CHICAGO (AP) – Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert is scheduled to step before a federal judge Wednesday to change his plea to guilty in a hush-money case that alleges he agreed to pay someone $3.5 million to hide claims of past misconduct by the Illinois Republican.
The hearing in Chicago will be Hastert’s first court appearance since June, when he pleaded not guilty to violating banking law and lying to FBI investigators. His change of plea is part of a deal with prosecutors.
The Associated Press and other media, citing anonymous sources, have reported that the payments were meant to conceal claims of sexual misconduct decades ago.
An overview of the case and what happens next:
___