Discussion:

Discussion for article #237289

Didn’t see that coming.

We may learn Individual A’s identity yet.

I’m quite surprised there wasn’t some “no contest” plea deal.

He has until June 23rd to get rid of his guns? Christ almighty what kind of an arsenal does Touchy McSpeaker have?

Hastert’s lawyer has requested his fees be paid in cash installments of $9,999.

color me surprised… NOT!!!

Is that per day or per hour? -gryn-

“I’m not guilty…”

…I just always wanted to give away $3 million dollars to some random person.

My bad.

And if the intent is to avoid a suicide or a barricade situation, why two weeks? Why not immediately, as in, “the Marshals will accompany you to your home when you leave here, and will take possession of any firearms you have.”

Judge Thomas M. Durkin ordered Hastert to have no contact with potential witnesses or alleged victims in the case and to remove any firearms from his property by June 23, according to the AP.

Why is this man allowed to keep ANY firearms on his property for that long? – Two weeks? Can’t he be ordered to have them removed by, say 5 p.m. this Friday, June 12th? If he were not a wealthy white man, would he be afforded such an accommodation?

Sounds like I’m being nit-picky, but I want Hastert to be treated like me (a dirt-poor white guy) or my dirt-poor black neighbors would be in similar cases (yes, even involving such sums of money).

Couldn’t agree more. I have stated before that I believe that at this stage in his life, Hastert is a suicide waiting to happen.

I think he parsed it very carefully…he is not guilty of lying about bank fraud and lying to the FBI (says he). My understanding is that the FBI didn’t ask him about his earlier behavior because that part wasn’t included in the charges.

That doesn’t take him out of the fire though. He was clearly in a position of vulnerability to blackmail when he was Speaker. If he never has to answer for that his name is still mud…or not…See Vickers.

The poor guns.

Confessing but not confessing is the repig way. Look at where furhman and north are now.

I am astonished.

He would appear to me to be caught red-handed and dead-to-rights on the structuring charge. I’m not an expert, but do have a professional interest in knowing these laws.

And, to my knowledge, the crime is NOT lying to the FBI. That’s a second and separate crime. Deliberately withdrawing $9999 consecutively so as to avoid a transaction greater than $10K is the crime. And that would appear to be a fairly easy case to make. Exhibit A: Mr Hastert’s bank statements with the multiple transactions just below $10K highlighted…

So now he’ll get to have a trial, have less leniency from the judge and running the risk of further messy revelations. What does he have to gain? I don’t see it at all.

Unless he’s hoping that the blackmail element will get him off the structuring charge, but my understanding is that the purpose of the withdrawals is irrelevant. The purpose of creating the crime of structuring was to trip up people who are using large amounts of cash for nefarious purposes without being able to prove exactly what those nefarious purposes were…

And the chutzpah of expecting leniency for being blackmailed by someone you sexually abused is mind-blowing, even by GOP standards.

Unless he’s plead not guilty to lying to the FBI but intends to plead guilty to structuring? The article isn’t entirely clear which charges he’s pleaded not guilty to.

This is at least the third Hastert story Catherine has begun with the same word: “Embattled former…”
What has seemed strange to me about this story so far is the silent calm at the center. Hastert is anything but combative, nor has he had mouthy lawyers crying down the charges, nor have the feds had anything at all to say. No embattlement to be found, yet.

I get more confused the more I read about this. OK. There is a law on the books that says if you withdraw $10,000 or more from your own personal bank account, the bank is required to report it to the Feds. The reason for this is to snag drug dealers, etc.

So why is it a problem to withdraw $9,999 from your own personal account if that is what you want to do? If it is to avoid being reported to the Feds, so what? It is your money, and you are below the threshold that they set up, right?

Should a cop stop you for driving one MPH below the speed limit because you didn’t want to get a ticket for speeding?

If $9,999 becomes the new standard, would drawing $5,000 twice a month trigger a report?

I am no Denny Hastert fan, but this whole thing is weird, and simply drawing out money from your own personal bank account seems to me to be something that you ought to be able to do.

The abuse of children is a separate issue, although the money thing (which really should not have triggered a report?) is what brought it to light. The “Individual A” is obviously talking to someone, but if he is a blackmailer this whole thing gets thornier and thornier.

Is anyone here able to put this in a context that makes sense to a non-lawyer?

Maybe the NRA will help adopt them out to “good” homes. This gives people bragging rights: “My gun is a rescue!”

So the judge is giving him two weeks alone with two amply-stocked gun safes in the house? I guess they’re hoping Hastert can off himself and just save the taxpayers the trouble and expense.

Of course the right wingers will say “Liberals and Gays hounded poor Denny into the grave!”