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And meanwhile, in Tabloidville....
'It was sex': Law enforcement says Dennis Hastert hush-money scandal is about
sexual abuse of a male high school student during his years as a wrestling coach
⁍ Hastert was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury on felony charges of hiding large cash bank withdrawals and lying to the FBI
⁍ Law enforcement sources say case about sex abuse of a male high school student when Hastert coached wrestling, taught history
⁍ Federal indictment said 'Individual A' who received the cash lived in Yorkville, Illinois, where Hastert taught from 1965 to 1981
⁍ FBI reportedly unable to corroborate sex abuse claim but determined that Hastert paid his alleged victim $1.7 million cover up
⁍ Investigators reportedly spoke with at least one other accuser but decided against including his claims in the criminal case
⁍ Hastert has been married to wife Jean since 1973; they have two sons Josh and Ethan and at least one grandson, Jack
more at link above---
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.
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Mr. Hastert also worked with the Boy Scouts for 16 years, according to an address he gave to a Boy Scouts group at Pikes Peak several years ago.
Yes.
And now -- based on what must be termed the ringing -- and journalistically, one has to believe, proper -- innuendo in the Post piece in the OP et al., it can only be termed ironic that this cover-up seems to be based on scandal involving Hastert and teenage males during his coaching tenure at the high school.
Edwin Edwards's lasting contribution to the realpolitik lexicon.Well, as the saying goes, "The only scandals that will bring down an important politician involve a dead girl or a live boy in the politico's bed." And we know "Individual A" is still alive.
OK so the grand jury knew exactly what he was trying to cover up? But they didn't indict him for that?
So can we infer that it wasn't illegal, just terribly embarrassing? Or that the statute of limitations has long passed? Or that there was no evidence to prove he did anything (beyond the fact that he was paying someone to cover it up)?
Little did Hastert know at the time that the law he helped pass would give federal law enforcement the tools to indict him on charges of violating banking-related reporting requirements more than a decade later.
The indictment suggests that law enforcement officials relied on the Patriot Act’s expansion of bank reporting requirements to snare Hastert. As the IRS notes, “the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 increased the scope” of cash reporting laws “to help trace funds used for terrorism.” The Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, which was amended by the Patriot Act, had already required banks to report suspicious transactions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/30/us/politics/hastert-indictment.html?_r=0It was also unclear whether the authorities considered pursuing charges against the man on suspicion of extorting payments from Mr. Hastert in exchange for keeping silent. Such a prosecution would probably have required Mr. Hastert to allege that he was the victim of an extortion. But the indictment said Mr. Hastert denied to the F.B.I. that he was making payments to the individual, saying he withdrew the cash because he no longer trusted the banking system.
Yes I want to see the blackmailer charged, and the money returned.
Doesn't look like that is going to happen, considering Mr. Hastert has denied he was extorted.