Former GOP House Speaker Hastert Indicted
- Thread starter Glenn Quagmire
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Dennis Hastert’s friend, roommate & fixer: Scott Palmer
October 10, 2006 | by Doug Thompson
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/node/1057
George Bush has Karl Rove, Bill Clinton had James Carville and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert has Scott Palmer. Call them powers behind the throne, the political gurus who guide their bosses’ careers and, if they’re good, keep them out of trouble.
Palmer, Hastert’s chief of staff, is more than an employee. He’s Hastert’s friend and his roommate in Washington, a living arrangement the Speaker may find difficult to explain in the wake of the Mark Foley Congressional page scandal...
October 10, 2006 | by Doug Thompson
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/node/1057
George Bush has Karl Rove, Bill Clinton had James Carville and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert has Scott Palmer. Call them powers behind the throne, the political gurus who guide their bosses’ careers and, if they’re good, keep them out of trouble.
Palmer, Hastert’s chief of staff, is more than an employee. He’s Hastert’s friend and his roommate in Washington, a living arrangement the Speaker may find difficult to explain in the wake of the Mark Foley Congressional page scandal...
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Dennis Hastert Promoted Himself As Crusader Against Sexual Abuse of Children
By David Sirota @davidsirota d.sirota@ibtimes.com
Matthew Cunningham-Cook @mattcunninghamc m.cunninghamcook@ibtimes.com on May 29 2015 6:10 PM EDT
http://www.ibtimes.com/dennis-hastert-promoted-himself-crusader-against-sexual-abuse-children-1944886
Nine years before being indicted on financial charges -- reportedly an attempt to cover up sexual misconduct involving a male high school student -- Dennis Hastert spent his last few months as House speaker alternately promoting himself as a defender of child welfare and fending off accusations that he helped cover up another Republican's gay sexual misconduct scandal.
In July 2006, shortly before Democrats won the midterm congressional elections and ended his speakership, Hastert spearheaded a bill to toughen punishments for sex crimes against children. The legislation, named after the abducted and murdered Florida boy Adam Walsh, passed the Republican-controlled House unanimously. In a statement at the time, Hastert said protecting children from predators was as high a priority for him as national security -- this, post-9/11 and during two wars.
"At home, we put the security of our children first, and Republicans are doing just that in our nation's House,” he said. “We've all seen the disturbing headlines about sex offenders and crimes against children. These crimes cannot persist. Protecting our children from Internet predators and child exploitation enterprises are just as high a priority as securing our border from terrorists.”
The biography of the former speaker at the website of Wheaton College's Hastert Center for Economics, Government, and Public Policy states that during his three terms in the Illinois Legislature, Hastert "spearheaded legislation on child abuse prevention." During his 20-year congressional career, Hastert supported legislative initiatives to deter and punish sexual abuse of minors, including the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Amendments of 1996, the Child Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Act of 2000 and the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.
In his press release touting the last initiative, Hastert specifically touted its provisions “improving sex offender registration and notification programs, enhancing law enforcement resources, preventing child exploitation, stopping child pornography and creating new criminal offense penalties protecting children from the Internet.”
Among the members of Congress who publicly thanked Hastert for championing the bill was Florida Republican Mark Foley. Only months later, Foley’s sexually suggestive text messages to underage congressional male pages would become a scandal for Hastert, who some say ignored the situation and did not take fast enough disciplinary action.
In that sordid affair, some congressional Republicans suggested that Hastert did not adequately respond to concerns -- long raised privately -- about Foley’s behavior. A former Foley aide said that long before the allegations became public, he alerted “senior staff at the highest level of the House of Representatives asking them to intervene,” but Hastert’s office did not respond. Hastert denied that accusation, but later acknowledged that his office had been contacted about the matter a year before it became a public scandal...
By David Sirota @davidsirota d.sirota@ibtimes.com
Matthew Cunningham-Cook @mattcunninghamc m.cunninghamcook@ibtimes.com on May 29 2015 6:10 PM EDT
http://www.ibtimes.com/dennis-hastert-promoted-himself-crusader-against-sexual-abuse-children-1944886
Nine years before being indicted on financial charges -- reportedly an attempt to cover up sexual misconduct involving a male high school student -- Dennis Hastert spent his last few months as House speaker alternately promoting himself as a defender of child welfare and fending off accusations that he helped cover up another Republican's gay sexual misconduct scandal.
In July 2006, shortly before Democrats won the midterm congressional elections and ended his speakership, Hastert spearheaded a bill to toughen punishments for sex crimes against children. The legislation, named after the abducted and murdered Florida boy Adam Walsh, passed the Republican-controlled House unanimously. In a statement at the time, Hastert said protecting children from predators was as high a priority for him as national security -- this, post-9/11 and during two wars.
"At home, we put the security of our children first, and Republicans are doing just that in our nation's House,” he said. “We've all seen the disturbing headlines about sex offenders and crimes against children. These crimes cannot persist. Protecting our children from Internet predators and child exploitation enterprises are just as high a priority as securing our border from terrorists.”
The biography of the former speaker at the website of Wheaton College's Hastert Center for Economics, Government, and Public Policy states that during his three terms in the Illinois Legislature, Hastert "spearheaded legislation on child abuse prevention." During his 20-year congressional career, Hastert supported legislative initiatives to deter and punish sexual abuse of minors, including the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Amendments of 1996, the Child Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Act of 2000 and the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.
In his press release touting the last initiative, Hastert specifically touted its provisions “improving sex offender registration and notification programs, enhancing law enforcement resources, preventing child exploitation, stopping child pornography and creating new criminal offense penalties protecting children from the Internet.”
Among the members of Congress who publicly thanked Hastert for championing the bill was Florida Republican Mark Foley. Only months later, Foley’s sexually suggestive text messages to underage congressional male pages would become a scandal for Hastert, who some say ignored the situation and did not take fast enough disciplinary action.
In that sordid affair, some congressional Republicans suggested that Hastert did not adequately respond to concerns -- long raised privately -- about Foley’s behavior. A former Foley aide said that long before the allegations became public, he alerted “senior staff at the highest level of the House of Representatives asking them to intervene,” but Hastert’s office did not respond. Hastert denied that accusation, but later acknowledged that his office had been contacted about the matter a year before it became a public scandal...
SparrowHawk
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No one has tackled the real issue of the governmrnt being able to monitor your financials,
No Sarbanes-Oxley = No indictment.
Who is the victim of this so called crime?
No Sarbanes-Oxley = No indictment.
Who is the victim of this so called crime?
Ms Tree
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In this case if the indictment turns.out to be true there was sexual abuse of a minor that was covered up.
I have not read up on the rational behind the $10k cash rule but my understanding it that the idea behind it is if you are using cash you are up to no good. While that may be true in some/many cases I do not think it's a valid reason to report it to the government. If we would legalize some drugs that would probably cut down on a lot of the cash trafic.
I am guessing that these days the bigger concern wish movement t of cash has to do with funding terrorism. Not have read much about yet I tend to think it's a valid concern and I don't know how else to address it.
I have not read up on the rational behind the $10k cash rule but my understanding it that the idea behind it is if you are using cash you are up to no good. While that may be true in some/many cases I do not think it's a valid reason to report it to the government. If we would legalize some drugs that would probably cut down on a lot of the cash trafic.
I am guessing that these days the bigger concern wish movement t of cash has to do with funding terrorism. Not have read much about yet I tend to think it's a valid concern and I don't know how else to address it.
He died of AIDS, so there is no victim to testify and I believe the statue of limitations had expired too.
The victim probably never went to the police.
Why you went where you did has nothing to do with what I posted.
The victim probably never went to the police.
Why you went where you did has nothing to do with what I posted.
SparrowHawk
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Well regardless of background, NO ONE was charged with any crimes where there was an actual victim, So where then did any crime occur?
Ms Tree
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Not always a victim. Look at Capone. Murdered countless people but got nailed for tax evasion. He paid out some thing like $2 million in supposed hush money. I guess that's what the courts are for. Hopefully justice prevails.
SparrowHawk
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Ms Tree said:
Which should have NEVER happened with Capone. If not for Prohibition wouls anyone have ever hear of Al Capone? If not for the immoral IRS and the Federal Income tax would we know of Al Capone?
When you try to legislate morality you create victimless crimes that would not occur otherwise.
Ms Tree
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He was a notorious mob boss so yes we would have known about him. He probably still would have been nailed on murder it just would have taken longer.
He was nailed on tax evasion which I am perfectly OK with. The prohibition charge was small potatoes.
Point being, there was no murder victim so they got creative and went after him for something else that was related to the crime. Same with Hassert. Just because he was sneaky should not mean he gets off the hook because the statute of limitations ran out on a crime he committed (if found true).
SparrowHawk said:
He was a notorious mob boss so yes we would have known about him. He probably still would have been nailed on murder it just would have taken longer.
He was nailed on tax evasion which I am perfectly OK with. The prohibition charge was small potatoes.
Point being, there was no murder victim so they got creative and went after him for something else that was related to the crime. Same with Hassert. Just because he was sneaky should not mean he gets off the hook because the statute of limitations ran out on a crime he committed (if found true).
eolesen
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700UW said:
Interesting that you keep labeling the person as a victim. How do you know it wasn't consensual? Up until 2008, the age of consent in IL was 17 regardless of circumstances.
AFAIK, it wasn't until 2008 that the law was updated to "outlaw" someone 17 from being engaged in a consensual relationship with a person in a position of authority.
Exactly.SparrowHawk said:
Glenn Quagmire
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Not being charged does not mean a crime was not committed.
