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Interview: An Overview Of Dennis Hastert Hush Money Case

United States Congress
Dennis Hastert ca. 2007, his last year serving as US Speaker

Another Illinois politician is facing potential prison time. This time it's Dennis Hastert, a former Republican Illinois Representative who served as the US Speaker of the House from 1999 to 2007.  Hastert, now 74 years old, grew up in northern Illinois and spent time as a high school teacher and wrestling coach before making his way into politics. A hush money case that surfaced about a year ago and dredged up allegations of prior sexual abuse has him in the national spotlight.

Jason Meisner is a reporter for The Chicago Tribuneand has covered the case extensively, starting when the federal indictment came down last May. You can find his reporting here. Meisner spoke on the phone from his office in Chicago to tell us about what the past year has been like for Hastert, and what his sentencinghearing could bring next week (it's slated for April 27th):

Rachel Otwell of the Illinois Times is a former NPR Illinois reporter.
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