Lawyers for ex-House Speaker Hastert talk possible plea deal

Associated Press

CHICAGO

A possible plea agreement is being negotiated in the hush-money case of former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, attorneys told a judge Monday, meaning potentially embarrassing details about the underlying actions in the case may never be divulged in court or anywhere else.

Hastert, who led the U.S. House for nine years, has pleaded not guilty to charges the Republican skirted federal banking laws in an attempt to pay someone $3.5 million to hide claims of past misconduct.

An indictment handed down in May alleges that Hastert agreed to pay the money to a person identified only as “Individual A” and offers no details about the purported misconduct. The Associated Press and other media, citing anonymous sources, have reported the payments were intended to conceal claims of sexual misconduct decades ago.

The disclosure about talks on a plea agreement came during a pre-trial hearing in Chicago and after U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin asked both sides to explain why they have repeatedly asked for more time for pretrial motions. Prosecutors and defense attorneys – who have taken steps to keep information not in the indictment secret – confirmed to the judge that they were in talks, but they offered no details.

Legal experts said Hastert, who did not attend the hearing, has a strong incentive to reach a plea agreement and avoid trial. They said prosecutors would likely want to provide jurors at trial with at least some information about the underlying allegations that aren’t detailed in the indictment.