Hastert To Announce Retirement As Evidence Mounts Of His Involvement In Cunningham Scandal
Hastert To Announce Retirement As Evidence Mounts Of His Involvement In Cunningham Scandal
For months, Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) has insisted that he will not run for re-election in 2008. In August, The New York Times reported that Hastert “intended to serve through next year because he believed he had an obligation to complete his term.”
Yet now “Republican sources” are revealing that Hastert may announce that he plans to leave the House later this year” and retire early, triggering a special election to replace him.
No specific reason has yet been given for Hastert’s early retirement. DownWithTyranny points out that CNN quoted a GOP aide as stating, “I think he is just done with being a member of Congress.” The former Speaker’s announcement, however, comes as mounting evidence proves Hastert’s involvement in the Duke Cunningham corruption scandal.
In yesterday’s hearings, Joel Combs, the nephew of contractor Brent Wilkes, implicated Hastert in the scandal by pointing to an expensive trip the lawmaker received from Wilkes:
A defense contractor paid thousands of dollars for golf trips, private jet flights, Super Bowl box seats and boat navigation systems for former Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham, the contractor’s nephew testified Wednesday.
In return, Brent Wilkes had virtually unlimited access to the lawmaker, said Joel Combs, who worked for Wilkes and frequently joined him on trips and at meals with the congressman. […]
Wilkes also paid to fly Cunningham and former House Speaker Dennis Hastert from a golf outing in Palm Springs to San Diego for a reception and then back to Washington on private jets, Combs testified.
In September, Wilkes’s lawyer, Mark Geragos, attempted to subpoena dozens of federal lawmakers, including Hastert, to testify. House lawyers, however, “objected, saying members of Congress are covered under a constitutional provision that shields them from testifying about the legislative process.” Earlier this month, Geragos said he may attempt to issue new subpoenas for these members.
Hastert was also wrapped up in the ethics scandal of fallen lobbyist Jack Abramoff, ultimately collecting “more than $100,000 in donations from Abramoff’s firm and tribal clients between 2001 and 2004.” While receiving these contributions, Hastert wrote to federal officials on behalf of Abramoff’s clients.
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Well at least he’ll have that land deal to fall back on. And fall he will.
October 18th, 2007 at 11:50 amHastert To Announce Retirement As Evidence Mounts Of His Involvement In Cunningham Scandal
Another dirty GOP politician ; who woulda’ thunk it ?
October 18th, 2007 at 11:50 amgive him immunity. wrong is right in todays world.
October 18th, 2007 at 11:50 amDon’t let the screen door hit ya on the way out, Mr. Hastert.
October 18th, 2007 at 11:52 am…Hastert To Announce Retirement As Evidence Mounts Of His Involvement In Cunningham Scandal
Run! Run, you fat coward!
October 18th, 2007 at 11:53 amC ya fat boy!
October 18th, 2007 at 11:56 amFRY PIGGIE!!! FRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 18th, 2007 at 11:58 amwhat with the delay between threads, i figured there was
something “big” you guys were working on, TP…
heh…
October 18th, 2007 at 12:04 pmnext TP headline:
October 18th, 2007 at 12:11 pm“President Bush runs over 3 year old SCHIP recipient on the way to give speech in front of Halliburton executives”
He(Hastert) appears to be absolutley TERRIFIED of that ginormous bow….
I wonder if his momma was scared by a christman present whilst she was preggers….
October 18th, 2007 at 12:12 pmoops,…that’s christmaS…
(jingle jingle)
October 18th, 2007 at 12:13 pmnext TP headline:
“President Bush runs over 3 year old SCHIP recipient on the way to give speech in front of Halliburton executivesâ€
Comment by whiteyfresh — October 18, 2007 @ 12:11 pm
#
“Rush Limbaugh claims he did the right thing”
“Ann Coulter complains that he only ran over one”
“Michelle Malkin: ‘the 3yr-old’s mother was a drunk’”
October 18th, 2007 at 12:13 pmcaption contest:
October 18th, 2007 at 12:15 pm“Hastert, who suffers from ’small man’ syndrome(not height) always finds the biggest bow for his wife’s annual ‘present’.”
Conflict of Interest? He don’t got no stinkin Conflict of Interest!
Bye, Denny, don’t let the jail door hit you on the way in.
October 18th, 2007 at 12:15 pmWhy is Hastert cringing from that gigantic gift bow?
October 18th, 2007 at 12:16 pmIs the gift gigantic?
A gigantic bottle of Viagra?
also, is he holding a RAINBOW umbrella?!?!
*snarky mcsnarkleson*
October 18th, 2007 at 12:16 pmzup RUC!
I’m feelin a little extra peppery today, how bout you?
October 18th, 2007 at 12:17 pmHey whitey! I just love the smell of repukelikin legislators frying in the morning!
October 18th, 2007 at 12:18 pmRUC-he took a trip to Alabama recently…
October 18th, 2007 at 12:18 pmIt’s a GIANT bottle of “Grandma’s Sex Grease”
“Grandma’s Sex Grease†apparently ground this thread to a halt…
October 18th, 2007 at 12:23 pm“Everyone’s too busy throwing up to post right now, please hold, as posting will resume shortly.thank you”
October 18th, 2007 at 12:24 pmI had a visual of Hasturd; on Duke Cunninghams boat in the Potomac, getting into the hot-tub and causing a tidal surge up through the yacht basin….
(Sorry, hope nobody was eating lunch…)
October 18th, 2007 at 12:26 pmi hear cry baby cunnigham is singing like a canary….
i wonder what he’ll give up under the board
October 18th, 2007 at 12:26 pmLets not forget that Hastert help cover up for Foley as well. I am neither sorry, nor surprised at his sudden departure.
October 18th, 2007 at 12:31 pmAs Mao once said:
Let a thousand (Has)Turds bloom!
October 18th, 2007 at 12:33 pmcaption:
“It is with (pant-pant) great difficulty I (pant-wheeze) cut the chees…
October 18th, 2007 at 12:34 pmI mean ribbon (pant-pant) to open this new section of freeway (slobber-pant) that runs right past my poor little (pant-pant) scrap of land that I swear I bought having no idea (wheeze-wheeze) would ever be worth anything more than (pant-pant) I paid, I mean, you paid, for ….”
new section of freeway (slobber-pant) that ….
slobber-pant is the new way to describe whenever ANY redudlican opens their mouth…
frikkin hilarious… :)
October 18th, 2007 at 12:41 pmCaption Contest: Either thats a giant juicy meatball or I need to get my eyes checked, either way, I’m gonna eat that sucker.
October 18th, 2007 at 12:43 pmHuh. I read a wire service (AP?) article this morning with that ridiculous he’s “just done with being a member of Congress” rationale —- and there was NOT ONE SINGLE MENTION of Hasturd’s involvement in the Cunningham scandal.
What was that “liberal media” thing again…??
October 18th, 2007 at 12:44 pmThe picture is a visual of the “red tape” he successfully tied congress in.
October 18th, 2007 at 12:46 pmCaption:
“Jesus H Christ, can’t these frickin lobbyists be a little more discreet about their gifts”.
October 18th, 2007 at 12:46 pmdenny we hardly knew ye…
October 18th, 2007 at 1:02 pmOnly one explanation for that expression on fatty’s face. Someone in the crowd yelled
FOLEY!
October 18th, 2007 at 1:04 pmAnd we are supposed to believe that a Congressman would just quit in the middle of his term? Not unless he is in extremely ill health, has some kind of severe family problem, or is up to his eyeballs in scandal.
October 18th, 2007 at 1:07 pmHastert the creepy Vogon.
October 18th, 2007 at 1:10 pmEspecially a repub Congressman miss molly. They always feel that they have to stay no matter what they get caught in.
October 18th, 2007 at 1:11 pmIt wasn’t obligation the ended Dennis Hastert’s career it was the testimony of the Hookers that brought him down. Viagra much be doing alot of business with the GOP Law Makers. Most look like they can’t move around yet they get down when it comes to partying with Hookers or prostitutes.
October 18th, 2007 at 1:17 pmHastert is just another victim of Rove’s “Permanent Republican Majority” that will drag many more GOP hacks down before it’s over. Republicans have a tough platform and set of values to sell America in 2008–war–death–debt. Had enough?
October 18th, 2007 at 1:36 pmAbramoff, the gift that keeps on giving!
October 18th, 2007 at 6:13 pmtrolls? micheal? daryll? bigfwat? where are you cowards on this one?
>Abramoff, the gift that keeps on giving!
or in democrats case, merely the “director” that keeps on “directing”. only bigfoot knows what that means though.. he has the inside information he tells me..
October 18th, 2007 at 6:49 pmMaybe a need for blanket amnesty. Any Congressperson who resigns before the end of this year, will not be charged with any criminal act while in Congress. Then see how many are remaining at the start of next year.
October 20th, 2007 at 9:26 am