Ex-US House Speaker Dennis Hastert dies at 84

Dennis Hastert, the longest-serving Republican Speaker of the US House of Representatives, has died astatine the property of 84, officials said Monday.

Hastert, whose governmental vocation ended successful disgrace aft helium admitted sexually abusing teenage boys helium had coached, died astatine his location successful Illinois connected Saturday nighttime portion receiving hospice care, according to the Kendall County Coroner’s Office.

He served arsenic House Speaker for 8 years, from 1999 to 2007, making him 1 of the astir almighty figures successful Washington during that period. The presumption besides placed him 2nd successful the enactment of succession to the US presidency.

However, Hastert’s estimation was shattered years aft helium near Congress erstwhile a national probe into antithetic slope withdrawals uncovered payments linked to an effort to conceal intersexual maltreatment dating to his clip arsenic a precocious schoolhouse wrestling coach.

In 2015, Hastert pleaded blameworthy to illegally structuring currency withdrawals to debar national slope reporting requirements. The withdrawals were portion of a $3.5 cardinal statement helium ...