Move over Josh, Dennis is more newsworthy !

Skeptical Fri May 29, 2015 8:47 pm

Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert was paying a former student to keep quiet about allegations of sexual abuse from the time when Hastert was a teacher and wrestling coach in Illinois, two sources with knowledge of the federal government investigation told CNN on Friday afternoon.

Hastert was a teacher and wrestling coach in Yorkville, Illinois between 1965 and 1981 before entering politics. Federal prosecutors indicted Hastert on Thursday for lying to the FBI about $3.5 million he agreed to pay to an undisclosed person to "cover up past misconduct."

A federal law enforcement official confirmed to CNN early Friday evening that the former student was a male and a minor when the alleged abuse took place. Federal law enforcement officials also said that investigators decided not to pursue a possible extortion case in the matter.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/29/politics/dennis-hastert-indictment-questions/index.html

Clicker Sat May 30, 2015 1:37 pm

Hmmmmm not going to pursue extortion charges. Looks politically motivated in that they aren't going to ID the "victim" I thought it wasn't a crime to move funds around and stay under the $10k reporting limit. It's not even a crime to move larger amounts around so I'd say it's the old cop ploy of getting someone they want to indict to "lie" to them bout something, anything!!! The old saw of the coverup being worse than the crime is in play here big time. Why the looney lefties are doing this is obscure. Curious as to why no indictment for extortion. Per haps the "victim" made a deal?

Jammer Sat May 30, 2015 2:58 pm

Clicker wrote:Hmmmmm not going to pursue extortion charges. Looks politically motivated in that they aren't going to ID the "victim" I thought it wasn't a crime to move funds around and stay under the $10k reporting limit. It's not even a crime to move larger amounts around so I'd say it's the old cop ploy of getting someone they want to indict to "lie" to them bout something, anything!!! The old saw of the coverup being worse than the crime is in play here big time. Why the looney lefties are doing this is obscure. Curious as to why no indictment for extortion. Per haps the "victim" made a deal?

I think it is pretty obvious.

The US economy contracted in the first quarter and is teetering on the brink of slipping into recession. It is quite devastating to slip into a recession when your party’s programs and policies have prevented any type of meaningful recovery from the last recession. Recessions and recoveries are the typical ebb and flow of our economic system. What is not typical is that progressive liberal programs and policies have hindered any type of meaningful wage and job growth to the extent that it has. The last time this happened was during the tenure of the last great progressive socialist FDR.

Add to that cloud hanging over our heads, the deficit continues and the national debt is soaring despite promises that they would reduce the debt. We are running out of places to borrow money and as soon as interest rates begin to rise we will be in the midst of the next great economic bubble to burst. The US Treasury will not even be able to pay the interest on our debt.

If that wasn’t enough, ISIS has created an Islamic state which will threaten world peace for decades and much of their gains can be credited to the US weapons Obama laid on the ground for the JV team to pick up. To make those matters worse, these terrorists have been streaming across our borders unhindered along with all of the other illegal aliens who the dipshit democrats perceive to be their next wave of voters who will support them and their idiotic ideology.

The US educational system is a failure and is in a freefall mode. We will soon have the worst educational system in the world thanks to progressive liberals and their stupid ideas that have put the feds in control.

Crime is becoming rampant in this country thanks to progressive liberal policies and their political correctness. Baltimore will soon be renamed “Body Bag City”.

Numerous progressive liberal states such as Illinois are almost in bankruptcy as the Illinois socialists are rapidly running out of other peoples’ money.

The warm and fuzzy promises of healthcare for all thanks to Obamacare are a stench that will soon end with devastating results for our country. We are probably only a few years away from your local Witch Doctor being your best choice for medical care. Perhaps somebody should have read that bill before they passed it.

The traditional family unit that was the foundation for the development of this country is almost a distant memory thanks to the sheer lunacy of progressive liberals and their war on decency.

There are another hundred elements of American society that the progressive liberals have either destroyed or are in the process of destroying. The last thing these evil cretins want is for voters to be talking about them. Therefore, they have to shift the narrative to something they can control and which will hurt their opposition politically.

So look for the useful idiots to be outraged or offended over some trivial issues to deflect the narrative. And I am being way too kind to call these people merely useful idiots as their stupidity is beyond belief. You can be assured that the jackasses supporting these progressive liberals and their push for the Utopia they think exists are either the most evil cretins or the most stupid idiots on the face of earth. Either way, they are disgusting despicable slime.

Rusty Houser Sun May 31, 2015 8:08 am

Clicker wrote:Hmmmmm not going to pursue extortion charges. Looks politically motivated in that they aren't going to ID the "victim" I thought it wasn't a crime to move funds around and stay under the $10k reporting limit. It's not even a crime to move larger amounts around so I'd say it's the old cop ploy of getting someone they want to indict to "lie" to them bout something, anything!!! The old saw of the coverup being worse than the crime is in play here big time. Why the looney lefties are doing this is obscure. Curious as to why no indictment for extortion. Per haps the "victim" made a deal?

You're right, this is an orchestrated smear campaign. They had to invent a whole new slew of Orwellian laws just to find something to bring down this good man and his innocent monetary transactions.

Darth Cheney Sun May 31, 2015 3:57 pm

Fodder for the hoople heads...

Gomezz Adddams Sun May 31, 2015 5:33 pm

Darth Cheney wrote:Fodder for the hoople heads...

hooplehead ..... lol!

Rusty Houser Mon Jun 01, 2015 6:51 am

Darth Cheney wrote:Fodder for the hoople heads...

I'm sure he'll appreciate your support for his lifestyle choices. In times like this he needs the advocacy of like minded people.

Skeptical Mon Jun 01, 2015 10:38 am

Coach Hastert wrote:
Darth Cheney wrote:Fodder for the hoople heads...

I'm sure he'll appreciate your support for his lifestyle choices. In times like this he needs the advocacy of like minded people.

No doubt NAMBLA supports Dennis so that is probably all that is needed.

Rusty Houser Mon Jun 01, 2015 5:36 pm

Skeptical wrote:
Coach Hastert wrote:
Darth Cheney wrote:Fodder for the hoople heads...

I'm sure he'll appreciate your support for his lifestyle choices. In times like this he needs the advocacy of like minded people.

No doubt NAMBLA supports Dennis so that is probably all that is needed.

True, if the sex allegations are legitimate you would think they would be the only ones supporting him.

How do you feel about the poetic irony of getting caught by the same laws that he fought so hard to impose on the rest of us? I've had to deal with those same Patriot Act banking laws, they were annoying and intrusive but I was able to successfully navigate them without breaking any laws.

Gomezz Adddams Mon Jun 01, 2015 6:01 pm

Coach Hastert wrote:
Skeptical wrote:
Coach Hastert wrote:
Darth Cheney wrote:Fodder for the hoople heads...

I'm sure he'll appreciate your support for his lifestyle choices. In times like this he needs the advocacy of like minded people.

No doubt NAMBLA supports Dennis so that is probably all that is needed.

True, if the sex allegations are legitimate you would think they would be the only ones supporting him.

How do you feel about the poetic irony of getting caught by the same laws that he fought so hard to impose on the rest of us? I've had to deal with those same Patriot Act banking laws, they were annoying and intrusive but I was able to successfully navigate them without breaking any laws.

Money laundering laws requiring the reporting of large cash transactions (originally $5,000 and then bumped to $10,000) were put into effect in 1970 partly to combat illicit drug money. Hastert wasn't even in Congress when the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 was passed. Sorry no poetry, ironic or otherwise was involved.

Darth Cheney Mon Jun 01, 2015 6:25 pm

Why hasn't Harry Reid been arrested for having numerous sexual encounters with boys under the age of eight years old?

Rusty Houser Tue Jun 02, 2015 7:10 am

Gomezz Adddams wrote:
Coach Hastert wrote:
Skeptical wrote:
Coach Hastert wrote:
Darth Cheney wrote:Fodder for the hoople heads...

I'm sure he'll appreciate your support for his lifestyle choices. In times like this he needs the advocacy of like minded people.

No doubt NAMBLA supports Dennis so that is probably all that is needed.

True, if the sex allegations are legitimate you would think they would be the only ones supporting him.

How do you feel about the poetic irony of getting caught by the same laws that he fought so hard to impose on the rest of us? I've had to deal with those same Patriot Act banking laws, they were annoying and intrusive but I was able to successfully navigate them without breaking any laws.

Money laundering laws requiring the reporting of large cash transactions (originally $5,000 and then bumped to $10,000) were put into effect in 1970 partly to combat illicit drug money. Hastert wasn't even in Congress when the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 was passed. Sorry no poetry, ironic or otherwise was involved.

See title III of the Patriot Act.

Rusty Houser Tue Jun 02, 2015 7:23 am

Darth Cheney wrote:Squirrel.

Your facts are a little off.

http://thepeoplescube.com/peoples-blog/harry-reid-fathers-two-cubs-with-underage-occupy-girl-t9417.html

Gomezz Adddams Tue Jun 02, 2015 9:03 am

Coach Hastert wrote:
Gomezz Adddams wrote:
Coach Hastert wrote:
Skeptical wrote:
Coach Hastert wrote:
Darth Cheney wrote:Fodder for the hoople heads...

I'm sure he'll appreciate your support for his lifestyle choices. In times like this he needs the advocacy of like minded people.

No doubt NAMBLA supports Dennis so that is probably all that is needed.

True, if the sex allegations are legitimate you would think they would be the only ones supporting him.

How do you feel about the poetic irony of getting caught by the same laws that he fought so hard to impose on the rest of us? I've had to deal with those same Patriot Act banking laws, they were annoying and intrusive but I was able to successfully navigate them without breaking any laws.

Money laundering laws requiring the reporting of large cash transactions (originally $5,000 and then bumped to $10,000) were put into effect in 1970 partly to combat illicit drug money. Hastert wasn't even in Congress when the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 was passed. Sorry no poetry, ironic or otherwise was involved.

See title III of the Patriot Act.

Unless you were moving bales of cash internationally, you are still wrong. Title III of the Patriot Act deals more with capital controls and how much money an individual can legally take out of the country, international transfers of cash and cash smuggling. Hastert is being charged with structuring which deals with domestic transactions and was an addition to the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 in 1980.

Banks have to cast such a wide net that a lot of people who have done nothing wrong have been reported. Take for example a black jack dealer in a high roller casino or a bartender/waitress/maitre d' at a top restaurant/bar that makes a couple of grand a week in tips. Cash deposits close to $9,000 a month could be enough to trigger a cash report. That’s a pretty grey area between an innocent activity and a felony.

Here's a great article on Hastert from the National Law Journal.

Instead, he’s accused of violating federal laws against “structuring”—making purposefully low cash withdrawals to avoid regulations that require banks to report transactions larger than $10,000 to the feds.
Congress made structuring a crime in the late 1980s to help prosecutors bring down drug dealers, who were making small-currency transactions to avoid the bank reporting rules in place since 1970. More recently, defense lawyers and civil liberties advocates have accused prosecutors of pursuing the charge as a stand-alone offense in a way that goes beyond what Congress intended.

http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=1202727809902/The-Financial-Speed-Trap-in-the-Case-Against-Dennis-Hastert?slreturn=20150502093357

Rusty Houser Tue Jun 02, 2015 9:29 am

Gomezz Adddams wrote:Unless you were moving bales of cash internationally, you are still wrong. Title III of the Patriot Act deals more with capital controls and how much money an individual can legally take out of the country, international transfers of cash and cash smuggling. Hastert is being charged with structuring which deals with domestic transactions and was an addition to the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 in 1980.

Banks have to cast such a wide net that a lot of people who have done nothing wrong have been reported. Take for example a black jack dealer in a high roller casino or a bartender/waitress/maitre d' at a top restaurant/bar that makes a couple of grand a week in tips. Cash deposits close to $9,000 a month could be enough to trigger a cash report. That’s a pretty grey area between an innocent activity and a felony.

Here's a great article on Hastert from the National Law Journal.

Instead, he’s accused of violating federal laws against “structuring”—making purposefully low cash withdrawals to avoid regulations that require banks to report transactions larger than $10,000 to the feds.
Congress made structuring a crime in the late 1980s to help prosecutors bring down drug dealers, who were making small-currency transactions to avoid the bank reporting rules in place since 1970. More recently, defense lawyers and civil liberties advocates have accused prosecutors of pursuing the charge as a stand-alone offense in a way that goes beyond what Congress intended.

http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=1202727809902/The-Financial-Speed-Trap-in-the-Case-Against-Dennis-Hastert?slreturn=20150502093357

Yes, the Patriot Act "deals more with" expanding the international aspects of structuring, but not exclusively.

But the point you're trying to avoid is that Hastert spent a good deal of time trying to update these banking laws yet wasn't smart enough to avoid them. He wasn't even smart enough to try taking out amounts that might fly under the radar until after he got caught lying about the larger transfers.

Wouldn't you say he was stupendously stupid for trying to fly under the radar after he was already in the law's sights?

Rusty Houser Tue Jun 02, 2015 9:56 am

If I understand the history correctly, in the late 1990s, the President was impeached for lying about a sexual affair by a House of Representatives led by a man who was also then hiding a sexual affair, who was supposed to be replaced by another Congressman who stepped down when forced to reveal that he too was having a sexual affair, which led to the election of a new Speaker of the House who now has been indicted for lying about payments covering up his sexual contact with a boy.

Yikes.

~Orin Kerr~

Gomezz Adddams Tue Jun 02, 2015 9:58 am

Coach Hastert wrote:
Gomezz Adddams wrote:Unless you were moving bales of cash internationally, you are still wrong. Title III of the Patriot Act deals more with capital controls and how much money an individual can legally take out of the country, international transfers of cash and cash smuggling. Hastert is being charged with structuring which deals with domestic transactions and was an addition to the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 in 1980.

Banks have to cast such a wide net that a lot of people who have done nothing wrong have been reported. Take for example a black jack dealer in a high roller casino or a bartender/waitress/maitre d' at a top restaurant/bar that makes a couple of grand a week in tips. Cash deposits close to $9,000 a month could be enough to trigger a cash report. That’s a pretty grey area between an innocent activity and a felony.

Here's a great article on Hastert from the National Law Journal.

Instead, he’s accused of violating federal laws against “structuring”—making purposefully low cash withdrawals to avoid regulations that require banks to report transactions larger than $10,000 to the feds.
Congress made structuring a crime in the late 1980s to help prosecutors bring down drug dealers, who were making small-currency transactions to avoid the bank reporting rules in place since 1970. More recently, defense lawyers and civil liberties advocates have accused prosecutors of pursuing the charge as a stand-alone offense in a way that goes beyond what Congress intended.

http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=1202727809902/The-Financial-Speed-Trap-in-the-Case-Against-Dennis-Hastert?slreturn=20150502093357

Yes, the Patriot Act "deals more with" expanding the international aspects of structuring, but not exclusively.

But the point you're trying to avoid is that Hastert spent a good deal of time trying to update these banking laws yet wasn't smart enough to avoid them. He wasn't even smart enough to try taking out amounts that might fly under the radar until after he got caught lying about the larger transfers.

Wouldn't you say he was stupendously stupid for trying to fly under the radar after he was already in the law's sights?

The Patriot Act was a knee jerk reaction to an act of war so Hastert, as well as the rest of Congress, probably spent very little time thinking about the legislation and it's ramifications. Fcuk, this was a government that wasn't even sharing intelligence between the CIA and the FBI facilitating 9/11. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, I'm of the mind that it was an overreach by our government to intrude further into the freedom and liberties of it's citizens under the guise of safety. To quote Ben Franklin, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

Being stupid isn't a crime nor is Hastert being charged with being stupid. The currency laws in this country are so contrived that it is easy for innocent people to violate the law, just as it is to violate the law by "lying" to an investigator, a crime Hastert is also being charged with. It's amazing that there has been no extortion charges filed against the person blackmailing Hastert.

Rusty Houser Tue Jun 02, 2015 10:15 am

Gomezz Adddams wrote:The Patriot Act was a knee jerk reaction to an act of war so Hastert, as well as the rest of Congress, probably spent very little time thinking about the legislation and it's ramifications. Fcuk, this was a government that wasn't even sharing intelligence between the CIA and the FBI facilitating 9/11. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, I'm of the mind that it was an overreach by our government to intrude further into the freedom and liberties of it's citizens under the guise of safety. To quote Ben Franklin, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

Being stupid isn't a crime nor is Hastert being charged with being stupid. The currency laws in this country are so contrived that it is easy for innocent people to violate the law, just as it is to violate the law by "lying" to an investigator, a crime Hastert is also being charged with. It's amazing that there has been no extortion charges filed against the person blackmailing Hastert.

I (almost) fully agree.

However, many of us didn't need "20/20 hindsight" to know that the Patriot Act was nothing more than a cowardly, fear based, kneejerk reaction that stripped away our constitutionally guaranteed rights for some illusion of "safety". But when we tried to bring up those concerns we were attacked.

In fact, there's a senator on the floor that is currently being attacked for his opposition to the Patriot Act. It seems that there are still plenty of lawmakers who aren't even capable of employing "20/20 hindsight".

Gomezz Adddams Tue Jun 02, 2015 10:25 am

Coach Hastert wrote:
If I understand the history correctly, in the late 1990s, the President was impeached for lying about a sexual affair by a House of Representatives led by a man who was also then hiding a sexual affair, who was supposed to be replaced by another Congressman who stepped down when forced to reveal that he too was having a sexual affair, which led to the election of a new Speaker of the House who now has been indicted for lying about payments covering up his sexual contact with a boy.

Yikes.

~Orin Kerr~

I typically enjoy the Volokh Conspiracy but Kerr seems to be inferring that Gingrich lost the Speakership due to his affair when it was due to ethics violations and a poor Republican showing in the 1998 elections

Also Hastert's sexual indiscretions occurred before he was elected and the extortion attempt after he left office. The question nobody is asking is how a teacher/wrestling coach with a net worth of about $250K became so wealthy in Congress that he could afford to part with $3.5M in hush money. That's the real "yikes".

And how old was this "boy" at the time of the incident(s)? 15? 16? 17?. The term "boy" insinuates pedophilia and I have a hard time calling it that with a person of this age. Illegal and improper? Yes, but a crime Hastert hasn't been charged with. Plus the 'boy", now a man, is committing the crime of extortion.

Rusty Houser Tue Jun 02, 2015 11:36 am

Gomezz Adddams wrote:And how old was this "boy" at the time of the incident(s)? 15? 16? 17?. The term "boy" insinuates pedophilia and I have a hard time calling it that with a person of this age. Illegal and improper? Yes, but a crime Hastert hasn't been charged with. Plus the 'boy", now a man, is committing the crime of extortion.

The age of consent in Illinois is 17 except in the case of a "person of authority" where the age of consent is 18.

You might think that "the term "boy" insinuates pedophilia" but that is only the product of your own imagination. All we know about him is he fits the definition of "boy" and he was below the age of consent.

I think we've already covered the reason Hastert hasn't been charged with this crime, do you need a refresher course on the statute of limitations?

Gomezz Adddams wrote:Also Hastert's sexual indiscretions occurred before he was elected and the extortion attempt after he left office. The question nobody is asking is how a teacher/wrestling coach with a net worth of about $250K became so wealthy in Congress that he could afford to part with $3.5M in hush money. That's the real "yikes".

Actually, there are a lot of people asking (and answering) that question but probably not in the sources you turn to.

Skeptical Tue Jun 02, 2015 7:54 pm

Coach Hastert wrote:
Yes, Hastert thought he could get away with it.

Does seem to appear he thought he could.

Darth Cheney Tue Jun 02, 2015 8:00 pm

Besides allegations there isn't a shred of evidence for any of these new charges...all smoke screen for Cankles and monkey President.

Rusty Houser Wed Jun 03, 2015 5:19 am

Darth Cheney wrote:Besides allegations there isn't a shred of evidence for any of these new charges...all smoke screen for Cankles and monkey President.

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