CHICAGO (AP) – Dennis Hastert is set to appear in court Tuesday for the first time since an indictment nearly two weeks ago alleged the former U.S. House speaker agreed to pay $3.5 million to someone from his days as high school teacher not to reveal a secret about past misconduct by the Illinois Republican.
Leading up to the arraignment in U.S. District Court in Chicago, the 73-year-old hasn’t spoken publicly about the allegations that prompted questions about possible sexual abuse by a man once second in line to the U.S. presidency.
The politician-turned-lobbyist is expected to step before Judge Thomas M. Durkin and enter a plea to charges that he broke federal banking laws by withdrawing hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and lied about the hush money when questioned by the FBI.
When he goes into the courthouse, Hastert will likely have to stand in a security line, go through metal detectors and then walk past crowds of reporters and TV cameras awaiting his arrival.
Hastert’s lead attorney is Washington, D.C.-based lawyer Thomas C. Green, who has represented clients in the Watergate, Iran-Contra and Whitewater cases; Chicago attorney John Gallo is also on Hastert’s defense team. Steven Block is the lead U.S. prosecutor.