Disgraced former House Speaker Dennis Hastert dies at 84

Dennis Hastert, the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives whose later years were marred by a federal conviction linked to past sexual abuse, has died at the age of 84.

Hastert passed away from natural causes at his residence over the weekend, according to an announcement on Monday from Kendall County Coroner Jacquie Purcell in Illinois.

A Republican from Illinois, Hastert held the speaker's gavel from 1999 to 2007, marking the longest tenure of any GOP House speaker in American history. He stepped down from his leadership position after Democrats regained the House majority and subsequently resigned from his congressional seat during his 11th term in office.

His political legacy was permanently overshadowed nearly a decade later when federal investigators scrutinized his financial transactions. In 2015, Hastert entered a guilty plea to charges of structuring bank withdrawals to evade federal reporting thresholds. Prosecutors revealed the funds were intended to pay hush money to conceal his past sexual abuse of four teenage boys, who were between the ages of 14 and 17 in the 1970s when Hastert worked as a wrestling coach at Yorkville High School.

Because the criminal statutes of limitations regarding the assaults had long elapsed, Hastert could not be prosecuted directly for the abuse. However, during his 2016 sentencing proceedings, U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin denounced him as a "serial child molester." Hastert admitted wrongdoing in court, expressing deep shame and apologizing for mistreating student athletes under his supervision. He received a 15-month prison term alongside a $250,000 fine and supervised release conditions that barred him from possessing pornography or being alone with minors. He completed his incarceration at a federal medical facility in 2017.

Hastert first entered Congress following the 1986 elections after serving in the Illinois state legislature. He rose to the speakership following the resignation of Newt Gingrich, eventually giving way to Democrat Nancy Pelosi when control of the chamber shifted.

During his leadership in Washington, Hastert played a pivotal role in enacting major legislative priorities of President George W. Bush, including sweeping tax reductions, the creation of a Medicare prescription drug benefit, and authorization for the war in Iraq. His tenure also gave rise to the "Hastert Rule," an informal legislative practice dictating that a speaker should advance legislation for a floor vote only if it commands the backing of a majority of the majority party.

Following his guilty plea, institutions moved quickly to sever ties with the former leader. In 2015, then-House Speaker Paul Ryan directed the removal of Hastert’s portrait from display in the Capitol. The following year, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame stripped Hastert of the honors it had previously bestowed upon him.