The judge made that announcement as both sides appeared in court Monday on an otherwise routine motion to extend filing deadlines in the case.
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“You should know”, Durkin said.
The Tribune reported that Hastert’s attorney John Gallo and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Block told Durkin that they were discussing a plea deal.
Gallo also said his defense team drafted a motion to dismiss the indictment and shared it with prosecutors. The U.S. Attorney declined to comment beyond confirming that the parties are engaged in plea negotiations.
During Monday’s hearing, the judge raised concerns about attorneys’ repeated requests for delays in the case.
Legal experts say that Hastert, who wasn’t at the hearing, had a strong incentive for reaching a plea agreement & avoiding trial. Details weren’t immediately released. He said it could undermine Hastert’s right to a fair trial.
Hastert has pleaded not guilty to violating banking rules and lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation after agreeing to pay $3.5 million to someone to hide past misconduct.
An indictment handed down in May alleges that the Republican agreed to pay the money to a person identified only as “Individual A”, but offers no details about the alleged misconduct. They said that prosecutors were likely to give jurors at the trial a little information on the allegations which aren’t mentioned in the indictment.
The indictment did not specify the nature of those acts, but sources with knowledge of the investigation told BuzzFeed News that Hastert, a former wrestling coach from a small town outside Chicago, was allegedly paying hush-money to one of his former wrestlers, whom he sexually abused decades ago.
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Meanwhile, a plea deal with prosecutors could mean those details never see the light of day.
