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Dennis Hastert, disgraced former House speaker, dies at 84
CBS News • • general
Key Points:
- Dennis Hastert, former Speaker of the House and Illinois congressman, died at age 84 from natural causes, according to Kendall County Coroner Jacquie Purcell.
- Hastert was the longest-serving Republican House speaker and the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to serve prison time, sentenced in 2016 for violating banking laws related to hush money payments covering up his sexual abuse of teenage boys as a high school wrestling coach.
- His political career spanned from 1987 to 2007, during which he became known for the "Hastert Rule," requiring majority party support for House votes, and worked closely with President George W. Bush.
- After leaving Congress, Hastert became a lobbyist but was later investigated and pleaded guilty to structuring bank transactions to evade reporting requirements and making false statements to the FBI, admitting to past sexual abuse during sentencing.
- Despite the criminal conviction, Hastert was not charged with sex crimes due to expired statutes of limitations; he served 13 months in prison and was ordered to participate in a sex offender program.
