Dennis Hastert, ex-speaker pleads guilty in hush-money scheme

Dennis Hastert leaves a Chicago court after agreeing to a plea deal in which prosecutors recommended that he serve no more than six months in prison. Dennis Hastert leaves a Chicago court after agreeing to a plea deal in which prosecutors recommended that he serve no more than six months in prison. Photo: Zbigniew Bzdak, McClatchy-Tribune News Service Photo: Zbigniew Bzdak, McClatchy-Tribune News Service Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Dennis Hastert, ex-speaker pleads guilty in hush-money scheme 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

CHICAGO — Dennis Hastert pleaded guilty Wednesday to evading banking laws in a hush-money scheme, averting a potentially lurid trial by agreeing to a deal with prosecutors that recommends the former House speaker serve no more than six months in prison.

In the written agreement, the Illinois Republican directly acknowledged for the first time that he sought to pay someone $3.5 million to hide misconduct by Hastert against the person.

Before accepting the plea, the 73-year-old was warned by the judge that he could go beyond the recommendation and give Hastert up to five years behind bars when he is sentenced in February.

Because the plea agreement has a sentencing range from no prison time to six months, U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin could also decide to put Hastert on probation or home confinement.

The plea helped seal the downfall of a man who rose from obscurity in rural Illinois to the nation’s third-highest political office. During his eight years as speaker, Hastert was second in the line of succession to the presidency.

The hearing revealed no new details about why Hastert agreed to pay the money.

The indictment and the plea language both said the payments were meant to conceal past misconduct by Hastert, but neither document explained the nature of the wrongdoing.

Various media, citing anonymous sources, have reported that the payments were meant to hide claims of sexual misconduct from decades ago.

At the half-hour hearing in Chicago, a subdued Hastert read from a brief statement that — like his indictment — focused narrowly on how he technically broke banking laws.

By pleading guilty, Hastert avoids a trial that could have divulged the embarrassing secrets dating back to his days as a high-school wrestling coach that he presumably wanted to keep under wraps by paying hush money.