Officials: Hastert "In the Mix" of Congressional Bribery Investigation May 24, 2006 6:24 PM Brian Ross Reports: Abc_abramoff02_060524_nr_1 The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert, is under investigation by the FBI, which is seeking to determine his role in an ongoing public corruption probe into members of Congress, ABC News has learned from senior U.S. law enforcement officials. Federal officials say the information implicating Hastert was developed from convicted lobbyists who are now cooperating with the government. Part of the investigation involves a letter Hastert wrote three years ago, urging the Secretary of the Interior to block a casino on an Indian reservation that would have competed with other tribes. The other tribes were represented by convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff who reportedly has provided details of his dealings with Hastert as part of his plea agreement with the government. The letter was written shortly after a fund-raiser for Hastert at a restaurant owned by Abramoff. Abramoff and his clients contributed more than $26,000 at the time. The day Abramoff was indicted, Hastert denied any unlawful connection and said he would donate to charity any campaign contribution he had received from Abramoff and his clients. A spokesman for Speaker Hastert told ABC News, "We are not aware of this. The Speaker has a long history and a well-documented record of opposing Indian Reservation shopping for casino gaming purposes." This week, Hastert has been outspoken in his criticism of the FBI for its raid on the office of another congressman under investigation, Democrat William Jefferson of Louisiana. "My opinion is that they took the wrong path, Hastert said of the FBI. "They need to back up, and we need to go from there." ABC News' Rhonda Schwartz and Richard Esposito contributed to this report. http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/05/federal_officia.html
That was fast! -------- House Speaker not under investigation: Justice The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday denied a report that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert, is under investigation by the FBI in connection with a corruption probe. ABC News, citing high level Justice Department sources, said information implicating Hastert had been developed from convicted lobbyists who are now cooperating with the government. But department officials, who asked to not be identified, said the story was not accurate and that Hastert was not under investigation. "The story is wrong. Hastert is not under investigation," one official said. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060525...LoFYzeEb.3QA;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE
ABC is sticking by their story. ABC News Update on Hastert Story May 24, 2006 10:21 PM Brian Ross Reports: Richard Esposito and Rhonda Schwartz contributed to this report. Despite a flat denial from the Department of Justice, federal law enforcement sources tonight said ABC News accurately reported that Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert is "in the mix" in the FBI investigation of corruption in Congress. Speaker Hastert said tonight the story was "absolutely untrue" and has demanded ABC News retract its story. Law enforcement sources told ABC News that convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff has provided information to the FBI about Hastert and a number of other members of Congress that have broadened the scope of the investigation. Sources would not divulge details of the Abramoff’s information. "You guys wrote the story very carefully but they are not reading it very carefully," a senior official said. One focus involves a letter Hastert wrote in 2003 urging the Secretary of the Interior to block an Indian casino that would have competed with tribes represented by Abramoff. The letter was written within days of a fund-raiser held for Hastert at Abramoff’s restaurant in Washington. Federal campaign records show more than $26,000 was raised at the time from Abramoff and his clients. Hastert has denied doing anything unlawful and says he has a long history of opposing certain types of Indian casinos. ABC’s law enforcement sources said the Justice Department denial was meant only to deny that Hastert was a formal “target” or “subject” of the investigation. "Whether they like it or not, members of Congress, including Hastert, are under investigation," one federal official said tonight. The investigation of Hastert’s relationship with Abramoff is in the early stages, according to these officials, and could eventually conclude that Abramoff’s information was unfounded. Officials said the next logical investigative step would be for the FBI to seek a wide range of documents from the members of Congress named by Abramoff, including letters and business documents. A spokesman for Hastert said the office had received no subpoenas or requests for documents. http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/05/abc_news_update.html
