Jail time justified for Dennis Hastert

A federal judge got as close to justice as he could when he sentenced former House Speaker Dennis Hastert to 15 months in prison for admitting to violating bank laws and lying to federal investigators.

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert deserved jail time for the banking and lying counts alone.

The sentence was far less than the ailing, 74-year-old Hastert could have received, but it was more than double what the prosecution recommended. And pure justice was impossible, since the allegations of sexual abuse that became central to this banking case occurred in the 1970s.

The statute of limitations lapsed long ago, so Hastert — the longest serving Republican Speaker in history — was not charged with any sex crimes.

In October, Hastert admitted to withdrawing money from his accounts in increments that would allow him to avoid having to report it. That alone is a crime carrying a maximum fiveyear sentence.

But Hastert told investigators he withdrew the money to buy the silence of a man who claimed Hastert had victimized him sexually as a youth, when Hastert was a high school teacher and wrestling coach in Illinois.

The former Speaker said the abuse claim was false, but investigators concluded otherwise. They said it was Hastert who was trying to buy a victim’s silence.

The pre-sentence investigation report to the judge detailed that Hastert had molested or inappropriately touched five teenagers affiliated with the team he coached.

U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin indicated he would consider the information in determining the sentence. It’s common for judges to do this.

Before imposing the 15-month sentence, Durkin spent nearly an hour Wednesday rebuking the 74-year-old Republican.

“Nothing is more stunning than to have the words ‘serial child molester’ and ‘speaker of the House’ in the same sentence,” Durkin said.

As he adjourned the twohour hearing, Durkin added: “I hope I never see a case like this again.”

Hastert read a statement in court essentially admitting to the charges. He said he “mistreated some of the athletes I coached. The thing I want to do is say I’m sorry to those I’ve hurt and misled. They looked at me, and I took advantage of them.”

The judge pressed him further, asking about the statement of a victim who had spoken at the sentencing hearing.

“I don’t remember doing that, but I accept his statement,” Hastert said.

Durkin pressed on about the others and, after a few stumbles, Hastert acknowledged abusing at least two others.

Hastert was in a wheelchair. He is in poor health, and his attorneys asked for probation. The judge was right to reject that.

In addition to the prison term, the judge also ordered Hastert to undergo sex-offender treatment, spend two years on supervised release from prison and pay a $250,000 fine to a crime victims’ fund, according to The Associated Press.

Hastert deserved jail time for the banking and lying counts alone. While his age and health would normally be mitigating factors, the sexual misconduct admissions led the judge to give him more than the six months the prosecution was asking.

It is a just sentence in this sad case in which true justice was elusive. Had the crimes come out decades earlier, the prosecution would have been very different. And so would the course of history.

While his age and health would normally be mitigating factors, the sexual misconduct admissions led the judge to give him more than the six months the prosecution was asking.