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Reporter: I WANT TO BRING IN
OUR REPORTER WHO WAS INSIDES.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE EMOTIONS
YOU EXPERIENCED IN THE
COURTROOM TODAY?
UNDOUBTEDLY THE HIGHEST
EMOTION WAS THE TESTIMONY ON
BEHALF OF THE TWO VICTIMS.
THE SISTER -- OF REINBOLDT,
VERY EMOTIONAL TALKING ABOUT
THE LONGTERM DAMAGE DONE TO
THE YOUNG MAN AS A RESULT OF
THE MOW STATION FROM DENNIS
HASTERT -- MOLESTATION FROM
DENNIS HASTERT.
HE WAS SERIOUSLY, EMOTIONALLY
DAMAGED, HE WOUND UP DYING OF
AIDS BUT NEVER COULD HOLD A
STEADY JOB.
ALWAYS JUST, NEVER COULD, JUST
COME TO GRIPS WITH HIS LIFE.
AS A RESULT OF THIS EXPERIENCE
AND HER TESTIMONY.
IN HER TESTIMONY.
IT WOULD SEEM THAT NOTHING
COULD TRUMP THAT BUT THEN WE
HAD THE REVELATION OF THE
IDENTITY OF INDIVIDUAL D. THAT
OF COURSE, WAS SCOTT CROSS, THE
BROTHER OF THE FORMER HOUSE
MINORITY LEADER REPRESENTATIVE
TOM CROSS.
Reporter: THE TESTIMONY WAS
POWERFUL.
YES, HE WENT INTO DETAIL
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED, CHOKING
BACK TEARS TALKING ABOUT THE
MOLESTATION THAT OCCURRED TO
HIM WHILE HE WAS THE SENIOR OF
A YORKVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
WRESTLING TEAM.
THAT MOLESTATION OCCURRING
DURING A FIELD TRIP FOR THE
TEAM.
HE ABSOLUTELY HAD MANY OF THE
-- MANY OF THE PEOPLE IN THE
COURTROOM NEAR TEARS
THEMSELVES.
Reporter: AFTER THE JUDGE
HANDED DOWN THE SENTENCE, 15
MONTHS WHAT WAS HASTERT'S
REACTION?
DIDN'T REALLY SEE ALMOST
VISIBLE REACTION ON HIS PART.
BY THAT TIME HE HAD ALREADY
OFFERED HIS OWN STATEMENTS AND
TESTIMONY, HE GAVE APOLOGIES
FOR HIS CONDUCT BUT HIS
APOLOGIES WERE SOMEWHAT VAGUE.
HE APOLOGIZED FOR HIS
MISCONDUCT.
A KIND OF GENERIC APOLOGY.
THEN HE WAS QUESTIONED DIRECTLY
BY THE JUDGE, ASKED DID YOU
*** STEVEN REINBOLDT?
HE SAID I DON'T QUITE REMEMBER
THAT.
BUT THEN LATER ADMITTED HE DID
*** -- STEVEN CROSS AND TWO
OTHERS -- TWO OTHER VICTIMS AS
WELL.
SO, HE WAS -- HE HAD TO BE
PINNED DOWN TO MAKE THAT
REVELATION IN THE COURTROOM
BECAUSE HE DIDN'T MAKE THAT
REVELATION VOLUNTARILY.
THE OTHER POINT AND THIS IS
AMAZING.
DENNIS HASTERT APPARENTLY
CALLED TOM CROSS HIMSELF
LOOKING FOR A LETTER OF
COMMENTDATION TO THE JUDGE,
EVEN THOUGH HE HAD MOLESTED TOM
CROSS'S BROTHER.
AT FIRST HASTERT APPARENTLY
CALLED HIMSELF, THEN LATER
FOLLOWED UP BY A PHONE CALL
FROM HIS LAW FIRM.
THE JUDGE WAS -- FOUND THAT
INCREDULOUS AND THAT HE REALLY
-- HE REALLY WAS VERY STRONG IN
HIS CONDEMNATION OF THAT.
Reporter: SHARE A LITTLE
MORE ABOUT WHAT THE JUDGE SAID
TO HASTERT DURING THE
SENTENCING HEARING.
IT WAS A VERY LONG
STATEMENT.
IT WAS NOT BRIEF AT ALL.
THE JUDGE SAID, ESSENTIALLY
THAT -- HE CERTAINLY SAID THAT
BECAUSE HE WAS A MAJOR PUBLIC
FIGURE HE COULD NOT ACCEPT ANY
KIND OF LESSER TREATMENT.
IN FACT MORE WAS EXPECTED OF
HIM.
HE TALKED ABOUT HOW HE HAD
COMPLETELY USED HIS POSITION AS
A WRESTLING COACH TO -- ABUSED
HIS POSITION IN TERMS OF
DEALING WITH THE YOUNG PEOPLE
AND HAD VIOLATED THEIR TRUST.
REPORTER: HE CAME DOWN VERY
*** HASTERT, VERY HARSH
WORDS.
YEAH.
FIRST OF ALL HE SAID HE WAS A
SERIAL CHILD MOLESTER, THERE
WAS NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT.
HE SAID WHILE HE COULDN'T
SENTENCE HIM AS A CHILD
MOLESTER BECAUSE THE STATUTE OF
LIMITATIONS HAD RUN OUT ON THAT
HE COULD NOT IGNORE THAT
BEHAVIOR EITHER.
AND THAT HE WAS -- HE HAD THE
ABILITY TO CONSIDER HIS ENTIRE
BACKGROUND IN THE SENTENCING.
THAT IS ONE OF THE REASONS HIS
SENTENCE WENT BEYOND THE
RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES OF THE
PROSECUTION.
THE PROSECUTION OF COURSE, U.S.
ATTORNEY'S OFFICE HAD
RECOMMENDED A SENTENCE OF UP TO
SIX MONTHS AND HE WAS ACTUALLY
SENTENCED TO 15 MONTHS.
ONE OTHER POINT, HE WILL BE --
YOU MAY HAVE MENTIONED THIS
ALREADY, HE WILL BE SENTENCED
AND WILL SERVE HIS SENTENCE AS
A LEVEL -- AT A LEVEL FOUR
MEDICAL FACILITY IN THE U.S.
PRISON SYSTEM AND WILL NOT
REPORT UNTIL A PLACE IS
AVAILABLE FOR HIM IN A LEVEL 4
MEDICAL FACILITY.
RIGHT NOW WE'RE SEEING
PICTURES OF THE ELEVATOR, WE
ALL KNOW, WE'VE BEEN MENTIONING
DENNIS HASTERT WAS IN A
WHEELCHAIR WHEN HE ARRIVED.
HE HAS FAILING HEALTH.
SEVERAL DIFFERENT ILLNESSES.
WE THINK IN A SHORT TIME
BECAUSE THE HEARING ENDED ABOUT
10 MINUTES AGO THAT HE SHOULD
BE COMING OUT OF THE ELEVATORS
WITH HIS ATTORNEYS.
Reporter: ON THE --
ON THE POINTS OF HEALTH THE
JUDGE ALSO SAID YES, HE
ACKNOWLEDGED THERE WAS SEVERE
HEALTH PROBLEMS AND THAT HE
SUFFERED A STROKE AND IS IN
FAILING HEALTH.
BUT HE SAID HE COMMITTED THOSE
CRIMES AS AN OLDER PERSON, AS
AN ELDERLY PERSON AND HIS
HEALTH DOES NOT -- DOES NOT
PREVENT HIM FROM BEING PUNISHED
AS WELL.
HE SAID HE WAS CONVINCED THAT A
LEVEL 4 MEDICAL FACILITY WAS IN
THE BUREAU OF PRISONS, AND
COULD ADEQUATELY CARE FOR HIS
MEDICAL NEEDS.
ONE IS LOCATED AS YOU WELL KNOW
IN ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA NEAR
THE MAYO CLINIC.
BUT THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHERS
ASSOCIATED WITH TEACHING
HOSPITALS.
AGAIN HE WILL NOT BE MADE TO
REPORT UNTIL THE JUDGE IS
ASSURED AND THE COURT IS
ASSURED THERE'S A PLACE FOR HIM
AT ONE OF THOSE FACILITIES.
Reporter: YOU BROUGHT UP THE
POINT HE WAS CALLED BY THE
JUDGE "A SERIAL CHILD ABUSER."
HE WILL BE RECEIVING SOME SORT
OF SEX OFFENDER TREATMENT.
AS WELL.
DURING HIS SUPERVISED RELEASE.
INDEED.
HIS SUPERVISED RELEASE OF
COURSE AFTER HE SERVES HIS
SENTENCE.
HE WILL BE EVALUATED, HE WILL
RECEIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL
TREATMENT, SOMETIMES THERE'S
SOME TESTING INVOLVED, THE
EXACT CONTOURS OF THAT WERE NOT
LAID OUT AND WE THOUGHT
ACTUALLY, THE DEFENSE TEAM
MIGHT OBJECT TO THAT IN SOME
WAY, SHAPE OR FORM.
WE THOUGHT THAT MIGHT BE A
SIGNIFICANT POINT OF
CONTENTTION THAT WOULD BE ART
IN COURT.
HOWEVER THE STIPULATIONS THAT
THE JUDGE LAID OUT IN COURT
WERE AGREED TO BY THE DEFENSE,
NO OBJECTIONS, NO ARGUMENT ON
THAT.
AND REALLY NO PUSHBACK AGAINST
THAT CHARACTERIZATION BY THE
JUDGE.
Reporter: I THINK BECAUSE
THE TESTIMONY IS BY BOTH
REINBOLDT SISTER AND SCOTT
CROSS, THEY WERE SO POWERFUL.
EVEN AT THE OLD AGE OF 74 THE
JUDGE REALLY FELT THAT
MISTREATMENT FACILITY WAS
NEEDED -- THIS TREATMENT
FACILITY WAS NEEDED.
HE CERTAINLY BELIEVED THE
CHARACTERIZATION AS A SERIAL
CHILD MOLESTER WAS ACCURATE AND
THAT THE LAW HAD TO ACKNOWLEDGE
THAT AND ALSO DEAL WITH THAT.
EVEN THOUGH THAT'S NOT WHAT HE
WAS BEING SENTENCED FOR.
HE WERE SENTENCED FOR THE MONEY
LAUNDERING CHARGE BASICALLY
THAT HE HAD STRUCTURED THESE
WITHDRAWALS OVER FOUR YEARS.
$1.7 MILLION IN CASH IN ORDER
TO PAY INDIVIDUAL A HUSH MONEY.
HE ALSO SAID THAT CHARGE WAS
EVIDENT, THAT CHARGE WAS CLEAR.
HE WAS ALSO VERY CRITICAL OF
DENNIS HASTERT FOR INITIATING
THIS ENTIRE CASE BY LYING TO
FEDERAL AGENTS.
WHEN HE WAS QUESTIONED BY THE
FBI.
IN FACT HE SAID HAD HE NOT LIED
TO THE FBI, WE MAY NOT BE --
HAD BEEN IN COURT NOW.
Reporter: NOT EVEN BE HERE
TODAY.
AND HE HAD SEVERAL CHOICES,
COULD HAVE TOLD THE TRUTH,
COULD HAVE SIMPLY SAID I'M NOT
GOING TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS
NOW ABOUT WHAT I'M DOING WITH
THIS MONEY.
I'M GOING TO GET AN ATTORNEY.
BUT IF HE HAD GOTTEN AN
ATTORNEY AT THAT POINT HE WOULD
HAVE HAD TO REVEAL TO SOMEONE,
EVEN THE ATTORNEY WHY HE WAS
PAYING THE MONEY.
HE COULD SIMPLY NOT BRING
HIMSELF TO DO THAT.
HIS DEFENSE ATTORNEY, WANTED
THE JUDGE TO SEE THAT AS A
SENSE OF MITIGATION, THAT HE
WAS SOMEHOW PSYCHOLOGICALLY
DAMAGED, HE WOULD WALLED OFF
THIS TIME AND INFORMATION AND
COULDN'T ADDRESS IT.
THE JUDGE BASICALLY SAID NO,
NO, THAT IS NOT MITIGATION.
YOU KNEW WHAT YOU WERE DOING.
YOU DID IT WILLFULLY AND YOU
MUST PAY A PRICE.
SO MUCH WAS UNRAVELED IN THE
SENTENCING HEARING.
I THOUGHT THE JUDGE, FROM WHAT
I HEARD FROM THE TWEETS AND
ALSO WHEN I WAS IN THE
COURTROOM WAS VERY POIGNANT
ABOUT WHY HE FELT THAT EVEN
THOUGH IT'S A BANKING
INDICTMENT OR BANKING CHARGE
THAT HE DELVE DEEP NEAR
HASTERT'S PAST -- DEEPER 67 SO
-- DEEP NEAR HASTERT'S PAST.
EXACTLY.
HE PERFECT SAID SEVERAL TIMES
IF HE WERE BEING CONVICTED OF
THAT IN THE STATE COURT HE
WOULD HAVE OBVIOUSLY BEEN
SERVING MANY, MANY MORE THAN 15
MONTHS IN PRISON.
HE WOULD HAVE RECEIVED A MUCH
LONGER SENTENCE.
AND HAD THAT BEEN REVEALED AT
THAT TIME, HAD HE HAD HAD BEEN
CONVICTED FOR CHILD ABUSE IN A
STATE COURT HE WOULD PROBABLY
NOT HAVE HAD THE STELLAR
POLITICAL CAREER, WOULDN'T HAVE
BEEN SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OR
EVEN CONGRESSMAN OR EVEN STATE
REPRESENTATIVE.
SO HIS CAREER WAS DEPENDENT ON
HIDING THIS PAST AND HIDING
THIS ABUSE.