Perhaps you’ve seen the news stories about Denny Hastert, who allegedly agreed to pay a person 3.5 million to keep quiet about something that Hastert did to the blackmailer some years past. If the stories are to be believed, he had already paid out several hundred thousand dollars before being indicted.
We know it wasn’t murder, because the blackmailler was also the victim. Before he got into the Illinois legislature he was a school teacher and sports coach (of which sport, I dunno). This leads me to speculate about sex with minor students. But I have to wonder about what evidence there might be – it must be something pretty substantial to be worth paying that much for.
For $3.5 million, it has to be something mighty serious. I can’t blame Republicans for fearing the worst (or Democrats for gleefully assuming the worst).
It’s kind of bizarre to me that it seems like the payoffs started years after he retired from being Speaker. Wouldn’t the optimal time for blackmail/hush money be while the suspect has the most to lose?
High profile people must face threas like that pretty often. I can’t imagine he would have paid out the amounts he’s already paid unless the guy has something concrete – motels receipts, pictures, audio tapes ?? I dunno.
Yep. In addition, I think we tend to leap to the conclusion that the biggest fear guys like Hastert have is losing their jobs. Whatever he is hiding may destroy his personal life.
Well, Hastert MAY have been paying off the victim/blackmailer while in Congress. But a well-connected lobbyist like Hastert makes a lot more money than a Congressman, so the payee may have upped the ante.