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Dennis Hastert

PhDeac said:
Seems strange that a cover up agreement would start 40+ years after the fact.
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Timeline kinda helps quantify how lucrative lobbying is. Hastert served in the House between 1987 and 2007. Probably averaged -170K during that time period. He was never going to run for office again in 2010, but he was financially secure enough to commit to paying someone $3.5 in free cash. He didn't get a line of credit or take out a second mortgage to do it.

Dead guy's sister confronted Hastert at her brother's funeral in 1995 and unsuccessfully tried to float her brother's story nine years ago. Even a hint of Hastert's activities would have doomed him in 1998 after Newt and Livingston both flamed out for non-criminal activities. Wouldn't have been a later pay day for the blackmailer however.

Numbers make Newt look like an even bigger clown. He was also a Speaker from the same era and he still had a $500K line of credit at Tiffany's when he ran for President. Newt thought even if he lost he would still make even more money. Didn't do great things as a candidate, but his prospective gravy train never materialized. A high level pol becoming a lobbyist is a much better financial pay day with far less hassle than than chasing a pot of gold after a failed presidential run. We get exactly the presidential candidates we deserve.
 
What is someone getting from Hastert worth that much money? Honestly, the big question is why legislators hang around as long as they do with those kinds of potential paydays.
 
While you're in office, you have power and prestige (in your own mind), plus the promise and potential for cash. Out of office, you have cash, but power and prestige fade away. That would be my guess.
 
Theoretically Governors make better presidents than senators, but Governors don't have as much access to lobbying giant pay days as former senators or house leaders do. DeMint was a complete hack with a net worth of less than $50K, but he now makes a million/year heading up Heritage. Not surprising that Santorum and Bachmann can't figure out how to monetize their experience. Rubio will get paid eventually, but Perry, Jindal, Walker, and Rand are never going to see huge pay days. Cruz is really puzzling to me. He has to know he won't even be part of the GOP ticket in 2016. He may be trying to build a fundraising war chest to run for Governor, but he's not going for a pure cash grab and he lacks enough self awareness to know he's never going to be President .
 
Holding elected office is the new networking.
 
He's a necromaniac now also?
 
PhDeac said:
What is someone getting from Hastert worth that much money? Honestly, the big question is why legislators hang around as long as they do with those kinds of potential paydays.
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Certainly won't explain away Hillary's private server or her clueless statements, but Hastert being involved in this and the money involved certainly doesn't hurt the Clintons. Revisiting how and why Hastert became Speaker and how a former wrestling coach can generate that much wealth isn't helpful in going after Bubba and the Clinton Foundation.
 
That won't stop Republicans.
 
Will the safe word for Republicans be Benghazi or Obamacare?


"And the third department you want to disband Gov. Perry?"

"Gosh I can't remember, Benghazi?"



"Senator Cruz, have you produced your real birth certificate like you demanded of Obama?"

"Ha, speaking of Obama, I will repeal the ACA...I mean Obamacare law the millisecond after my election."
 
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It's an outrageous law. What should we do with people who walk in such a way as to avoid security cameras?
 
ONW said:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/06/dennis-hastert-scandal/394754/
http://gretawire.foxnewsinsider.com...er-of-the-house-dennis-hastert-click-to-read/
http://www.rollingstone.com/politic...rs-of-the-worst-congress-ever-20120112?page=2
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http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/06/0...ake-money-as-payouts-grew.html?_r=0&referrer=

Thought that Obama's sweetheart house purchase with Tony Rezko was troubling, but that pales in comparison to benefitting directly via legislation. Who knows what details about sexual misconduct will come up with Hastert, but crony capitalism isn't exactly helpful. A quick, quiet plea deal is the best possible outcome for all lobbyists and pols.

Parsing the NYT article looks like Hastert was withdrawing $50K every six weeks, so his plan was to pay $3.5 M out over 10-12 years. While there are no guarantees with blackmail, he may have figured he would no longer be a lobbyist in his late 70s and there was no criminal vehicle to pursue criminal charges for whatever he did.
 
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