Former House Speaker Hastert pleads not guilty to lying in federal hush-money case

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, 73, pleaded not guilty in a Chicago court on Tuesday afternoon on all counts to charges that he lied to the FBI about illegal bank withdrawals.

Hastert allegedly used the so-called "hush money" to pay someone to stay quiet about accusations of sexual misconduct. According to court papers, Hastert agreed to pay a source known as "Individual A" $3.5 million to conceal his "prior misconduct." NBC News reports that "Individual A" is likely a former student at Yorkville High School in Illinois, where Hastert served as a teacher, a wrestling coach, and a football coach.

Last week, a woman named Jolene Reinboldt told ABC News that Hastert had abused her late brother, Steve Reinboldt, while Hastert was his high school wrestling coach. Reinboldt, who died of AIDS in 1995, had been the wrestling team's student manager.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Hastert, who was indicted last month, retired from Congress in 2007. The two charges against him each carry a $250,000 fine and up to five years in prison.