Former House Speaker Hastert Arrives in Court to Plead Guilty on Hush-Money Charges

Dennis Hastert, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, has arrived at a federal courthouse in Chicago this morning where he is expected to file a guilty plea regarding hush-money payments to a victim who had accused Hastert of sexual misconduct. The move behind the guilty plea would limit continued scrutiny of Hastert’s actions, which came to light in late May.

Allegedly, Hastert made payments to a victim who has suffered “prior misconduct”. According to ABC News, today’s plea deal would make Hastert the first former Speaker of the House accused of a crime since the Civil War.

Before his days as House Speaker under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Hastert was a wrestling coach at Yorkville High School in Illinois. It is there that he allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct with a high school wrestling manager, and later “structured currency transactions” to conceal his actions in 2010.

The 73-year-old Republican has previously pleaded not guilty. The details surrounding Wednesday’s expected bargain deal are not currently made public, though we will continue to offer updates as they become available.

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