Will Dennis Hastert's portrait keep its place of honor in Capitol?
Though former House Speaker Dennis Hastert pled guilty Wednesday to a felony charge of breaking federal banking laws, one symbol of Hastert's legacy continues to hang in a place of honor in the U.S. Capitol.
A portrait of the Illinois Republican, showing Hastert holding a gavel in front of the speaker's chair, has been perched on a wall in the House speaker's lobby since 2009. Behind Hastert is the House mace, which is present whenever the chamber is in session.
But amid a federal scandal and allegations of sexual abuse, some want the portrait of Hastert, the longest-serving Republican speaker of the House, taken down.
With his guilty plea, the 73-year-old Republican avoided a trial that could have revealed unsavory details about the $3.5 million he paid to an unidentified individual. The federal indictment said the money was used to hide past wrongdoing by Hastert. Law enforcement officials later told CBS News that the money was used to cover up claims of sexual misconduct from Hastert's days coaching a high school wrestling team in Illinois.
In June, a network for sexual abuse survivors called for the House to take down Hastert's portrait.
In light of Hastert's appearance Wednesday before a U.S. District Court, the group, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), called it a "moral and civic duty" for Congress to remove the symbol.
"I think elected officials have a duty to try to maintain public trust in government," SNAP executive director David Clohessy told CBS News. "An easy way to do that is to avoid honoring admitted wrongdoers. And there may be no more simple way to protect public trust in government than to take down his portrait."
Clohessy added that "in essence, Congressional leaders are condoning" the behavior by keeping the portrait, paid for by tax-payer dollars, in the halls of Congress.
If Congress removed the painting, it would be a first in Congressional history.
According to the Capitol Historical Society, the current House Speaker is responsible for any decisions regarding Hastert's portrait.
Speaker Ryan's office is looking into the request.
Some institutions have already begun the process of erasing the legacy of the Illinois Republican, who served as House speaker in 1999 and held the gavel for a record eight years. Hastert's alma mater, Wheaton College, removed his name from their Center for Economics, Government, and Public Policy earlier this year.