Summary
Dennis Hastert, who was the longest-serving Republican Speaker of the US House, died at age 84 from natural causes. He was a key figure in passing major laws in the early 2000s but later faced prison time for illegally hiding payments linked to sexual abuse of boys he coached decades earlier.Key Facts
- Dennis Hastert served as US House Speaker from 1999 to 2007.
- He died recently at age 84 at his home from natural causes.
- Hastert helped pass major laws under President George W. Bush, including large tax cuts and expanded Medicare drug benefits.
- In 2015, he was accused of illegally structuring bank withdrawals to hide payments linked to past misconduct.
- Court papers revealed that Hastert sexually abused at least four teenage boys on his wrestling team from 1965 to 1981.
- He pled guilty to evading banking laws and was sentenced to 15 months in prison in 2016.
- The judge called him a "serial child molester" during sentencing.
- Hastert admitted to mistreating athletes but did not directly admit to sexual abuse.
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