Hastert Attorneys Ask For Sentencing Delay, Citing Former Speaker's Health
CHICAGO (AP) -- Lawyers for former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert asked a federal judge on Friday to delay sentencing in his hush-money case because of his recent hospitalization for a stroke, as well as for spinal and blood infections -- saying he has difficulty walking and will require weeks of rehabilitation.
The Illinois Republican, who turned 74 earlier this month, has been unable to prepare for his Feb. 29 sentencing because of his health problems, according to the filing in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The document doesn't request a specific new date for sentencing but suggests that a status hearing be held on the question March 7.
The three-page motion says Hastert was admitted to hospital in the first week of November and released Jan. 15. It adds that Hastert still needs up to six weeks of home care and rehabilitation.
"Mr. Hastert continues to need assistance for most daily activities, and also needs both a walker and a leg brace to walk in his household," the filing goes on to say. "He will also need close follow up with several specialists during this process."
It adds that required care could extend to additional months.
"When home care is complete, Mr. Hastert will likely be recommended for outpatient physical therapy, which could last between six and twelve additional weeks depending upon the course of recovery," the filing says.
Hastert was accused in May of evading banking regulations as part of a plan to pay hush money to conceal "prior misconduct." The Associated Press and other media outlets, citing anonymous sources, have reported that Hastert wanted to hide claims that he sexually molested someone decades earlier.
Hastert pleaded guilty Oct. 28 to a felony count of evading bank reporting laws in a hush-money scheme. In the written plea agreement, he directly acknowledged for the first time that he sought to pay someone $3.5 million to hide misconduct by Hastert against that person dating back several decades -- about the time the longtime GOP leader was a high school wrestling coach.
Hastert had allegedly paid more than $1.7 million to the person, sometimes in lump sums of $100,000 cash, by the time the scheme was discovered. The indictment said the payments stopped after FBI agents first questioned Hastert in December 2014.
Prosecutors recommended that he serve no more than six months in prison.
Hastert was a little-known Illinois lawmaker whose reputation for congeniality helped him ascend the ranks of Congress to become the longest-serving Republican speaker in U.S. history. In January 1999, House Republicans voted for him to succeed Newt Gingrich, who had lost support because of ethics violations and the party's poor showing in the 1998 midterm election. He served as speaker from 1999 to 2007.
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