Though he paid millions to keep a man quiet about the nature of their relationship, former House speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) was a reliable opponent of gay civil rights during his tenure in Congress. On Thursday, a federal grand jury indicted Hastert, alleging that he agreed to pay a man $3.5 million over several years in exchange for the latter’s silence about his prior relationship with the lawmaker, the Associated Press reports. According to the indictment, Hastert gave $1.7 million to the man between 2010 and 2014, who Hastert knew from his past career as a high school teacher and wrestling coach, as compensation for Hastert’s “past misconduct,” and for said misconduct’s concealment.
I was raised to be kind, forgiving, and look for the best in people…and for the most part, I think I do that reasonably well. What I refuse to accept and/or condone is hypocrisy…especially in a public official who later turns out to be everything he portrayed himself as taking a moral and righteous stand against. Without further ado, then, say hello to former Speaker of the House and Republican Congressman from Illinois, Dennis Hastert. Presenting himself as a committed anti-gay, “family values” Christian, Hastert worked hard to keep the LGBT community from being granted equal rights. Speaking openly and often about his opposition to homosexuality and granting gays and lesbians the right to marry, Hastert received perfect voting scores from the National Right to Life Committee, the Christian Coalition, the Chamber of Commerce, and the National Rifle Association. Conservative culture warriors LOVED Hastert; he was one of their own…even as he labored for years to cover up his own dirty little secret. Hastert paid as much as $3.5 million to a male student he allegedly sexually abused during his years teaching high school in Illinois.
How thoroughly did Hastert endeavor to deny and thwart the interests of people who, in retrospect, were his own? The breadth and depth of his hypocrisy was, in retrospect, truly stunning.
As a federal legislator, Hastert voted regularly against bills to empower gay people. In Congress from 1997 to 2007, Hastert voted for the so-called “Marriage Protection Act,” and in favor of a constitutional amendment to “establish that marriage shall consist of one man and one woman.” The year he stepped down, Hastert voted no on the “Employment Non-Discrimination Act,” a bill to prohibit companies from discriminating against employees “on the basis of sexual orientation.”
Without doubt, this is the portrait of a man who turned out to be a truly miserable excuse for a human being who was living (and paying through the nose to cover up) a lie. It would be easy to hate Hastert, to be livid over his rank hypocrisy. He covered up the truth about himself, even as he denied those like himself access to equal rights and equal protection under the law.
On some level, I suppose I’m angry. The worst sort of hypocrite, Hastert was living a lie, denying who he is and pretending to be a dependably Conservative Christian voice for “family values.” More than anything, though, I feel sad. I’m saddened that Hastert was so ashamed of himself and his past that he did a 180 and became one of the faces of the anti-gay movement. Saddened that he evidently preyed on at least one student during his teaching days. Saddened that he’s been purchasing that former student’s silence for years, allegedly breaking federal banking laws while doing so. Saddened that he couldn’t even lie skillfully about not being able to lie skillfully.
Although the indictment provides little information about the nature of that misconduct, the Los Angeles Times, citing law enforcement sources, reports that Hastert was paying to cover up sexual indiscretions with a a person of the same gender he knew from coaching youth wrestling.
“I felt a special bond with our wrestlers,” Hastert wrote in his 2004 memoir. “And I think they felt one with me.”
Hastert would be only the latest conservative Christian political figure to be revealed as engaging in a homosexual lifestyle he demonized as a lawmaker. His record fighting against gay rights is lengthy and rich.
Hastert’s “deeply conservative” politics made him the darling of the American Taliban. At a 2004 meeting of the Christian Coalition, Hastert said he would push for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Stating that “We will not allow them to put our children’s future at risk because of their agenda for political correctness,” Hastert promised that such an amendment would send “a strong message to liberal activist judges.”
The self-loathing is strong in this one….
In retrospect, Hastert’s complete lack of integrity and honesty about who he is and what he’d done is about as pathetic and detestable as it gets. In retrospect, he was just another hypocritical and pathologically dishonest Right-wing politician who talked the talk because he was terrified the truth would out. Compounding his treachery is his federal indictment and the damage he’s done to people like him who just want to be granted the right to live and love as any other American. I’d consider venting a considerable amount of anger on Hastert, but he’s not worth the effort, emotional capital, or brain cells. I have a feeling Hastert’s going to have enough difficulty resolving and living with the shame he’s brought upon himself and the considerable distance he’s fallen. If you look in the dictionary for the definition of Schadenfreude, don’t be surprised if you find a photo of Dennis Hastert is attached to it.
And don’t even get me started on Hastert’s hypocritical role in the Mark Foley scandal….
Karma really can a bitch sometimes.
