Long-time friends and associates of former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert expressed differing opinions this past week after the Associated Press reported that Hastert intends to plead guilty in a federal hush-money case.

The AP reported Thursday an attorney for Hastert, John Gallo, asked the judge in the case to set a date for a change of plea. The AP reported that Gallo said he expects to have a written plea agreement but he did not mention any of the terms, including what counts the former speaker would plead guilty to.

Hastert, who represented the 14th Congressional District, has been charged with lying to the FBI and paying someone $3.5 million to hide claims of past misconduct, which the AP and others reported included claims of sexual misconduct.

Oswego Township Supervisor Jim Detzler has known Hastert since the early 1980s when the former Speaker was first elected to the Illinois General Assembly.

Detzler says he still supports Hastert but hasn’t spoken to him since the indictment.

“Denny has always been a good supporter of mine and he has helped me in a lot of different things but I just really hate to see this happen to him,” Detzler said.

“If he pleads guilty to it what does that do to him?” he said.

When told that it may be a way for Hastert to avoid a trial, Detzler responded, “That’s so wrong they put people in jail for the dumbest things. It was his money and he wasn’t buying drugs with it and he wasn’t doing anything illegal with it.”

Detzler said pleading guilty isn’t what he would do.

“Individual A--I’m sure he wants to avoid that, which I can’t blame,” Detzler said. “But if I were in his position and it meant going to jail by pleading guilty, I’d take my chances with a jury, I really would. But I guess it’s kind of a bad move either way.”

Additionally, Detzler mentioned he continues to have a hard time understanding the government’s case against Hastert.

“This laundering money … just seems squirrelly to me,” he said.

Bob Evans, who taught and coached with Hastert at Yorkville High School in the 1970s, said a plea agreement would save taxpayers the expense of a trial.

“From that end it’s probably good--let it die and there’s no surprise that was going to happen. From the very beginning they said that,” he said.

Evans said he has not spoken with Hastert recently and considers the allegations against him “old news.”