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Hastert, D REP

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BTB 11 26 DELAY

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Bill Koetzle   staffer rev dr hastert

Vice President

Federal Affairs

bill Koetzle serves as senior vice president of Government Affairs, leading advocacy efforts in Congress, the Administration and federal agencies on industry priority issues.

Before joining API, Koetzle spent a decade at Chevron, managing the company’s legislative, regulatory and political affairs, including the development of the company’s policy positions and advocacy strategy to achieve top priorities. While at Chevron, Koetzle spent time in Asia leading advocacy on Chevron’s tax and environmental priorities, managing government relations, internal and external communications, and community engagement activities in support of the company’s investments in six countries, including China and Thailand.

Prior to his time at Chevron, Koetzle spent a decade working in leadership and policy development roles in the House of Representatives, including as Deputy Republican Staff Director for the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Assistant to the Speaker for Policy and Illinois Director, and Legislative Director for Representative Dennis Hastert (R–Ill.) beginning in 1998.During his time in Congress, Koetzle managed the congressional and district offices for the Representative-turned-Speaker of the House, as well as constituent services and appropriations and was theprimary advisor to Speaker Hastert on energy, environment, telecommunications, natural resources and agricultural issues. Koetzle later served as the Senior Vice President for Public Policy at the Institute for Energy Research, a non-profit organization that conducts research and analysis on impacts to global energy markets.

Koetzle graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at Irvine. He went on to earn his master’s and Ph.D. in political science, also from the University of California at Irvine. Koetzle and his family reside in northern Virginia.

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https://www.newsweek.com/jim-jordan-dennis-hastert-ohio-state-alleged-sexual-abuse-bill-maher-1472204

no lnx [ix

U.S.

Bill Maher Compares GOP Congressman Jim Jordan to Dennis Hastert Amid Sex Abuse allegations

BY BENJAMIN FEARNOW ON 11/16/19

Bill Maher ridiculed Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan's alleged role in allowing dozens of teenage boys to be raped or sexually abused by a team doctor during Jordan's previous tenure as Ohio State University assistant wrestling coach.

The Real Time with Bill Maher host on Friday compared Jordan, whom he described as the "Republican impeachment star," to former GOP Congressman and fellow wrestling coach, Dennis Hastert. In a scathing monologue using blunt sexual description, Maher questioned why two "creepy wrestling coaches" went on to become top Republican Party members of Congress. Jordan is accused in lawsuits of allowing the now-deceased team doctor to sexually abuse young boys and male students as he worked alongside him for more than eight years.

"Yeah, yeah, we know," Jordan and the then-OSU wrestling head coach, Russ Hellickson, allegedly replied to one plaintiff who said the team doctor sexually abused him after a 1994 match.

As reported by WKYC, Jordan has adamantly denied the allegations and claimed they are politically motivated. But on Friday, Maher compared the accusations to the 2016 conviction of Hastert, whom a federal judge sentenced to 15 months in prison for pay-off crimes tied to being a "serial child molester," according to The New York Times.

"Jim Jordan, he's a former wrestling coach, who the players say knew that the team doctor was sexually abusing a lot of the players-and he did nothing about it," Maher said. "Now to be fair to Jim Jordan, he is not accused of abusing any of the players himself, he just stood by and did nothing while horrible things happened: so good practice for the hearing."

"This is all 'alleged,' but you know, a million people say it," Maher added.

Maher used his typical twist of comedy and political punditry to blast Jordan, who has become one of the top defenders of President Donald Trump during House impeachment hearings.

"Have you seen the Republican impeachment star, Jim Jordan, of Ohio?" Maher continued. "He always looks like a guy who's about to get in a bar fight and tells somebody, 'hold my jacket.' I believe Republicans keep him in a cage and they feed him Red Bull and crystal meth, they shoot his ass with steroids and then they unleash him on the hearing room."

Maher compared Jordan to Hastert, who in 2016 became the highest-ranking elected official in U.S. history to serve a prison sentence after he was convicted of trying to pay "hush money" to boys he later admitted sexually abusing while he was a Yorkville, Illinois wrestling coach.

Hastert is the longest-serving Republican Speaker of the House in U.S. history, and was released from federal prison in July 2017.

"Jim Jordan is the second wrestling coach turned Republican congressman who has had a sex scandal having to do with the wrestling children," Maher said. "Dennis Hastert anybody?...He was also a creepy wrestling coach. What are the odds?"

A federal lawsuit with hundreds of plaintiffs alleges Ohio State University officials, including Jordan, were aware that now-deceased doctor Richard Strauss was sexually abusing boys as young as 14-15 years old for years and did nothing about the alleged heinous acts. One plaintiff, identified as John Doe 42, said he told Jordan and Hellickson that Strauss masturbated on him in the shower after a match, which the two shrugged off.

"Yeah, that's Strauss," Jordan and Hellickson replied, according to the latest lawsuit. John Doe 42 is the second plaintiff to accuse Jordan of being explicitly aware of sexual abuse and taking no action. Former Ohio State wrestler Dunyasha Yetts was the first to accuse of Jordan of being complicit in the team doctor's alleged crimes.

"It's good that people are starting to come forward and say the truth, which is that Jordan and the other coaches knew what was going on and they blew it off," Yetts told NBC News last week.

"It was common knowledge what Strauss was doing, so the attitude was it is what it is," he said. "I wish Jim, and Russ, too, would stand up and do the right thing and admit they knew what Strauss was doing, because everybody knew what he was doing to the wrestlers. What was a shock to me is that Strauss tried to do that to me. He was breaking new ground by going after a ref."

bill maher jim jordan hastert

Bill Maher compared Jim Jordan to former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert, both of whom are tied to sexual abuse allegations of boys in wrestling programs while they were coaches.

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not sure why this is fatal: see above

Hastert has been in hiding since the indictment was issued. He is set to be arraigned next week on a federal indictment based on allegations that he sought to cover up a deal to pay $3.5 million to an acquaintance over “prior misconduct.” The Illinois Republican had already paid $1.7 million of that amount in small increments from various banks, and reports have said the payments were made as compensation to a former student for prior sexual misconduct.:{Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/dennis-hastert-lobbying-firm-118603#ixzz443NrmAlb 

Follow us: @politico on Twitter | Politico on Facebook}:

==

109th Congress

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) – the ranking Republican member and former chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee – and Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) – the ranking member and former chair of its subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality – had blocked previous climate change legislation that had come through their jurisdictions. [[60]](http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=U.S._congressional_action_on_climate_change#cite_note-59)

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Dennis_Hastert

John Dennis Hastert was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Illinois' 14th District between 1987 and 2007 (map). Hastert was the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1999 to 2006. Hastert retired from Congress in at the end of 2007 and joined the Public Policy & Law Practice of the lobbying firm Dickstein Shapiro in 2008.[1][2]

Contents[hide]

Record and controversies

General information about important bills and votes for can be found in Congresspedia's articles on legislation. You can add information you find on how Dennis Hastert voted by clicking the "[edit]" link to the right and typing it in. Remember to cite your sources!

Iraq War

For more information see the chart of U.S. House of Representatives votes on the Iraq War.

Hastert voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.[3]

Environmental record

For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

CLEAN Energy Act resistance

Hastert opposed the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007, which addressed royalties and tax breaks previously afforded to oil and gas companies. He argued that, "We do not need a tax on domestic energy production and development...Increasing taxes on our nation's energy industry means one thing: more reliance on foreign oil and gasoline."[4][5]

Jack Abramoff Scandal

On June 10, 2003 Dennis Hastert signed a letter, along with three other members of the GOP leadership, to Interior Department Secretary Gale Norton opposing the issuance of a casino license to the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians to open an off-reservation casino near the casino of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana Indians, a client of Jack Abramoff's.[1] The other singatorees of the letter were Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Majority Whip Roy Blunt, and Chief Deputy Majority Whip Eric Cantor. The letter was odd because none of these members represented any tribal interests. The lobbyist for the Jena Band, V. Heather Sibbison, found the letter to be very strange, "I have never seen a letter like that before. It was incredibly unusual for that group of people, who do not normally weigh in on Indian issues, to express such a strong opinion about a particular project not in any of their home states."[2] The letter, it turns out, was drafted by Todd Boulanger (whose original version was toned down), a lobbyist working with Jack Abramoff.[3]

Seven days before writing the letter, on June 3, 2003, Hastert attended a fundraiser for his leadership PAC, Keep Our Majority, at Signatures, a restaurant owned by Jack Abramoff. Keep Our Majority collected "at least $21,500 for his Keep Our Majority political action committee from the lobbyist's firm and tribal clients."[4] Hastert then failed for two years to report using the restaurant for fundraising[5] and did not reimburse for the cost as he is supposed to.[6] In total Dennis Hastert and his PAC, Keep Our Majority, took in well over $100,000 in contributions from Abramoff and his clients.

On January 3, 2006 Abramoff pleaded guilty to a number of charges including bribing officials to obtain positive legislative action for his clients. Hastert quickly dumped campaign contributions connected to Abramoff by giving $70,000 to charity.[7] Abramoff, in his plea deal, agreed to cooperate with further investigations of lawmakers who he had bribed. Three other lobbyists also pled guilty in connection to the case and agreed to provide information on lawmakers. Two of those lobbyists formerly worked for Tom DeLay and one worked for Bob Ney.

On May 24, 2006 Brian Ross of ABC News reported that Dennis Hastert was "in the mix" in the Justice Department's investigation of lawmakers influenced by Abramoff.

Hastert quickly countered, stating that he never did anything wrong and that there was no investigation.[9] The Justice Department also issued two denials of Hastert being under investigation. One of those denials was issued by the Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty, ""With regard to reports suggesting that the Speaker of the House is under investigation or 'in the mix,' as stated by ABC News, I reconfirm, as stated by the Department earlier this evening, that these reports are untrue."[10]

Ross refused to back down and, after checking back with his sources, reaffirmed the story.[11] Ross and ABC state that Hastert is not a subject or a target in an investigation, but rather is "in the mix" of the ongoing investigation. Hastert and the DOJ have continued to deny that anybody is looking at Hastert[12] and the Speaker has stated that he may sue ABC for libel if they do not retract their statements.[13] Hastert has also claimed that the leaked information to Ross from Justice Department sources was retaliation for his stance against the raid of Rep. William Jefferson's congressional office.[14]

Shielding vaccine companies

In what has been described as a brazen move by Senator Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL), the lawmakers covertly inserted language [in December 2005] in a fiscal year 2006 Defense spending conference report—the bill, H.R. 2863, was ultimately signed into law as Public Law 109-148—that would grant certain legal immunity to vaccine manufacturers, even in cases of **willful misconduct**. This language was added quietly and in the dead of night, receiving no debate on the House floor. Despite strong opposition from congressional members, Frist and Hastert used their power in the Senate and House to force the language through. The potential impact of this addition is that American citizens would have little legal recourse in the event of serious injury or death resulting from vaccines designed to combat an avian influenza pandemic. Several news articles have reported that both Frist and Hastert (and others, including Hastert's son) benefited from their actions. The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is purported to be the key author of the language additions. This trade association represents virtually all major vaccine manufacturers.

Support for Turkey Controversy

In October 2000, Hastert withdrew at the last minute a promised House of Representative vote on a resolution to recognize the killing of as many as 1.5 million Armenians as genocide. Hastert claimed that this was prompted by a telephone conversation with President Bill Clinton in which "Clinton said he was 'deeply concerned' about the language in the document... Hastert said Clinton had warned of 'possible far-reaching negative consequences for the United States' if the House voted on the legislation." [15]. Hastert defended pulling the vote, saying "I believe the Armenian people suffered a historic tragedy, and that this resolution was a fitting condemnation of those events. But the president of the United States, the commander and chief of our Armed Forces, has asked us not to bring this resolution to the House floor. This is not an idle request. We all know that the situation in the Middle East is unusually tense." [16] He blocked similar legislation in 2004. [17]

Allegations of Bribery Controversy

In September 2005, an article by David Rose published in Vanity Fair Magazine reported that FBI translator turned whistleblower Sibel Edmonds alleged that she listened to wiretaps in which "[t]he targets [Turkish nationals] reportedly discussed giving Hastert tens of thousands of dollars in surreptitious payments in exchange for political favors and information." Rose states that, "Between April 1996 and December 2002, un-itemized personal donations to the Hastert for Congress Committee amounted to $483,000." Rose reported that, according to a Hastert spokesman, "Hastert has no affiliation with the A.T.C. or other groups reportedly mentioned in the wiretaps." The spokesman is quoted as saying, “He does not know these organizations”, that Hastert is “unaware of Turkish interests making donations,” and his staff has “not seen any pattern of donors with foreign names.” [18] A Hastert spokesperson has called the article "nonsense" [19].

Edmonds repeated her allegations under Oath in a deposition for an unrelated lawsuit, Jean Schmidt vs. David Krikorian. In her sworn testimony, Edmonds stated that Hastert is, "one of the primary U.S. persons involved in operations and activities that are not legal, and they're not for the interest of the United States but for the interest of foreign governments and foreign entities." and he's complicit in "[t]he acceptance of large sums of bribery in forms of cash or laundered cash ... to make it look legal for his campaigns, and also for his personal use, in order to do certain favors and ... make certain things happen for foreign entities and foreign governments' interests, Turkish government's interest and Turkish business entities' interests." (48-49) [20]

Hastert And The Patriot Act

In February 2003 the Center for Public Integrity, a non-profit journalism group, released draft legislation prepared by the then Attorney General John Ashcroft titled the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003 but dubbed Patriot Act II. The legislation, CPI argued, would "give the government broad, sweeping new powers to increase domestic intelligence-gathering, surveillance and law enforcement prerogatives, and simultaneously decrease judicial review and public access to information." [21] At the time, members of the House Judiciary committees were unaware of that draft legislation was being prepared. The same week that CPI released the leaked draft, Senate Judiciary Committee staff had been told that no legislation was being prepared. However, a document obtained by the PBS program "Now With Bill Moyers" suggested that the draft legislation had been circulated to Hastert and Vice President Richard Cheney on Jan. 10, 2003. "Attached for your review and comment is a draft legislative proposal entitled the 'Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003,'" the memo stated. [22] Hastert has been a strong supporter of the Patriot Act and its re-authorization. [23]

George Soros Controversy

In September 2004, billionaire currency trader George Soros filed an official complaint with the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct charging Hastert had said on radio and television that Soros received drug money. [24] In an interview on Fox News Hastert had complained about Soros funding a range of 527 committees ahead of the 2004 Presidential election. "You know, I don't know where George Soros gets his money. I don't know where—if it comes overseas or from drug groups or where it comes from. And I—," he said. Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace interjected: "Excuse me?" "Well, that's what he's been for a number years—George Soros has been for legalizing drugs in this country. So, I mean, he's got a lot of ancillary interests out there," Hastert continued. [25]

New Orleans Rebuilding Controversy

Hastert generated controversy on September 1, 2005 when he said spending Federal money to rebuild New Orleans from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina "doesn't make sense to me."[26]. Hastert went on to say that "It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed."

In a later media release by Hastert to 'clarify' his initial comments he stated: "It is important that when we rebuild this historic city that we consider the safety of the citizens first. I am not advocating that the city be abandoned or relocated." [27]

Failure to disclose real estate trust

On June 14, 2006, Bill Allison of the Sunlight Foundation reported that Hastert used an Illinois trust to invest in real estate near the proposed route of the Prairie Parkway, a highway project in Illinois. In Congress, Hastert was then able to secure $207 million in earmarked appropriations for the project, which includes an exit near his land. According to the report, the trust has now transferred 138 acres of the land to a real estate development firm that plans to build a 1,600-home community, located just a few miles from the north-south connector Hastert has championed in the House.

Hastert's 2005 financial disclosure form, released June 14, makes no mention of the real estate trust. Hastert lists several real estate transactions in the disclosure, all of which were in fact done by the trust. Kendall County public records show no record of Hastert making the real estate sales he made public today. Rather, each was executed by the trust. [28]

On June 19, Hastert responded to the allegations, which at this point had been run in several prominent newspapers including the Chicago Tribune and Washington Post. Asserting that he had done nothing illegal, he stated, "I listed it the way the disclosure said I should list it exactly." He went on to blame the attention generated by this ordeal on the, "unrelenting Democratic media." [29]

Designed to connect the counties west of Chicago to the metropolis itself, the Prairie Parkway had neither the support of the public nor the Illinois Department of Transportation. Their objection: Rigid requirements in the highway bill would force the diversion of state funds that might have been used for the widening and improvement of existing roads--an approach, according to opinion polls, favored by a majority of the area's residents--or for more efficient transportation corridors to Chicago.

Squabbling over the ballooning cost of the bill might have prevented this highway from ever coming to fruition. But Hastert played an unusually active role in shepherding the legislation, a more aggressive role than he played at any other point in his speakership. His dominance of the process was noted by an Illinois highway official, who remarked, "I think it's truly a recognition of the leadership of Speaker Hastert. Speaker Hastert was able to deliver a bill that made it through Congress that the president could sign, rather than a bill that would make it through Congress that the president would veto." [30]

Human rights in Colombia

According to documents posted online by the National Security Archives at George Washington University, Hastert secretly told Colombian national police to ignore the human rights requirements that were attached to Clinton era US military aid to Colombia. Those requirements called on the Colombian police to cut their extensive ties to paramiliatry death squads with a long history of civilian massacres (sometimes with chainsaws) intended to seize farm land for right wing control over the drug trade. [31]

Rep. Mark Foley congressional page scandal

In October 2006, Hastert got swept up in the Mark Foley page scandal. In the early days of the scandal, Hastert denied knowing about Foley's page problems. This, however, was contradicted by a few Republican members of Congress that said they told him directly. Hastert later hedged his story by saying he may have been told but did not remember the conversations. In the ensuing days, several newspapers and members of Congress called for his resignation as Speaker of the House. The actions of Hastert's office were also the target of an investigation by the House ethics committee.

Accusations of hindering a probe of security contracts

In October 2006, two former House Appropriations Committee investigators accused Rep. Hastert's chief counsel, Ted Van Der Meid, of having hindered their efforts to look into possible waste and abuse of funds appropriated for upgrades to a secret House office meant to ensure the continued function of the legislature in the event of a terrorist attack. The investigators accused Van Der Meid of screaming profanities at them, refusing them access to certain sites, and telling at least one aide not to talk to them. Hastert's office had taken a lead role in supervising the security upgrades due to his position of third in line for the presidency in case of a coordinated terrorist attack. [32]

Hastert will not seek reelection in 2008

In August 2007, CQ reported that Hastert was expected to announce his retirement from Congress. The campaign for his replacement included Republicans Chris Lauzen, an Illinois State Senator, Jim Oberweis, a dairy executive, and Kevin Burns, mayor of Geneva. Democrats in the race included Bill Foster, a scientist and businessman, John Laesch, a previous Congressional contender, and Jotham Stein, a lawyer. The district previously favored Republican candidates, but Illinois Democrats said they would be aggressively competing in the election.[6]

On August 17, 2007, Hastert officially announced that he would not seek reelection in 2008. After his announcement, he received praise from politicians of both parties. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said, “Speaker Hastert has always placed a high value on public service, a calling he dedicated much of his life to as a teacher, coach, and member of the House. He can take great pride in his record as the longest-serving Republican Speaker, an accomplishment that is a testament to his leadership in the Republican Conference. I salute Dennis Hastert for his service to our nation and wish him the best as he prepares for the next chapter in his life.”[7]

President Bush also praised his service, saying "I am indebted to Denny for his candid advice and strong support, and I look forward to working with him throughout the remainder of the 110th Congress. As my good friend prepares to move on to the next phase of his life, he has my gratitude for his distinguished service."[7]

2009: Hastert joins lobbying firm, working on $35,000/mo. contract for Turkey

April 10, 2009 The Hill reported that Hastert had joined the lobbying firm Dickstein Shapiro, and, along with others at the firm, is "working on a $35,000-per-month contract for Turkey, according to records on file with the Justice Department." The Hill also reported that, "[i]n a Feb. 27 letter to Thomas O’Donnell, Gephardt’s former chief of staff and executive vice president at his firm, Dickstein partner Robert Mangas says he and Hastert 'will be principally involved in the representation' of Turkey", and that, "[o]ne issue Hastert and others lobbying for Turkey will have to deal with this year is a congressional resolution that defines the killing of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks in the early 1900s as genocide. The Turkish government opposes the resolution and has lobbied against it every time it has been introduced in Congress." [33]

Bio

Background

Hastert was born January 2, 1942 in Aurora, Illinois and grew up in Oswego, Illinois. He graduated from Wheaton College, Illinois in 1964 and earned a master's degree in education from Northern Illinois University in 1967. He moved to Yorkville, Illinois, 55 miles west of Chicago and took a job as a government and history teacher at Yorkville High School. He also coached wrestling and football, leading the wrestling team to a state title in 1976. In 1980, he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives and served three terms, becoming ranking Republican on the Appropriations Committee.

14th District Congressman John Groteberg did not run for a second term in U.S. House election, 1986 due to a terminal illness. Hastert was nominated by a Republican convention to succeed him. He faced Mary Lou Kearns, the Democratic coroner of Kane County. Hastert initially ran a sluggish campaign, but eventually the district's strong Republican lean (the 14th has been held by Republicans for all but four years since its formation in 1903) prevailed, allowing Hastert to win with 52 percent of the vote. He has never faced another contest nearly that close, winning reelection nine times with close to 70 percent of the vote.

Rise to the Speakership

Hastert's rise to the Speakership came unexpectedly. During his first 12 years in Congress, he had been a relatively low-key member with a reliably conservative voting record. He worked closely with Illinois Republican leaders, especially Minority Leader Robert Michel. In the wake of the 1994 elections when Republicans took control of the House for the first time in 50 years Hastert was asked by Tom DeLay to run his campaign for Majority Whip. Hastert put together a team of 20 Republicans and worked to secure a victory for DeLay over his opponent Bob Walker. Afterwards Hastert was named Chief Deputy Whip, the highest appointed position in the House Republican caucus. In this position, he was chief vote-counter for Majority Whip Tom DeLay.

Following a disappointing Republican performance in the 1998 elections and facing rebellion from his caucus, Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia abruptly resigned from the Speakership and did not take his seat for an 11th term. House Committee on Appropriations chairman Bob Livingston of Louisiana quickly gathered enough support within the Republican caucus to become de facto Speaker-elect, but announced that he would resign his seat as well after admitting to an extramarital affair. This series of events occurred amid the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

With the departures of Gingrich and Livingston, the likely candidates for the Speakership seemed to be Majority Leader Dick Armey and DeLay, both from Texas. However, both were seen as vulnerable. Armey had only recently deflected a challenge from Oklahoma's Steve Largent to unseat him as majority leader. DeLay was as controversial then as now, and was well aware that with a sharply reduced majority (indeed, it was at least in part Gingrich's prediction of a 30-seat win, and subsequent 5-seat loss, that had forced Gingrich out of the House), he would be too controversial and polarizing for the Republicans to reliably transact business in such a closely divided Congress. The leadership then turned to Hastert as a compromise candidate.

Praise from Religious Right

Religious Right leaders praised Hastert's elevation to the Speakership. Phyllis Schlafly said, "This is great news for the Republicans. It's turning over a new leaf. Denny Hastert has a longtime record as a pro-family conservative and I know that this is a better day for the Republicans in Congress."

The Executive Director of the Christian Coalition Randy Tate: "Denny Hastert is a man of true principle and integrity. He is a true conservative. Denny received a "Friend of the Family" award [from the Christian Coalition] and only 80 members out of the 435 members in the House received that award."

James Dobson, the head of Focus on the Family, also gave Hastert his blessing.

Hastert has attended numerous Religious Right meetings, including a Family Research Council discussion on AIDS and drug legalization.

Speaker

Following his election as Speaker, Hastert unusually delivered his acceptance speech from the floor, allowing Minority Leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri to preside briefly. Hastert noted the need for both parties to work together, saying: "Solutions to problems cannot be found in a pool of bitterness. They can be found in an environment in which we trust one another's word; where we generate heat and passion, but where we recognize that each member is equally important to our overall mission of improving the life of the American people." His policy agenda focused on lowering taxes, improving education, strengthening Social Security and Medicare, and bolstering national defense.

Although Hastert, as Speaker, is the nominal leader of the House Republicans, he does not take a high profile role in the media, in dramatic contrast to Gingrich. Some observers felt that the Majority Leader (first Armey, then DeLay, then Roy Blunt, and now John Boehner) has held more real power. Hastert denies this. In the months after 9-11, he met regularly with President Bush, Vice President Cheney, the two Senate leaders and the House minority leader to shape the national response. Some have offered the observation that while Gingrich was a bombastic strategist, Hastert is a quiet tactician; the contrast of his predecessor may have exaggerated Hastert's preferred working style. As Speaker he traditionally does not serve on any committee nor vote on the floor.

In a 2003 speech Hastert announced that a principle of his as Speaker would "to please the majority of the majority. ... On occasion, a particular issue might excite a majority made up mostly of the minority. ... The job of speaker is not to expedite legislation that runs counter to the wishes of the majority of his majority."[34] In following this statement Hastert has ushered in a policy whereby all legislation that will pass must pass only with the "majority of the majority".[35] Therefore, members of the minority -- the Democrats -- have been left sidelined and rarely able to influence policy. The pursuance of such a policy has partially been determined by the slim majority that Hastert has ruled with.

In 2001, Hastert visited Osweiler, Luxembourg, the village in Luxembourg where his ancestors are from.

Hastert has been a prominent advocate of the Fair tax proposal to replace the income tax with a national sales tax. He has been a strong supporter of all of the Bush administration foreign and domestic policies.

On June 1, 2006 Hastert became the longest serving Republican Speaker of the House in history. Hastert surpassed Joseph "Uncle Joe" Cannon, also of Illinois, who served as Speaker from November 1903 to March 11, 1911. Hastert has served since January of 1999.[36]

2006 congressional elections

Hastert was challenged in the 2006 congressional elections by Democrat John Laesch. He defeated Laesch, receiving 60% of the vote. [37]

Expected resignation

Republican aides on October 18, 2007 said Hastert would resign soon rather than complete his term 15 months from now. In August, 2007 Hastert announced he would not seek re-election in 2008, but said he planned to finish the current term, which ends in January 2009. Aides said he intended to leave office late 2007 or early 2008. A resignation would cause a special election, probably in early 2008. Republicans reportedly hope to hold the seat ahead of the November 2008 election which some fear may draw large numbers of Democratic voters unhappy with President Bush and the Iraq war.[8]

Resignation

On November 26, 2007, Hastert submitted official notice of his resignation. In letters addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Hastert announced his decision to resign immediately. [9]

The 11-term Republican based the timing of his decision on an upcoming primary election. By resigning when he did, Hastert gave Blagojevich enough time to schedule a special election the same day as the primary election.[9]

Joins Turkish Lobby, 2009

April 10, 2009 The Hill reported that Hastert had joined the lobbying firm Dickstein Shapiro, and, along with others at the firm, is "working on a $35,000-per-month contract for Turkey, according to records on file with the Justice Department." The Hill also reported that, "[i]n a Feb. 27 letter to Thomas O’Donnell, Gephardt’s former chief of staff and executive vice president at his firm, Dickstein partner Robert Mangas says he and Hastert 'will be principally involved in the representation' of Turkey." [38]

Money in politics

This section contains links to – and feeds from – money in politics databases. cid=N00004781&cycle=2006

Links to more campaign contribution information for Dennis Hastert

from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org site.

Links to more campaign contribution information for Dennis Hastert

from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org site.

Links to more campaign contribution information for Dennis Hastert

from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org site.
Fundraising profile:2006 election cycleCareer totals
Top contributors by organization/corporation:2006 election cycleCareer totals
Top contributors by industry:2006 election cycleCareer totals

Committees and Affiliations

Committees

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

More Background Data

Wikipedia also has an article on Dennis Hastert. This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the GFDL.

Contact

Articles and Resources

Articles

Sources

  1. ↑ Jeffrey H. Birnbaum. "Hastert to Join Lobbying Firm Dickstein Shapiro", Washington Post, May 31, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Speaker J. Dennis Hastert", Dickstein Shapiro website, accessed September 2009.
  3. ↑ Roll call vote, Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002.
  4. ↑ Josef Herbert. "House Rolls Back Big Oil Subsidies," CBS News. January 19, 2007.
  5. ↑ "Democrat backlash against US oil industry," Telegraph. January 20, 2007.
  6. ↑ Greg Giroux, "GOP Favored to Hang Onto Illinois District After Hastert Retires," CQ, August 14, 2007.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Aaron Blake and Jackie Kucinich, "Hastert taps out," The Hill, August 17, 2007.
  8. ↑ Charles Babington, “Hastert to Resign Soon, GOP Aides Say,” ‘’The AP,’’ October 18, 2007.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Andre Salles, "Dennis Hastert resigns House seat", The Courier News, November 26, 2007

External Articles

Articles by Hastert

Reports and Press Releases

Resources

2006 Election Resources

Local blogs and discussion sites

References

==

medicare part D donut

**Billy Tauzin**: Former chair of the the **Energy and Commerce Committee**, which had oversight of the drug industry, who after retiring from Congress in late 2004 started as head of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America in January 2005.

Legislative history

According to the New York Times December 17, 2004 editorial W.J."Billy" Tauzin, the Louisiana Republican who chaired the Energy and Commerce Committee from 2001 until February 4, 2004 was one of the chief architects of the new Medicare law.[[6]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_Prescription_Drug,_Improvement,_and_Modernization_Act#cite_note-NYT_2004_dec_17-6)[[7]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_Prescription_Drug,_Improvement,_and_Modernization_Act#cite_note-USNews_2004-7) In 2004 when Tauzin was appointed as chief lobbyist for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the trade association and lobby group for the drug industry with a "rumored salary of $2 million a year,"[[6]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_Prescription_Drug,_Improvement,_and_Modernization_Act#cite_note-NYT_2004_dec_17-6) drawing criticism from a Washington-based Public Citizen,

the consumer advocacy group. They claimed that Tauzin "may have been

negotiating for the lobbying job while writing the Medicare

legislation."[[7]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_Prescription_Drug,_Improvement,_and_Modernization_Act#cite_note-USNews_2004-7)[[8]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_Prescription_Drug,_Improvement,_and_Modernization_Act#cite_note-washingtonpost_dec_2004-8)

"It's a sad commentary on politics in Washington that a member of

Congress who pushed through a major piece of legislation benefiting the

drug industry, gets the job leading that industry."

— Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook 2004

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said,[[7]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_Prescription_Drug,_Improvement,_and_Modernization_Act#cite_note-USNews_2004-7)

"I think if seniors want to know why the pharmaceutical companies

made out so well at their expense, all they have to do is look at this.

This is an abuse of power. This is a conflict of interest."

— House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi 2004

The bill was debated and negotiated for nearly six months in

Congress, and finally passed amid unusual circumstances. Several times

in the legislative process the bill had appeared to have failed, but

each time was saved when a couple of Congressmen and Senators switched

positions on the bill.

The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives early on June 25, 2003 as H.R. 1, sponsored by Speaker Dennis Hastert.

All that day and the next the bill was debated, and it was apparent

that the bill would be very divisive. In the early morning of June 27, a

floor vote was taken. After the initial electronic vote, the count

stood at 214 yeas, 218 nays.

Three Republican representatives then changed their votes. One opponent of the bill, Ernest J. Istook, Jr. (R-OK-5), changed his vote to "present" upon being told that C.W. Bill Young (R-FL-10), who was absent due to a death in the family, would have voted "aye" if he had been present. Next, Republicans Butch Otter (ID-1) and Jo Ann Emerson (MO-8) switched their vote to "aye" under pressure from the party leadership. The bill passed by one vote, 216-215.

On June 26, the Senate passed its version of the bill, 76-21. The

bills were unified in conference, and on November 21, the bill came back

to the House for approval.

The bill came to a vote at 3 a.m. on November 22. After 45 minutes, the bill was losing, 219-215, with David Wu (D-OR-1) not voting. :{Speaker Dennis Hastert and Majority Leader Tom DeLay

sought to convince some of dissenting Republicans to switch their }:

votes, as they had in June. Istook, who had always been a wavering vote,

consented quickly, producing a 218-216 tally. In a highly unusual move,

the House leadership held the vote open for hours as they sought two

more votes. Then-Representative Nick Smith

(R-MI) claimed he was offered campaign funds for his son, who was

running to replace him, in return for a change in his vote from "nay" to

"yea." After controversy ensued, Smith clarified no explicit offer of

campaign funds was made, but that he was offered "substantial and

aggressive campaign support" which he had assumed included financial

support.[[9]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_Prescription_Drug,_Improvement,_and_Modernization_Act#cite_note-9)

About 5:50 a.m., convinced Otter and Trent Franks (AZ-2) to switch their votes. With passage assured, Wu voted yea as well, and Democrats Calvin M. Dooley (CA-20), Jim Marshall (GA-3) and David Scott (GA-13) changed their votes to the affirmative. But Brad Miller (D-NC-13), and then, Republican John Culberson (TX-7), reversed their votes from "yea" to "nay". The bill passed 220-215.[[10]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_Prescription_Drug,_Improvement,_and_Modernization_Act#cite_note-10)

The Democrats cried foul, and Bill Thomas,

the Republican chairman of the Ways and Means committee, challenged the

result in a gesture to satisfy the concerns of the minority. He

subsequently voted to table his own challenge; the tally to table was

210 ayes, 193 noes.*[citation needed*]

The Senate's consideration of the conference report was somewhat less heated, as cloture on it was invoked by a vote of 70-29.[[11]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_Prescription_Drug,_Improvement,_and_Modernization_Act#cite_note-11) However, a budget point of order raised by Tom Daschle,

and voted on. As 60 votes were necessary to override it, the challenge

was actually considered to have a credible chance of passing.

For several minutes, the vote total was stuck at 58-39, until Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Trent Lott (R-MS), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) voted in quick succession in favour to pass the vote 61-39.[[12]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_Prescription_Drug,_Improvement,_and_Modernization_Act#cite_note-12) The bill itself was finally passed 54-44 on November 25, 2003, and was signed into law by the President on December 8.[[13]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_Prescription_Drug,_Improvement,_and_Modernization_Act#cite_note-13)

Costs

Initially, the net cost of the program was projected at $400 billion

for the ten-year period between 2004 and 2013. Administration official Thomas Scully

instructed analyst Richard Foster not to tell Congress of Foster's

finding that the cost would actually be over $500 billion. One month

after passage, the administration estimated that the net cost of the

program over the period between 2006 (the first year the program started

paying benefits) and 2015 would be $534 billion.[[14]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_Prescription_Drug,_Improvement,_and_Modernization_Act#cite_note-14) As of February 2009, the projected net cost of the program over the 2006 to 2015 period was $549.2 billion.[[15]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_Prescription_Drug,_Improvement,_and_Modernization_Act#cite_note-15)

http://www.aarp.org/health/medicare-insurance/info-11-2009/part_3_the_doughnut_hole.html

==

==

Family ties spark concern in lobby debate

Watchdogs want Congress to act

By Michael Kranish, Globe Staff  | January 28, 2006

WASHINGTON -- The website promoting the lobbying services of Joshua Hastert is enticing: ''Josh has long-standing relationships with numerous offices on Capitol Hill and in the administration as well as a unique understanding of the legislative process."

Unique, indeed. Hastert is the son of J. Dennis Hastert, the speaker of the House, making him one of dozens of high-powered lobbyists with family connections to members of Congress. Joshua Hastert, who says he does not lobby House Republican leaders, is registered as a lobbyist for clients ranging from Amgen, a biotech company, to Lockheed Martin, a defense contractor.

Now, the kind of unique access available to congressional family members is being scrutinized as a result of the lobbying scandal surrounding Jack Abramoff. The elder Hastert has not publicly suggested a restriction on lobbying by congressional family members, but such a ban is under consideration by a task force he appointed to come up with ethics legislation.

There appears to be wide agreement about the need to tighten restrictions on gifts and trips paid for by lobbyists, but a proposal to end the lucrative and widespread practice of lobbying by congressional family members has substantially less support, making some government watchdogs suspicious.

A study by Public Citizen's Congress Watch, which advocates for consumer rights in Congress, found at least 32 examples of congressional family members who lobby Congress.

''There definitely should be restrictions" on family members, said Craig Holman, a Congress Watch official who has studied the matter. ''This is family members cashing in on connections. . . . It is an ideal opportunity for special interest groups to exploit family relationships for personal gain."

The role of congressional family members has come up partly because of publicity about the work of Christine DeLay, the wife of US Representative Tom DeLay, the Texas Republican and former House majority leader. Although Christine DeLay is not a lobbyist, she worked for Alexander Strategy Group, a Washington lobbying firm that has ties to Abramoff.

The firm, whose principals included DeLay's former chief of staff, recently announced it was shutting down because it lost business as a result of publicity about the Abramoff scandal. A DeLay spokesman did not return a call seeking comment.

One of the leading candidates to replace DeLay as majority leader is the acting majority leader, US Representative Roy Blunt of Missouri. He is married to Abigail Blunt, who has lobbied for tobacco interests and is registered to represent Altria, the conglomerate that includes Philip Morris. Critics have cited the Blunt case as an example of the need for change.

When Blunt was dating his future wife in 2002, she was a registered lobbyist for Philip Morris and he unsuccessfully sought to insert a measure into a homeland security bill favorable to tobacco interests. Spokeswoman Jessica Boulanger said, however, that Blunt was acting in concert with other congressional leaders, and added that a similar measure had been inserted into legislation for a new version of the Patriot Act.

Still, after Blunt became the acting House majority leader in September, Abigail Blunt's office announced that she would extend her policy of not lobbying House Republican leaders to not lobbying anyone in the House. Roy Blunt's chief of staff, meanwhile, wrote a memo saying that no one in Blunt's office should have any lobbying contact with Abigail Blunt.

Abigail Blunt now lobbies on Kraft Food matters as a director of federal government affairs for Altria, according to her spokeswoman, Dawn Schneider.

Democrats also have family members who lobby Congress. Senator Evan Bayh, the Indiana Democrat, is the son of former Senator Birch Bayh, who works for the Washington company Venable, which has an array of corporate clients. Bayh said his lobbying portfolio includes issues such as Title IX, which requires more opportunities in sports for women.

''I am very careful not to lobby my son," Birch Bayh said. ''I can't ignore the fact that Evan is there. I'm proud of that, but I don't weigh on that as a means of gaining access."

As a former senator, Bayh added, ''I served with some of the more influential" members of Congress. Many lobbyists formerly served in Congress.

Representative John Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat who has drawn headlines with his call to withdraw US troops from Iraq, is the brother of Robert Murtha, who is registered to lobby for a number of companies, including Gensym Corp., a Burlington, Mass., company that sells software to the Department of Defense.

Stephen Allison, Gensym's chief financial officer, said he has never met Robert Murtha but has dealt with one of Murtha's partners at the firm, KSA Consulting.

Some members of Congress say they don't talk to family members who lobby, or don't even know about it.

For example, Kara Delahunt, the daughter of US Representative William Delahunt of Quincy, registered in July as a lobbyist for the Saudi Economic and Development Co., an investment firm that bills itself as ''a leader in Islamic investments," and says it only puts money in projects that adhere to Islamic law.

The Democratic congressman said he didn't know his daughter had registered as a lobbyist until contacted this week by the Globe, even though her employment was noted briefly in a few local and professional publications last summer.

''Honestly, I was totally unaware of that," Delahunt said in a telephone interview.

Kara Delahunt said in a telephone interview that she did public relations work and never lobbied for the Saudi company. Lance Morgan, president of Powell Tate, the public relations firm that formerly employed Kara Delahunt, characterized her registration as a lobbyist as a technicality. ''We registered her to make absolutely sure we adhered to the laws, but Kara never lobbied anyone and her work was all communications and media-related," he said.

When Tom Daschle ran for reelection in 2004, the role of his wife as a lobbyist received considerable attention, and the South Dakota Democrat was defeated. His wife, Linda, who is registered as a lobbyist for firms such as Lockheed Martin, had said she would not lobby the Senate while her husband was in office.

After her husband's defeat, she dropped her ban on lobbying Senate members, according to her spokeswoman.

Lobbyists contacted for this story said they do not lobby their family member in Congress. Various proposals under consideration, however, would ban lobbying other members of a congressional committee on which the relative sits, or the chamber where the relative serves, or to any lobbying of Congress.

Even some of the strongest critics of the practice, which is legal, say it is difficult to know where to draw the line. The First Amendment says Congress shall make no law abridging the right of people ''to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Larry Noble, director of the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, said that ''some would argue that in an age of two-income professional spouses, it is not fair to limit the lobbying by spouse of member of Congress.

But others would argue that there is at least an appearance, if not the reality, that the spouse has an unfair advantage."

Noble said the question is ''how far down the line do you go," raising the issues of whether to stop the ban at spouses, or children, or siblings.

Hastert delegated the job of coming up with a lobbying bill to Representative David Dreier, Republican of California.

Jo Maney, a spokeswoman for Dreier, said a ban on lobbying by family members ''is something that is still under consideration" and that a decision on the matter may be made in the coming week.

Attachments