And it was a sheer accident that the world learned a dark secret about Hastert, years after he left Capitol Hill.
asserted
he → learn → Hill
House Republicans were on the verge of losing their majority in the 2006 midterms.
asserted
Republicans → lose → midterms
Word had just broken that then-Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) had sent inappropriate messages to high school-age male teens, serving as House pages.
asserted
Foley → break → pages
The Republican-led House was meeting on September 29, 2006, trying to escape town so the GOP could defend their majority.
uncertain
GOP → lead → majority
But nothing was going right for Republicans.
asserted
nothing → go → Republicans
The public was growing weary of President George W. Bush and the war in Iraq.
asserted
public → grow → Iraq
Democrats were poised to retake the House in November.
asserted
Democrats → poise → November
Yours truly and Deirdre Walsh — then of CNN — spotted the portly Hastert lumbering across Statuary Hall toward the Speaker’s office.
asserted
Hastert → spot → office
"Did he call you?" Walsh asked Hastert about Foley.
asserted
Walsh → call → Foley
"What are you going to do about it?" I inquired.
asserted
I → go → it
"We’ll talk about that shortly," mumbled Hastert under his breath, his wide glasses nearly tumbling over the bridge of his nose as he huffed into the Speaker’s suite.
asserted
he → talk → suite
An hour later, Hastert, outgoing Senate Majority Leader
Bill Frist (R-TN) and other top Republicans convened a brief press conference to tout a national security bill they just passed.
asserted
they → convene → bill
The legislation was designed as the GOP sendoff as lawmakers went home to campaign.
asserted
lawmakers → design → sendoff
"Ok, we’ll take questions.
asserted
we → take → questions
Only on the bill," instructed Frist.
asserted
Frist → instruct → bill
No one even squeaked.
asserted
one → squeak → ?
Finally, I piped up.
asserted
I → pip → ?
"We have questions about other subjects," I announced, determined to ask about Foley.
asserted
I → have → Foley
"Alright," said Frist, shoving back from the table.
asserted
Frist → say → table
The Tennessee Republican knew what was coming.
asserted
what → know → ?
Frist was happy he wouldn’t have to address Foley.
asserted
he → have → Foley
Especially since Frist planned to run for President in 2008
asserted
Frist → plan → 2008
I inquired about Foley.
asserted
I → inquire → Foley
Hastert muttered a non-answer which was barely usable for broadcast.
asserted
which → mutter → broadcast
He mumbled something about him not being "very happy" about Foley.
asserted
him → mumble → Foley
But it was a soundbite from the Speaker of the House on the scandal, right as a bloodied GOP hit the exits for the midterm campaign.
asserted
GOP → bloody → campaign
Someone then quickly adjourned the press conference.
asserted
Someone → adjourn → conference
A few days later, local reporters in Illinois pressed Hastert about how he handled the Foley matter.
asserted
he → press → matter
Back in Washington, asked one of the Speaker’s aides why Hastert – as a former teacher and coach – wasn’t more aggressive protecting the teen pages.
asserted
Hastert → ask → pages
We may have found out why years later.
uncertain
We → find → ?
Eighty-four year-old Dennis Hastert died of natural causes over the weekend.
asserted
Hastert → die → weekend
He was the longest-serving Republican Speaker in history, wielding the gavel from 1999 to 2007.
asserted
He → serve → 2007
Hastert stumbled into the Speakership, rising thanks to the missteps of others.
asserted
Hastert → stumble → others
Yet despite his years in Congress, what we learned about Hastert nearly a decade after he left office revealed him to be one of the most grotesque persons to ever serve in Congress.
asserted
him → learn → Congress
In fact, Hastert is the highest-serving U.S. official to ever serve jail time.
asserted
Hastert → serve → time
Virtually no one knew it, but Hastert was an unbridled sexual predator.
asserted
Hastert → know → it
Known as "Coach" rather than "Mr. Speaker" to his Capitol colleagues, Hastert preyed on teenage boys when he taught high school in the 1960s and 1970s.
asserted
he → know → 1960s
Hastert was never implicated in the page scandal.
asserted
Hastert → implicate → scandal
The House nixed the program soon afterwards, even though it was nearly as old as the republic.
asserted
it → nix → republic
But in retrospect, how Hastert fumbled what was going on with the House pages shockingly added up later.
asserted
what → fumble → pages
…and 50 more, not listed.
The Aporia
