But the former congressman’s attorneys said in court Thursday that their client will change his plea at an October 28 hearing, according to The Chicago Tribune.
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Hastert pleaded not guilty in June to one count each of evading currency reporting requirements and lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and remains free on his own recognizance. If Hastert’s attorneys doubted that a favorable plea deal was within their grasp, they probably would have filed multiple legal requests, possibly including ones barring certain witnesses from testifying at trial, said lawyer Darryl Goldberg, a Chicago-based lawyer with no link to the case.
The 73-year-old has pleaded not guilty to charges that he broke banking laws and lied to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in efforts to pay someone $3.5 million to hide claims of past misconduct.
Hastert was also charged with lying to federal agents about the payments.
The individual who was allegedly receiving hush money from Hastert has not surfaced publicly.
It was unclear what charges that Hastert would plead guilty to and what the sentence may be.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Block confirmed for the judge that talks on a plea deal were ongoing and asked that the two sides be given additional time for the discussions.
Hastert, who served 20 years in Congress that included almost nine years as speaker of the House, taught and coached at Yorkville High School from 1965 to 1981. Hastert’s lead attorney, Thomas C. Green, has argued that the allegations in the media of past sexual misconduct – which he blamed on government leaks – could undermine Hastert’s right to a fair trial. They could even call “Individual A” as a witness. It is not clear whether the plea deal reached with federal prosecutors would entail jail time – but it will prevent the well-known figure from going through a long, revealing trial. Hastert, an easygoing and popular figure who was known on Capitol Hill as “the coach”, was adept at corralling members of his caucus and pushing the Republican agenda.
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1999: Hastert voted speaker of the House of Representatives.
