Victim Named In Hastert Abuse Scandal

ABC News reports:

In Steve Reinboldt’s 1970 high school yearbook, wrestling coach Dennis Hastert wrote that Steve was his “great, right hand man” as the student equipment manager of the Yorkville, Illinois wrestling team. But Steve was also a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of Hastert, Steve’s sister said today in an interview with ABC News. It is the first time an alleged Hastert victim has been identified by name since his indictment for lying to the FBI and violating federal banking laws to cover-up past misconduct. Hastert, due in court next week, has not responded to the allegations. In an emotional interview, Steve Reinboldt’s sister Jolene said she first learned of her late brother’s purported years-long sexual abuse at the hands of the future Speaker of the House back in 1979 when her older brother revealed to her that he was gay and had been out of high school for eight years. “I asked him, when was your first same sex experience. He looked at me and said, ‘It was with Dennis Hastert,’” Jolene said. “I was stunned."

Reinboldt died of AIDS in 1995. Still unnamed is the person alleged to have been blackmailing Hastert.

Quote Of The Day - Orin Kerr

"If I understand the history correctly, in the late 1990s, the President was impeached for lying about a sexual affair by a House of Representatives led by a man who was also then hiding a sexual affair, who was supposed to be replaced by another Congressman who stepped down when forced to reveal that he too was having a sexual affair, which led to the election of a new Speaker of the House who now has been indicted for lying about payments covering up his sexual contact with a boy. Yikes." - Orin Kerr, writing for the Washington Post. - (Tipped by JMG reader David)

REPORT: Indicted Former GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert Was Being Blackmailed Over Sexual Misconduct

According to unnamed law enforcement officials, former GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert was being blackmailed by someone with knowledge of Hastert having committed "sexual misconduct" with a male many years ago. Via the Los Angeles Times:

One of the officials, who would not speak publicly about the federal charges in Chicago, said “Individual A,” as the person is described in Thursday’s federal indictment, was a man and that the alleged misconduct was unrelated to Hastert’s tenure in Congress. The actions date to Hastert’s time as a Yorkville, Ill., high school wrestling coach and teacher, the official said. “It goes back a long way, back to then,” the source said. “It has nothing to do with public corruption or a corruption scandal. Or to his time in office.” Thursday’s indictment described the misconduct “against Individual A” as having “occurred years earlier.” Asked why Hastert was making the payments, the official said it was to conceal Hastert’s past relationship with the male. “It was sex,’’ the source said. The other official confirmed that the misconduct involved sexual abuse.

Hastert and his lobbying firm have declined to comment.

RELATED: Following the 2006 House page scandal resignation of former GOP Rep. Mark Foley, Hastert was alleged to have known about Foley's actions. Hastert retired from the House in 2007.

Former GOP US House Speaker Dennis Hastert Indicted On Banking Charges

Via Chicago's WGN-TV:

Federal prosecutors have indicted former U.S. House Speaker House Dennis Hastert on bank-related charges. According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office was 73-year-old Hastert was charged “with structuring the withdrawal of $952,000 in cash in order to evade the requirement that banks report cash transactions over $10,000, and lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation about his withdrawals.” According to the indictment, in 2010, Hastert agreed to provide Individual A $3.5 million in order to compensate for and conceal his prior misconduct against Individual A. From 2010 to 2014, Hastert withdrew a total of approximately $1.7 million in cash from various bank accounts and provided it to Individual A.

RELATED: Hastert holds the record for longest-serving GOP House Speaker at 8 years. He retired in 2007. In 2006 Rolling Stone rated him as one of the worst members of Congress ever. He also allegedly had a role in covering up the page scandal that ultimately brought down Rep. Mark Foley.