# What's worth $3.5 million in hush money? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 29, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113 "2015-05-29T14:23:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/1 "2015-05-29T14:23:00Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/2 "2015-05-29T14:29:52Z")
He was a [wrestling coach](http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/05/28/former-house-speaker-dennis-hastert-indicted/). Let me show you a new hold, sonny. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/3 "2015-05-29T14:31:29Z")
“This is called the Moldovan Dick Pinch”. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/4 "2015-05-29T14:32:29Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > But I have to wonder about what evidence there might be – it must be something pretty substantial to be worth paying that much for. Not necessarily. Just going public with the claim could be quite damaging, even if they don’t have any evidence to back it up. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/5 "2015-05-29T14:33:11Z")
It sure sounds like sex with a student. My wife thought maybe the person receiving the money was his illegitimate child. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/6 "2015-05-29T14:33:52Z")
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). ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/7 "2015-05-29T14:34:28Z")
Whats worth 3.5 million in hush money? 3.6 million dollars worth of embarrassing info. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/8 "2015-05-29T14:41:37Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > He was a [wrestling coach](http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/05/28/former-house-speaker-dennis-hastert-indicted/). Let me show you a new hold, sonny. I’m thinking the gave a boy some really full Nelsons. I suspect the statute of limitations has expired on any sexual misdeeds. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/9 "2015-05-29T14:45:21Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > It sure sounds like sex with a student. My wife thought maybe the person receiving the money was his illegitimate child. Sure makes a lot of sense for that amount of compensation. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/10 "2015-05-29T14:46:45Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I’m thinking the gave a boy some really full Nelsons. I suspect the statute of limitations has expired on any sexual misdeeds. I’m sure it has. But this has already screwed up his lobbying career. He has resigned from Dickstein Shapiro. I’m not making this up. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/11 "2015-05-29T14:47:43Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/12 "2015-05-29T14:49:37Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > It sure sounds like sex with a student. It’s worse. Hastert once favored a tax increase. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/13 "2015-05-29T15:00:30Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Not necessarily. Just going public with the claim could be quite damaging, even if they don’t have any evidence to back it up. 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. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/14 "2015-05-29T15:06:37Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > 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? The guy is many times richer after he joined the private sector. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/15 "2015-05-29T15:14:20Z")
[Now this is weird.](http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/243418-dennis-hastert's-weird-2014-CSPAN-call) Someone puts this on the CSPAN website yesterday: > [@](#): > > There was an odd exchange between former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and an unidentified C-SPAN caller from his hometown in light of Thursday’s surprise indictment that he illegally transferred $3.5 million to a Yorkville resident to “conceal prior misconduct.” > > The call came in while Hastert appeared on CSPAN’s “Washington Journal” on Nov. 13, a week after last year’s midterm elections. The caller identified himself only as “Bruce" from Illinois. > > “Hello, Denny,” the caller said. > > “Do you remember me from Yorkville?” he added, before laughing and hanging up. > > CSPAN’s host Pedro Echevarria immediately moved onto the next caller and Hastert had no significant reaction to the call than other than indicating he knew “Bruce.” ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/16 "2015-05-29T15:15:49Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > The guy is many times richer after he joined the private sector. 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. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/17 "2015-05-29T15:51:05Z")
Are the penalties for blackmailing someone in the federal government potentially more severe than for those in the private sector? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/18 "2015-05-29T15:59:38Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > 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? 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. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/19 "2015-05-29T16:01:22Z")
\*\*What’s worth $3.5 million in hush money? \*\* A dead girl or a live boy. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113/20 "2015-05-29T16:03:22Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Are the penalties for blackmailing someone in the federal government potentially more severe than for those in the private sector? It’s interesting that the authorities apparently know who this person is, but so far have not brought any charges against him that I’ve heard about. I wpmder how one would leagally distinguish blackmail from a contract to repay damages that includes a non-disclosure agreement. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-worth-3-5-million-in-hush-money/721113.md?page=2)