Dennis Hastert, former House speaker who later went to prison, dies at 84

Dennis Hastert, a Republican who served as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and later was convicted in a scheme tied to concealing sexual abuse allegations, has died at age 84, a coroner said Monday, according to NPR.

Hastert represented Illinois in Congress for many years. CBS News reports he spent about two decades in the House, and NBC noted he served eight years as House speaker. NPR described him as the longest-serving Republican House speaker in Congress' history.

His post-congressional reputation was marked by criminal charges and imprisonment. NBC and CBS both reported that Hastert went to prison after admitting to actions intended to hide allegations of sexual abuse; CBS specifically said he was jailed in connection with concealing hush-money payments. NPR reported that the allegations involved accusations that Hastert had molested high school athletes during an earlier career as a teacher and wrestling coach.

Media accounts said prosecutors pursued a case based on payments Hastert made and the effort to conceal the underlying allegations. NBC and CBS summarized his later legal troubles as a conviction and prison sentence tied to those efforts.

No cause of death was provided in the reports. NPR attributed the announcement of his death to a coroner; the other outlets reported his death and summarized his career and legal troubles.

Why it matters

Hastert's death closes a complex public life in which a prominent congressional leader was later criminally implicated in efforts to hide sexual-abuse allegations. His tenure as speaker and his later conviction drew sustained public attention and debate about accountability for elected officials and how institutions handle allegations of abuse.

Reporting to date comes from multiple national news outlets. They agree that Hastert died at 84, that he led the House as a Republican speaker, and that he later served prison time connected to efforts to conceal sexual-abuse allegations. Details on the circumstances of his death were not provided in those reports.