
Buford's citation to JW has nothing to do with facts. JW has the credibility of a FoxNews.com comments section post. JW representing a "fact" makes me MORE likely to disbelieve that fact.
Here is Judicial Watch's 2012 10 Most Corrupt List: Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Sec'ty Chu, Hillary & Susan Rice, Holder, Jesse Jackson Jr, Menendez, Obama, Reid, Rivera (R-FL), Sebelius. So two GOP back benchers who had been condemned by most of their own party as corrupt hacks, and all the most prominent democrats. And the complaints about the Dems are typically policy/governance based and have nothing to do with corruption. Like Holder:
Quote:
A regular on our annual Top Ten Corrupt list, Holder shamelessly operates the most blatantly politicized Department of Justice (DOJ) in a generation. And, with the Operation Fast and Furious scandal, it is no exaggeration that his agency has blood on its hands.
It's really just such a ridiculous but predictable source for Buford to cite.
Hey, we all know we're dealing with a biased organization, but when I look at the list I see JJ Jr. who went to prison and Menendez who is under indictment. It's not all bullshit.
serious for a second, I'm kind of surprised that he didn't funnel the money to the blackmailer from a campaign fund in the form of consulting work. I know that leaves a paper trail but I rather do it that way than take what I consider the bigger risk based on my admittedly limited knowledge of the anti-money laundering laws
You'd be surprised how many people think they can avoid suspicion or attention simply by keeping their cash transactions slightly under the threshhold.
Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) received a strange call from a man in Yorkville, Ill., while on C-SPAN in 2014, which is making the rounds in light of the Justice Department's indictment Thursday.
“Hello, Denny,” said the man, who went by the name "Bruce." “Do you remember me from Yorkville?”
Bruce then laughed and hung up. [...]
The indictment indicated that the person whom Hastert paid has been a Yorkville resident and known Hastert most of his or her life. It also prominently noted that Hastert was a teacher and wrestling coach before serving in Congress.
There's no indication that the C-SPAN call is related to the new allegations.
Hastert resigned from Congress after the 2006 elections, where Republicans were dogged by their handling of then-Rep. Mark Foley's (R-Fla.) sexually explicit instant messages and emails that he sent to male congressional pages.
serious for a second, I'm kind of surprised that he didn't funnel the money to the blackmailer from a campaign fund in the form of consulting work. I know that leaves a paper trail but I rather do it that way than take what I consider the bigger risk based on my admittedly limited knowledge of the anti-money laundering laws
A career politician and he couldn't figure out how to funnel some money? There's handlers for these types of things, keep your hands clean.
Only if he said pay or else. If Hastert offered the money for the person to keep quiet then who did he extort?
The Tax Evasion part could be that the person did pay taxes and that is what created red flags, or the other person was told to cooperate and get the charges waived. He's the little fish in this deal.
If the rumors are true with regards to what Hastert did, then this is the only way to get him for something due to possible Statue of Limitations running out
started a charity and funneled the money that way. No way he'd get caught then.
Yeah he could have run it through the Duggars church charity. Especially the fake one they ran for their TV show. In addition, Him and the son seem to have some things in common
there is a bigger issue here - Hastert stood right behind the Vice President in the line of succession and while the odds of him ascending to the Presidency were low, it was a possibility. The fact that someone held such influence over his actions for such a long time is pretty fucking scary...to say nothing of the damage that could have been down in his position as House Speaker.
there is a bigger issue here - Hastert stood right behind the Vice President in the line of succession and while the odds of him ascending to the Presidency were low, it was a possibility. The fact that someone held such influence over his actions for such a long time is pretty fucking scary...to say nothing of the damage that could have been down in his position as House Speaker.
That's a fair point. When somebody is up for a federal security clearance, a good portion of what the investigators are looking for is susceptibility to extortion.
In comment 12306290 Rob in CT/NYC said:Quote:there is a bigger issue here - Hastert stood right behind the Vice President in the line of succession and while the odds of him ascending to the Presidency were low, it was a possibility. The fact that someone held such influence over his actions for such a long time is pretty fucking scary...to say nothing of the damage that could have been down in his position as House Speaker.
That's a fair point. When somebody is up for a federal security clearance, a good portion of what the investigators are looking for is susceptibility to extortion.
It's been my understanding that congresscritters do not get a security clearance just based on their election; that one may be required according to committee assignment. Right? Wrong?
Indicted former House Speaker Dennis Hastert was paying an individual from his past to conceal sexual misconduct, two federal law enforcement officials said Friday. [...]
Asked why Hastert was making the payments, the official said it was to conceal Hastert’s past relationship with the male. “It was sex,’’ the source said. The other official confirmed that the misconduct involved sexual abuse.
entertaining for me at all. That's just a bummer, being blackmailed for wanting to have sex with dudes. I can't enjoy schadenfreude in that. That's just sad.
In comment 12306290 Rob in CT/NYC said:Quote:there is a bigger issue here - Hastert stood right behind the Vice President in the line of succession and while the odds of him ascending to the Presidency were low, it was a possibility. The fact that someone held such influence over his actions for such a long time is pretty fucking scary...to say nothing of the damage that could have been down in his position as House Speaker.
That's a fair point. When somebody is up for a federal security clearance, a good portion of what the investigators are looking for is susceptibility to extortion.
It's been my understanding that congresscritters do not get a security clearance just based on their election; that one may be required according to committee assignment. Right? Wrong?
Constitutionally, you can't add an additional qualification for office than the ones that are in Article I. I'm not sure about how anything like that pertains to committee assignments.
started a charity and funneled the money that way. No way he'd get caught then.
Yeah he could have run it through the Duggars church charity. Especially the fake one they ran for their TV show. In addition, Him and the son seem to have some things in common
Well no one is stupid enough to vote for a Duggar for President. Oh, and Jeffry Epstein.....
When questioned by the FBI about the withdrawals last December, Hastert, who as speaker was once second in line to take over the Oval Office if the president was incapacitated, said he was trying to store cash because he didn't feel safe with the banking system, according to the charges.
"Yeah ... I kept the cash. That's what I'm doing," Hastert was quoted as saying to the agents
RE: Well, that sucks. If it's about him hiding he was gay that won't be Â
entertaining for me at all. That's just a bummer, being blackmailed for wanting to have sex with dudes. I can't enjoy schadenfreude in that. That's just sad.
Re-read the reporting. It is relevant to his time as a teach and coach. "The other official confirmed that the misconduct involved sexual abuse."
From the NY Times 12/20/98, about the sudden announcement during the Clinton sex impeachment trial that sex scandal plagued Livingston would not replace the sex scandal plagued Gingrich:
Quote:
Mr. Hastert began lobbying on the House floor within moments of Mr. Livingston's resignation. By late afternoon, Mr. Hastert had the public backing of the current leadership, including Representatives Dick Armey and DeLay of Texas and Newt Gingrich, the current Speaker. About 100 members, including conservatives like Steve Largent of Oklahoma and a few moderates like Mr. Castle, declared their support for him tonight after he assured them that he had no skeletons in his closet.
entertaining for me at all. That's just a bummer, being blackmailed for wanting to have sex with dudes. I can't enjoy schadenfreude in that. That's just sad.
Re-read the reporting. It is relevant to his time as a teach and coach. "The other official confirmed that the misconduct involved sexual abuse."
This sounds like child sex, not homosexuality.
Yeah its not just having a gay fling or two. It has been said that the person in question has known Hastert since the person was a young child. That aspect of knowing him since very young seems to be a red flag
entertaining for me at all. That's just a bummer, being blackmailed for wanting to have sex with dudes. I can't enjoy schadenfreude in that. That's just sad.
Re-read the reporting. It is relevant to his time as a teach and coach. "The other official confirmed that the misconduct involved sexual abuse."
This sounds like child sex, not homosexuality.
Ack. Yeah, I guess that is very different than consensual activities.
the proceedings were already completed when Hastert took over. If you even looked at the article you posted, that point would be obvious. I don't know why you took my comment so personally... it wasn't my intent to poke you in the eye.
the proceedings were already completed when Hastert took over. If you even looked at the article you posted, that point would be obvious. I don't know why you took my comment so personally... it wasn't my intent to poke you in the eye.
Dude, you'd be better off trying to reason with a brick.
No problem... I only wanted to point out that it was not Hastert that presided over the impeachment. Livingston was the speaker-elect at that time and Hastert came after the impeachment proceedings were delivered to the Senate by Henry Hyde. This CNN article makes that point clear... CNN Impeachment - ( New Window )
is there appear to be some people who convince themselves the politicians of one party are more corrupt or venal than those in the other. I wish people who actually believe that could be denied the vote.
WASHINGTON — Indicted former House Speaker Dennis Hastert was paying a former student from Yorkville, Ill., to conceal his alleged sexual abuse of the young man while Hastert was a teacher at a high school there, federal law enforcement officials said Friday.
A top official, who would not be identified speaking about the federal charges in Chicago, said investigators also spoke with a second person who raised similar allegations that corroborated what the student said.
The second person was not being paid by Hastert, the official said.
The disclosures followed Thursday's federal indictment against Hastert for lying to the FBI about the reasons he made large cash withdrawals, which were allegedly used to buy the man's silence.
specifically, how a guy who came into Congress as a schoolteacher a few years removed from the classroom left it as a very wealthy man. Link - ( New Window )
If he did molest a student, he should be punished for that, but I guess the statue of limitations is up. But why does he have 3.5 million to be blackmailed out of? I'm sick of these politicians on both sides of the aisle going to DC and getting rich while the rest of us have to work harder and harder to just stay afloat. Time for some serious change.
The stunning indictment of the longtime Republican powerhouse alleged he gave about $1.7 million in cash to the acquaintance, identified only as Individual A in the charges, to “compensate for and conceal (Hastert’s) prior misconduct” against Individual A that had occurred years earlier.
He was taking out the money at sub-$10,000 clips in order to avoid the reporting requirements. Weird that he'd be charged if he was doing this as the VICTIM of blackmail. Very weird.
Link - ( New Window )
When Hastert left Congress, his net worth exceeded $5M. His current net worth is over $30M.
This is not a unique story, or exclusive to the Republican Party...
That's a pretty casual suggestion of corruption. Reid has a history as a corruption fighter:
One day in 1981, Landra Reid noticed that the family station wagon was not running properly, and she discovered a cable under the hood and “something” sticking out of the gas tank. Police found a device that would have exploded had it been correctly grounded. Reid always blamed Gordon for the bomb, and the incident frightened his family—by then there were five children, four sons and a daughter—so that for a year they started the car by remote control.
Also, the property he and his wife lived on for 25 years in his hometown turned out to have some valuable mineral rights. A gold mining company recently bought it. So maybe he's corrupt (I dont know the guy), but it's not at all crazy to thing that he could amass 7 figures after working his whole life.
Link - ( New Window )
This is not to suggest that Republicans are above this. My former governor is on bond pending appeal, and whether he wins the appeal or not what he did was shady as shit.
This is not to suggest that Republicans are above this. My former governor is on bond pending appeal, and whether he wins the appeal or not what he did was shady as shit.
So the kids of very successful people tend to do very well. What's your point? Are you accusing Reid or his children of wrongdoing? Facts please.
As far back as 2006 Reid was in hot water for violating Senate rules by concealing a seven-figure payoff on a suspicious land deal orchestrated by a longtime friend known for political bribery and mob ties. The influential senator secretly collected a $1.1 million profit on land he hadn’t personally owned for years. To hide the deal, Reid transferred ownership, legal liability and tax consequences to a company owned by a former casino lawyer who has been investigated by federal authorities. Months earlier Red got busted for accepting gifts from a state agency trying to influence him. In that scheme the lawmaker quietly took very expensive ringside boxing tickets from the Nevada Athletic Commission while that state agency was trying to influence him on the sport’s federal regulation.
In 2012 Reid made JW’s corrupt politician list because he was embroiled in an influence-peddling scandal involving a Chinese “green energy” client of a Nevada law firm run by his son Rory. The senator was one of the Nevada projects most prominent advocates, helping recruit the company during a 2011 trip to China and applying his political muscle on its behalf, according to a mainstream news report. Reid’s son was an attorney at the prominent Las Vegas firm that represented the Chinese Company, ENN Energy Group, and helped it locate a 9,000-acre desert site for well below its appraised value from Clark County.
In 2013 Reid was again named to JW’s most corrupt politician list for taking more than $130,000 in illegal campaign funds from a shady donor, Harvey Whittemore, who eventually went to jail. Whittemore hired four of the senator’s sons at a law firm in which he served as senior partner and worked with Reid on huge land deals that required federal legislation. Additionally, Reid sponsored at least $47 million in earmarks that directly benefitted organizations with close ties to one of his sons, Key Reid. The legislator also colluded with President Obama to nix a proposed nuclear waste dump in Yucca Mountain Nevada after U.S. taxpayers spent $15 billion on the project.
More recently Reid abused his authority to pressure the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to expedite a $115 million foreign investor visa deal critical to his son’s casino client. Reid got the DHS to override agency procedures to rush through hundreds of visa applications from foreign nationals who helped fund a Las Vegas hotel and casino that hired Rory Reid to provide legal representation for the project, according to a recent news report. The article goes into tremendous detail about the illicit scheme that evidently served as the straw that broke the camel’s back. A few days later Reid said he wouldn’t run for a sixth term in the Senate. His hometown newspaper called it a “surprise announcement.” On his government website, Reid posted a goodbye video saying he did his best though hasn’t been perfect.
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"Facts" were requested. And while they come from Judicial Watch, there is a fair amount of smoke there. Which goes back to the discussion of yesterday, shouldn't we expect a little more than "nothing overtly (or demonstrably) criminal!"
What am I missing. What did buford do?
I can't believe that anyone would not only know that Harry Reid is corrupt but believe he fights corruption. That's pretty amazing right there.
#1 has nothing to do with Harry Reid. Should we smear Jeb, GWB, and GHWB for the sins of other Bushes like Neil and Prescott? #2 is troubling (and altogether too fucking common). I'll look more into that.
Buford's citation to JW has nothing to do with facts. JW has the credibility of a FoxNews.com comments section post. JW representing a "fact" makes me MORE likely to disbelieve that fact.
Here is Judicial Watch's 2012 10 Most Corrupt List: Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Sec'ty Chu, Hillary & Susan Rice, Holder, Jesse Jackson Jr, Menendez, Obama, Reid, Rivera (R-FL), Sebelius. So two GOP back benchers who had been condemned by most of their own party as corrupt hacks, and all the most prominent democrats. And the complaints about the Dems are typically policy/governance based and have nothing to do with corruption. Like Holder:
It's really just such a ridiculous but predictable source for Buford to cite.
I can't believe that anyone would not only know that Harry Reid is corrupt but believe he fights corruption. That's pretty amazing right there.
Couldn't find any good World Net Daily or Alex Jones articles?
You aren't ignorant, you are just ridiculously partisan. Even HH knows that Reid is dirty.
Again this thread has nothing to do with Harry Reid. But once again you've hijacked it like the Santorum thread yesterday. Why not start a seperate Harry Reid thread?
My old drill sergeant used to say "there are only two things that can getcha Pri, a whiskey glass and a woman's ass." I'm guessing it was the latter. Presumably a woman.
FactCheck ...
On top of that, AP reported, Reid never disclosed on his Senate financial disclosure statement the 2001 sale of the land to the holding company, and when he collected the $1.1 million in 2004, he reported it on that year’s statement as a sale of land he owned personally.
Reid’s office, however, said no money changed hands when Reid transferred the land to the holding company in 2001; instead, Reid got an ownership stake in the company equal to the value of his land. If true, that means Reid didn’t get paid for the property until the company sold it in 2004, when he received nearly triple what he paid for it originally. Reed’s aides said he continued to pay taxes on the property and didn’t disclose the change in ownership because he considered it a "technical transfer."
Reid asked the Senate Ethics Committee whether he should amend his annual financial disclosure statements to reflect what had actually happened with the land. Then several days later, without waiting for a response from the panel, Reid did adjust his disclosure statement to reflect the circumstances of the land transfer, and also reported two much smaller land deals that had previously been unknown to the public. That pretty much put an end to press stories about the deal, until the matter was recently revived by the Angle campaign. [...]
The AP story contains no interviews with witnesses or any other information that indicates anything fishy took place, only that there was a discrepancy between records in Nevada and Reid’s Senate financial disclosure statement on this parcel of land. Reid was never charged with any ethics or legal violations, nor – at least according to public records – was he even investigated in connection with the matter.
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To a younger individual right?
My old drill sergeant used to say "there are only two things that can getcha Pri, a whiskey glass and a woman's ass." I'm guessing it was the latter. Presumably a woman.
I havent heard the rumor, but the charging doc is troublingly suggestive:
this indictment:
a. From approximately 1965 to 1981, defendant JOHN DENNIS HASTERT was a high school teacher and coach in Yorkville,
Illinois. From approximately 1981 to 2007, defendant JOHN DENNIS HASTERT was an elected public official , including eight years as Speaker of the United States House of
Representatives. From approximately 2008 to the
present, defendant JOHN DENNIS HASTERT has worked as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C.
Why would his time as a teacher and coach be "material"? Small chance it is money-corruption related, but the more likely thing is sex in a way that is relevant to school. Yikes. Hope that's not it.
What was the Clinton's net worth when the left office? Less than $3M. Now around $100M.
Obama's when he entered office? around $1.6M? now it's ten times that.
I don't think this is what our forefather's expected. this is just influence peddling.
end of rant. sorry.
What was the Clinton's net worth when the left office? Less than $3M. Now around $100M.
Obama's when he entered office? around $1.6M? now it's ten times that.
I don't think this is what our forefather's expected. this is just influence peddling.
end of rant. sorry.
Absolutely. And it's true of both elected officials and unelected figures such as senior civil servants and flag officers. It has almost nothing to do with party either, as lobbying firms and other folks looking for impressive names for the masthead aren't particularly partial (on the whole of course) to Republicans or Democrats.
Law360 ...
Emphasis added by Sphinx
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What was the Clinton's net worth when the left office? Less than $3M. Now around $100M.
Obama's when he entered office? around $1.6M? now it's ten times that.
I don't think this is what our forefather's expected. this is just influence peddling.
end of rant. sorry.
Did you just use a forefather line to show disdain for modern political corruption? It's sweet that you believe that.
Reagan raised eyebrows when he accepted a six figure speaking fee from Japanese interests shortly after leaving office.
Clinton's friends arranged financing for his purchase of his home in NY after leaving office.
These all made the news.
It just seems that NOW elected officials expect to cash in and there's no public comment. It has nothing to do with either party. It has everything to do with the two party system.
Really, we might elect someone to the presidency who has amassed a fortune since her husband left the same office? Not by building and running a business, or investing her own capital, but all based on influence and access.
Land deals were their thing. Many of Washington's cabinet meetings consisted of the Secs. accusing each other of corruption, libel and planning lawsuits. Purchasing votes was seen as political negotiations.
I havent heard the rumor, but the charging doc is troublingly suggestive:
Quote:
At times material to
this indictment:
a. From approximately 1965 to 1981, defendant JOHN DENNIS HASTERT was a high school teacher and coach in Yorkville,
Illinois. From approximately 1981 to 2007, defendant JOHN DENNIS HASTERT was an elected public official , including eight years as Speaker of the United States House of
Representatives. From approximately 2008 to the
present, defendant JOHN DENNIS HASTERT has worked as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C.
Why would his time as a teacher and coach be "material"? Small chance it is money-corruption related, but the more likely thing is sex in a way that is relevant to school. Yikes. Hope that's not it.
That's pretty much my thoughts. The deliberate reference to his days as a school teacher make me think the blackmail might be something related to a statutory rape. I can't imagine any secret worth paying out $3.5mil for outside of someone knowing that either you committed a murder or that you fondled little boys.
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To a younger individual right?
My old drill sergeant used to say "there are only two things that can getcha Pri, a whiskey glass and a woman's ass." I'm guessing it was the latter. Presumably a woman.
1.7 million for an affair with a woman? Supposedly this was a younger person who he has known since they were a child...You don't pay 1.7M and lie to the FBI for just an affair
Reagan's Fall From Grace : The $2-Million Japan Tour & etc. - ( New Window )
Ask Jerry Jones!
Right. I dont think a simple affair cuts it.
Also, "profoundly gay" is great writing. If the post had said he was just "gay" then we'd view it is a fact, or representation of status and just move on. But put "profoundly" in there and the imagination runs.
That would be if you were trying to keep it quiet from the wife. But then you need to explain to her where the 3M went.
On top of that, once the FBI got involved the cats out of the bag on an affair, so why lie to them?
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it might be cheaper in the long run to pay seven figures in hush money than to pay child support for the next 17+ years.
That would be if you were trying to keep it quiet from the wife. But then you need to explain to her where the 3M went.
On top of that, once the FBI got involved the cats out of the bag on an affair, so why lie to them?
I'd have to be creative in how I came up with the money. Hip hop mogul perhaps? Exotic dancer?
Quote:
for channeling money from a super-PAC into his gubernatorial campaign, and Reid's kids, Rory in particular, have a strange tendency to represent companies that covet Harry's political support.
#1 has nothing to do with Harry Reid. Should we smear Jeb, GWB, and GHWB for the sins of other Bushes like Neil and Prescott? #2 is troubling (and altogether too fucking common). I'll look more into that.
Buford's citation to JW has nothing to do with facts. JW has the credibility of a FoxNews.com comments section post. JW representing a "fact" makes me MORE likely to disbelieve that fact.
Here is Judicial Watch's 2012 10 Most Corrupt List: Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Sec'ty Chu, Hillary & Susan Rice, Holder, Jesse Jackson Jr, Menendez, Obama, Reid, Rivera (R-FL), Sebelius. So two GOP back benchers who had been condemned by most of their own party as corrupt hacks, and all the most prominent democrats. And the complaints about the Dems are typically policy/governance based and have nothing to do with corruption. Like Holder:
Quote:
A regular on our annual Top Ten Corrupt list, Holder shamelessly operates the most blatantly politicized Department of Justice (DOJ) in a generation. And, with the Operation Fast and Furious scandal, it is no exaggeration that his agency has blood on its hands.
It's really just such a ridiculous but predictable source for Buford to cite.
Hey, we all know we're dealing with a biased organization, but when I look at the list I see JJ Jr. who went to prison and Menendez who is under indictment. It's not all bullshit.
You'd be surprised how many people think they can avoid suspicion or attention simply by keeping their cash transactions slightly under the threshhold.
“Hello, Denny,” said the man, who went by the name "Bruce." “Do you remember me from Yorkville?”
Bruce then laughed and hung up. [...]
The indictment indicated that the person whom Hastert paid has been a Yorkville resident and known Hastert most of his or her life. It also prominently noted that Hastert was a teacher and wrestling coach before serving in Congress.
There's no indication that the C-SPAN call is related to the new allegations.
Hastert resigned from Congress after the 2006 elections, where Republicans were dogged by their handling of then-Rep. Mark Foley's (R-Fla.) sexually explicit instant messages and emails that he sent to male congressional pages.
yes, it's the Huff Post ... - ( New Window )
A career politician and he couldn't figure out how to funnel some money? There's handlers for these types of things, keep your hands clean.
So good news Rob, you're not gay, you're just a 2 on the Kinsey scale (a 1 if you're drunk).
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Only if he said pay or else. If Hastert offered the money for the person to keep quiet then who did he extort?
The Tax Evasion part could be that the person did pay taxes and that is what created red flags, or the other person was told to cooperate and get the charges waived. He's the little fish in this deal.
If the rumors are true with regards to what Hastert did, then this is the only way to get him for something due to possible Statue of Limitations running out
Yeah he could have run it through the Duggars church charity. Especially the fake one they ran for their TV show. In addition, Him and the son seem to have some things in common
That's a fair point. When somebody is up for a federal security clearance, a good portion of what the investigators are looking for is susceptibility to extortion.
That's a fair point. When somebody is up for a federal security clearance, a good portion of what the investigators are looking for is susceptibility to extortion.
It's been my understanding that congresscritters do not get a security clearance just based on their election; that one may be required according to committee assignment. Right? Wrong?
Asked why Hastert was making the payments, the official said it was to conceal Hastert’s past relationship with the male. “It was sex,’’ the source said. The other official confirmed that the misconduct involved sexual abuse.
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Quote:
In comment 12306290 Rob in CT/NYC said:Quote:there is a bigger issue here - Hastert stood right behind the Vice President in the line of succession and while the odds of him ascending to the Presidency were low, it was a possibility. The fact that someone held such influence over his actions for such a long time is pretty fucking scary...to say nothing of the damage that could have been down in his position as House Speaker.
That's a fair point. When somebody is up for a federal security clearance, a good portion of what the investigators are looking for is susceptibility to extortion.
It's been my understanding that congresscritters do not get a security clearance just based on their election; that one may be required according to committee assignment. Right? Wrong?
Constitutionally, you can't add an additional qualification for office than the ones that are in Article I. I'm not sure about how anything like that pertains to committee assignments.
Quote:
started a charity and funneled the money that way. No way he'd get caught then.
Yeah he could have run it through the Duggars church charity. Especially the fake one they ran for their TV show. In addition, Him and the son seem to have some things in common
Well no one is stupid enough to vote for a Duggar for President. Oh, and Jeffry Epstein.....
"Yeah ... I kept the cash. That's what I'm doing," Hastert was quoted as saying to the agents
Re-read the reporting. It is relevant to his time as a teach and coach. "The other official confirmed that the misconduct involved sexual abuse."
This sounds like child sex, not homosexuality.
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entertaining for me at all. That's just a bummer, being blackmailed for wanting to have sex with dudes. I can't enjoy schadenfreude in that. That's just sad.
Re-read the reporting. It is relevant to his time as a teach and coach. "The other official confirmed that the misconduct involved sexual abuse."
This sounds like child sex, not homosexuality.
Yeah its not just having a gay fling or two. It has been said that the person in question has known Hastert since the person was a young child. That aspect of knowing him since very young seems to be a red flag
Quote:
entertaining for me at all. That's just a bummer, being blackmailed for wanting to have sex with dudes. I can't enjoy schadenfreude in that. That's just sad.
Re-read the reporting. It is relevant to his time as a teach and coach. "The other official confirmed that the misconduct involved sexual abuse."
This sounds like child sex, not homosexuality.
Ack. Yeah, I guess that is very different than consensual activities.
You're talking about Bob Livingston... eh, you were close.
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Dude, you'd be better off trying to reason with a brick.
CNN Impeachment - ( New Window )
Wait a minute.
Didn't Hastert go after Clinton for all his sexual mis-adventures?
But now this?
Say it ain't so Denny.
Dennis Hastert Allegedly Engaged in Sexual Misconduct During Time as Teacher, Sources Say - ( New Window )
A top official, who would not be identified speaking about the federal charges in Chicago, said investigators also spoke with a second person who raised similar allegations that corroborated what the student said.
The second person was not being paid by Hastert, the official said.
The disclosures followed Thursday's federal indictment against Hastert for lying to the FBI about the reasons he made large cash withdrawals, which were allegedly used to buy the man's silence.
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