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Dennis Hastert, GOP House speaker who went to prison, dies at age 84 : NPR
NPR • • nation
Key Points:
- Dennis Hastert, the longest-serving Republican House Speaker from 1999 to 2007, died at age 84 of natural causes while in hospice care at his home.
- Hastert's political legacy was overshadowed by a 2016 conviction for evading banking laws linked to hush money payments to conceal his sexual abuse of at least four teenage wrestlers during his coaching career from 1965 to 1981.
- Prosecutors detailed multiple instances of abuse, including molestation in locker rooms and motel rooms, leading a judge to label Hastert a "serial child molester" during sentencing, where he received 15 months in prison.
- Hastert played a key role in advancing major legislative agendas, including tax cuts and Medicare expansion under President George W. Bush, but his reputation was severely damaged after the abuse revelations became public in 2015.
- Following his indictment, institutions removed honors bearing his name, and he resigned from Congress in 2007 after Democrats took control of the House; he is survived by his wife and two sons.
