6 months for violating banking laws, 0 months for molesting 5 children.
Ain’t America great when you have money?
Dear House Republicans - You may want to change the name of what you refer to as the “Hastert Rule.” Your obstructionist hero is a child molester. I, however, will invoke Hastert’s name often and descriptively when discussing what Republicans have done to this country.
Actually, the problem here isn’t money…it’s the statute of limitations laws involved in these crimes. After all, these actions took place back in the 70’s and 80’s. Most state laws don’t allow prosecution for molestations going back that far.
Given how long it can be before a molestation survivor can bear stepping forward, it needs to be changed.
$3.5 million in hush money to one wrestler? Wow. I gotta give the kid props for that. That’s one helluva payout under the table.
at least when Bubba was accused of having an affair with an intern she was of legal age…
I suppose in Republican mind’s it’s different because Denny didn’t get caught until he was well out of office…
And I’m still a bit puzzled about how that’s not extortion. It’s being described as some sort of “settlement,” to compensate the victim, but as far as I can tell, no lawsuit was ever filed. What would have happened if Hastert had just stopped paying?
“…Hastert, the only adult on the trip, told the 14-year-old that he would
stay in his room while about a dozen other boys stayed in a different
room…”
How did he explain that arrangement? And how did that not get talked about?
Cosby and Hastert show that some alpha males don’t age well…
Everything Hastert did to these kids is reprehensible, and certainly deserves, in my opinion, more serious sentencing than the banking violations, but that is how our system works.
On the other hand, Hastert has also “screwed” EVERY American citizen, politicizing our legislative process by inflicting the “Hastert Rule” on our political system. He has done an inestimable amount of damage to the way the House of Representatives functions, or rather, fails to function. Refusing to hold votes on bills unless a “majority of the majority” has already agreed to the legislation denies all citizens the representation we are promised under our system.
Of course, only the misogynistic GOP would be able to proudly continue to hold our nation hostage using a fake “rule” named after a child molester - and do it with a “straight” face. When will he be held accountable for his crime against the American citizenry?
“noted the statute of limitation on any sex-abuse charges have long since run out, making the banking charges the only ones they could pursue”
… Perhaps we should be asking which politicians wrote the laws that set the relatively short statues-of-limitations for child abuse?
You beat me to it. How about “FU Dem voters across the country - you get no representation here”?
Too verbose or too accurate?
Bribery vs lobbying
Settement vs extortion
Fine lines that I’m not clever enough to differentiate.
I sorta wonder if he still gets the money since Denny doesn’t need to wash it anymore…
From now on whenever some douche uses the Hastert rule to obstruct, he/she must now call it the “Molesting Coach” rule.
Because he made every effort to keep it it secret. I recall when the story first broke the Hastert camp was flogging the settlement story. Hard. They were saying it was not extortion. I am no lawyer, but I am sure if both sides agree some sort of “settlement” contract can be written up to make it all nice and legal.
The defense has asked the judge to give Hastert probation and spare him prison time, citing Hastert’s deteriorating health and the public shame he’s already suffered.
Cough, cough. Your Honor, I don’t feel well. plus, I’ve gotten a couple of weeks older. And I blush when people point at me
Statute of Limitation laws serve the goal of fair trials and the right of the accused to a full defense. It is very difficult for an accused person to mount a useful defense many years after a crime is said to have been committed.
Evidence is lost or corrupted, witnesses have moved away or died or no longer recall the events clearly.
In ancient Athens such limitations were enacted to limit the activity of “professional accusers”
and don’t forget 1 year for ignoring mine safety and OSHA laws to maximize money made, resulting in the deaths of numerous miners in a mine collapse. (and in the autopsies they found that most of them had advanced black lung disease)
Statute of Limitation laws are starting to be changed in cases of child sexual abuse thankfully. It does serve justice for this to happen.