Hastert Admits to Molesting Teen Boys - Sentenced to Jail

[Steve C.]

The NYT has published a cover story on Dennis Hastert saying he admits to molesting at least 4 boys. Additionally the millions of dollars he says was extortion has been proven to be a "hush money" arrangement.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/09/us/dennis-hastert-molested-at-least-four-boys-prosecutors-say.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

Some of the boys were only 14 years old...and he won't be prosecuted for these sexual abuse crimes. That's just wonderful!

 

[AC126748]

Just to be clear, Hastert hasn't actually admitted to the molestations. It is clear that they occurred and Hastert has apologized for "past conduct," but has stopped short of admitting to the sexual encounters. There is a difference. 

[Steve C.]

Really AC, you want to split hairs on the sexual abuse of who knows how many boys?

Well, I embezzled thousands of dollars from my employer for over 10 years. I apologize for my "past conduct" but I don't "admit" that I've done anything. Oh, and then there was the year I stabbed and killed my mother, I apologize for my "past conduct" but I won't admit I did it...

When a person is finally caught doing whatever, and charged with concrete and undeniable evidence, the first thing they say is "I'm soo-orry". All that is is that he's sorry he got caught. 

The real shame here is that Hastert can't be prosecuted for the sexual abuse crimes due to the statute of limitations. All they can and have proven is the charges he made for the so called "blackmail and extortion" money, they too were lies and excuses. And the lies about blackmail and extortion, well he's sorry for his past conduct...but...

C'mon, wake up and smell the burning coffee.  

[yankeefan7]

 Freaking amazing and horrible.. Scary thing was how close he was in succession to be POTUS.

[adamgreer]

Family values!

[Auggie27]

We've seen so much of this particular flavor of cliched hypocrisy -- history of voting against LGBTQ issues of any kind, "shocking" revelations of sexual proclivities and/or abuse in stark contrast. It's almost a separate condition worthy of the DSM, the knee-jerk need to persecute/prosecute those whom one most wants to be with.  And it's very relevant: anyone obsessed with who pees next to him in a rest room, well, has issues with restrooms and what (might) go on in them.  Every time I see one of these zealots -- Tony Perkins of that hateful Family org -- I imagine the eventual bulletin that proves he had a yen that he has acted upon in private.  You'd think the Haggard syndrome would be almost a given now.  Psychiatrists basically state: homophobia is invariably rooted in repression and suppression.  Sometimes I feel we should be much more aggressive in going after the mindset that frets so about sexuality, to call out motive and even obsession.  Ultimately, who cares about gay sexuality or trans genitals but people who want to peep through the keyhole?  .   

[AC126748]

No, Steve C. I don't want to split hairs. I am interested in accuracy. Hastert has admitted to nothing specifically, just as Bill Cosby has admitted to nothing specifically. I am not going to give someone credit for an admission of guilt when he actually made none. I have no doubt Hastert molested these boys, if not more, but he has not admitted to it, so to say that he did is inaccurate and misleading. I'm a journalist, and if I printed what you wrote I would probably be a) fired and b) sued for libel.

[Steve C.]

As he "wolled awound in his widdle wheelchair", Dennis Hastert admitted to a Federal court that he molested teenage boys. 

The Federal judge called him a "serial child molester" and sentenced him to 15 months in jail. Just wonderful! He'll probably be out in a few weeks.

 

 

(One of his victims' has sued him for hush money payments owed, so who knows where that will go?)

[madbrian]

My understanding is that Hastert was sentenced for financial improprieties rather than molestation, since the statute of limitations had expired on the latter.

[henrikegerman]

That's right, Madbrian, but he was charged with making payments to conceal past wrongdoing, and the wrongdoing was the molestations, which he admitted (some he admitted, others he didn't deny, to be more precise) during his guilty plea allocution.