2026-10-05 09:49 EDT / 福克斯新闻网
哈斯特因与封口费相关的银行业罪行在联邦监狱服刑13个月，这笔钱款用于支付他曾性侵的一名学生
作者：查德·珀格拉姆 福克斯新闻网
发布时间：2026年10月5日 09:49 EDT | 更新时间：2026年10月5日 10:29 EDT
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6406080473112
纽特·金里奇：他们究竟是如何找到这些人的？
前众议院议长纽特·金里奇抨击民主党在中期选举前“失去了理智”，并质疑该党部分候选人是如何被提名的。
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据伊利诺伊州肯德尔县验尸官杰奎·珀塞尔消息，前众议院议长、共和党籍伊利诺伊州众议员丹尼斯·哈斯特“在自己家中自然去世”。
这份简短声明于周一清晨发布在验尸官的官方网站上。
哈斯特享年84岁，是美国政坛最声名狼藉的人物之一。
他曾是美国历史上任职时间最长的共和党众议院议长，1999年至2007年执掌众议院议长权杖。但哈斯特的政治生涯遭遇了最可耻的滑铁卢之一，成为美国史上入狱服刑级别最高的公职人员。
莫妮卡·莱温斯基回忆丑闻后“极度黑暗的时刻”，以及如何在“数十亿陌生人”的评判中挺过来
哈斯特的丑闻是在他离开国会多年后曝光的，但事件可追溯至20世纪60年代和70年代，当时他在伊利诺伊州担任高中历史老师和摔跤教练。哈斯特在2015年承认，早在1980年代中期进入国会之前，他就曾性侵年仅14岁的青少年学生和运动员。
哈斯特的议长职位来得意外。
1998年末，时任众议院议长、共和党籍佐治亚州众议员纽特·金里奇宣布辞职，当时哈斯特只是共和党高层中的首席副督导。金里奇极具争议，部分共和党议员早已对他不满，认为他在推动弹劾克林顿总统的问题上做得过火。再加上共和党在1998年中期选举中险些失去众议院控制权，最终导致金里奇辞职。
共和党随后提名时任众议院拨款委员会主席、共和党籍路易斯安那州众议员鲍勃·利文斯顿成为1999年的议长。
但在1998年末，众议院就弹劾克林顿进行投票之际，利文斯顿被曝与一名说客存在不正当关系。就在众议院就克林顿与莫妮卡·莱温斯基相关的两项弹劾条款进行投票的数小时前，利文斯顿宣布辞职，表示不会在新一年就任议长。
截至当日傍晚，共和党人推举当时的后座议员哈斯特在1999年担任议长。
2006年末，哈斯特因在时任佛罗里达州共和党众议员马克·福利向众议院实习生发送不当短信事件曝光后，未能更积极地保护青少年实习生而遭到批评。这一丑闻最终导致了自美国建国之初就存在的众议院实习生项目被废止。
2006年中期选举中民主党夺回众议院控制权后，哈斯特失去了议长职位。2007年初，他不再担任共和党领导层职务，并于同年晚些时候辞去国会职务。
前民主党众议员巴尼·弗兰克去世，这位言辞犀利的自由派先驱、多德-弗兰克法案联合起草人离世
哈斯特平日里十分低调，拒绝接受采访和媒体曝光。
由于曾有摔跤教练经历，议员们都称他为“教练”，哈斯特也常宣称自己更像是一个“倾听者”而非“演说家”。
但哈斯特的职业生涯在2015年迎来转折。
美国奥运英雄南希·霍格斯黑德打赢官司，排球教练2.5亿美元诽谤诉讼被驳回
联邦银行监管机构注意到哈斯特以奇怪的间隔提取巨额现金的反常行为，怀疑这些交易可能意味着有人在敲诈这位前议长。
但正是通过这一事件，公众才得知哈斯特实际上一直在向他上世纪70年代性侵过的一名学生的家属支付数百万美元的封口费。
在因非法银行交易受审时，哈斯特承认数十年前曾性侵学生，称自己“虐待了运动员”并“利用了他”。主审法官将这位前议长称为“连环儿童性侵者”。
哈斯特因银行业罪行被判处15个月联邦监禁，在明尼苏达州罗切斯特的一所监狱服刑了13个月。不过，哈斯特从未因性行为方面的指控面临法律后果。
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哈斯特还因“哈斯特规则”为人熟知。在哈斯特担任议长期间，除非众议院共和党议员多数支持某项法案，否则他不会将该法案提交全院表决。在哈斯特卸任后的多年里，众议院共和党人仍沿用这一标准审议法案。
但在哈斯特定罪丑闻曝光后，这一术语不再被使用。
查德·珀格拉姆目前担任福克斯新闻频道(FNC)首席国会通讯员。他于2007年9月加入该媒体，总部位于华盛顿特区。
Highest-ranking US official to ever serve jail time, former House Speaker Dennis Hastert dead at 84
2026-10-05 09:49 EDT / Fox News
Hastert served 13 months in federal prison for banking crimes tied to hush money payments to a student he sexually abused
By Chad Pergram Fox News
Published October 5, 2026 9:49am EDT | Updated October 5, 2026 10:29am EDT
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6406080473112
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Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., “passed away at his home due to natural causes,” according to Kendall County, Illinois, Coroner Jacquie Purcell.
The brief statement was posted on the coroner’s website early Monday morning.
Hastert was 84 and one of the most ignominious figures to serve in American politics.
He was the longest-serving Republican speaker in history, wielding the gavel from 1999 to 2007. But Hastert’s career featured one of the most disgraceful falls from grace, becoming the highest-ranking U.S. official to ever do jail time.
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert next to his seat in the Congressional Chambers shortly before President Bill Clinton delivers his State of the Union speech before a joint session of Congress on January 20, 1999.(David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)
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The scandal involving Hastert emerged years after he left Congress — but dates back to the 1960s and 1970s when he served as high school history teacher and wrestling coach in Illinois. Hastert admitted in 2015 that he sexually abused teenage students and athletes as young as 14 — long before he entered Congress in the mid-1980s.
Hastert was an accidental speaker.
He served as chief deputy whip in the Republican hierarchy in late 1998 when House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., decided to step aside. Gingrich was controversial. Some GOP members had knives out for him and believed Gingrich overplayed his hand pushing for impeachment of President Clinton. This, coupled with Republicans nearly losing control of the House in the 1998 midterms, set the table for Gingrich to step aside.
Republicans tapped then-Rep. Bob Livingston, R-La., Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, to become Speaker in 1999.
Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, speaks during the third day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, on July 17, 2024.(Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)
But in late 1998, as the House voted to impeach Clinton, it came to light that Livingston had an inappropriate relationship with a lobbyist. Hours before the House voted to approve two articles of impeachment for Clinton linked to his relationship with Monica Lewinsky, Livingston stepped aside and said he would not stand for speaker in the new year.
By nightfall, Republicans picked Hastert, a backbencher, to serve as speaker in 1999.
Hastert was criticized in late 2006 for not moving more aggressively to protect teenage House pages after it was discovered that then-Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., sent inappropriate text messages to the pages. The scandal led to the end of the House page program, which dates back to the beginning of the republic.
Hastert lost the speakership when Democrats seized control of the House in the 2006 midterms. Hastert did not serve in the GOP leadership in early 2007 and resigned from office later that year.
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Hastert was often quiet and shunned interviews and the press.
Known as “Coach” to fellow lawmakers because of his wrestling background, Hastert often proclaimed that he was more of a “listener” than a “speaker.”
But Hastert’s career took a dark turn in 2015.
Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert was the longest-serving Republican speaker in history, wielding the gavel from 1999 to 2007.(Finn Gomez/Getty Images)
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Federal banking regulators flagged Hastert’s curious withdrawals of staggering amounts of cash at peculiar intervals. Banking regulators suspected the transactions signaled that someone may be blackmailing the former Speaker.
But that’s how it came to light that Hastert was actually paying millions of dollars in hush money to the family of a student he abused in the 1970s.
Hastert admitted to sexually abusing students decades before at his trial for illegal bank transactions, saying he “mistreated athletes” and “took advantage of him.” The judge in the case called the former speaker “a serial child molester.”
Hastert served 13 of 15 months of his federal sentence for banking crimes at a facility in Rochester, Minn. However, Hastert never faced legal ramifications for sexual conduct.
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Hastert is also known for the “Hastert Rule.” When Hastert served as speaker, he would not bring a piece of legislation to the floor unless it had the support of a majority of House Republicans. House GOPers continued to use that standard for bills for many years after Hastert left office.
But that terminology fell out of favor after Hastert was convicted and information about his past became public.
Chad Pergram currently serves as Chief Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.