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WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has indicted former House Speaker Dennis Hastert on reporting evasion charges and lying to the FBI as part of an effort to pay off victims of “prior bad acts.” In an indictment handed down in the District Court of Northern Illinois, the Department of Justice and IRS charged Hastert, 73, with illegally transferring funds in an effort to avoid detection by the IRS, a scheme known as “structuring.” In the indictment, Hastert is accused of agreeing to pay one individual $3.5 million. Although the indictment specifies neither the “bad acts” nor the victims, sources said they could be from before Hastert, who is now a lobbyist in Washington, entered politics in 1980.
This is just minding numbing. A Speaker of the House of Representatives structuring bribes/payoffs in an effort to avoid Federal Money Laundering charges...The Patriot Act, so to speak.
What will the defense be? He "didn't know"?
What was the money a bribe for? $3.5 Million is a fair piece of change, even for a sleazy politician (aren't they all?). What heinous act did he engage in that required such a payoff?
This is just crushing that a Representative would dirty our political system (yes, I know. I am not naïve) with such behavior. Truly, it crushes, little by little, the belief that somewhere there is someone in a position of power in America who is not stealing, lying, or otherwise persuing self aggrandizing behavior.
Sad. I hope they lock him up and throw away the key forever.
Oh...even more disgusting... it wasn't enough that he was hiding millions of dollars, but then he sold his soul to the lobbying effort in Washington to put himself in position to receive even MORE ill gotten payoffs.
Individual A is someone that has know Hastert nearly individual A's entire life. $3.5mm?
There is only one thing it could be.
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...in your imagination, that is. 
