Woman claims Hastert abused her brother
Friday, Jun 5, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Ugh…
In Steve Reinboldt’s 1970 high school yearbook, wrestling coach Dennis Hastert wrote that Steve was his “great, right hand man” as the student equipment manager of the Yorkville, Illinois wrestling team.
But Steve was also a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of Hastert, Steve’s sister said today in an interview with ABC News. It is the first time an alleged Hastert victim has been identified by name since his indictment for lying to the FBI and violating federal banking laws to cover-up past misconduct. Hastert, due in court next week, has not responded to the allegations.
In an emotional interview, Steve Reinboldt’s sister Jolene said she first learned of her late brother’s purported years-long sexual abuse at the hands of the future Speaker of the House back in 1979 when her brother revealed to her that he was gay and had been out of high school for eight years.
“I asked him, when was your first same sex experience. He looked at me and said, ‘It was with Dennis Hastert,’” Jolene said. “I was stunned.”
Jolene said she asked her brother why he never told anyone. “And he just turned around and kind of looked at me and said, ‘Who is ever going to believe me?’” […]
“He took his belief in himself and his kind of right to be a normal person,” Jolene said. “Here was the mentor, the man who was, you know, basically his friend and stepped into that parental role, who was the one who was abusing him… He damaged Steve I think more than any of us will ever know.”
There’s so much more. Click here if you can stomach it.
* AP…
He was a manager of the wrestling team that Hastert coached, the AP found. He was also manager of the football team, student council president and a member of the pep club, letterman’s club, the French club and the yearbook staff. […]
Burdge said her brother told her about his past with Hastert in 1979, after she graduated high school, but never brought his story out into the open because he feared “nobody would believe him.” […]
Burdge considered telling her brother’s story in 2006, as a scandal involving Rep. Mark Foley unfolded. Foley, a Florida Republican, was discovered sending inappropriate emails and sexually explicit instant messages to former House pages while Hastert was speaker. Burdge spoke briefly with news outlets, including the AP, but she ultimately decided against coming forward with a statement at that time. Hastert stepped down in 2007.
* And speaking of the Foley case…
By the end of 2006, the House Ethics Committee put out a 200-plus page report indicating that Hastert, his aides and others had failed to take sufficient steps to put a stop to Foley’s long-standing overtures to current and former House pages.
Hastert was singled out for not acting on warnings about Foley’s emails — cautions delivered separately to him by two GOP officials in spring 2006. That was months before media attention on the sexually charged electronic communications Foley sent to former pages led to Foley’s resignation. The warnings came after top Hastert aides were told Foley was behaving inappropriately with male pages, the report said. […]
The committee, in a 200-page report issued in December 2006, found the “weight of the evidence” supported the conclusion that Hastert was told, at least in passing, by both Boehner and Reynolds about Foley’s worrisome emails.
“In all, a pattern of conduct was exhibited among many individuals to remain willfully ignorant of the potential consequences” of Foley’s conduct with pages, the report said.
And now we may know why.
- Anonin' - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:03 am:
And he had Scott blockin’ any facts comin’ his way
- walker - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:07 am:
Is this the second or third alleged victim related to this case? The Feds were reportedly talking to two, and this one has passed on.
This has gotten as painful and ugly as feared.
- Anon - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:09 am:
This is just going to get worse. Pretty clear though Kirk made the right call to return funds before this news. Only gets harder now for everyone else.
- Chicago Guy - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:15 am:
The story seems very legitimate. The TV newscaster indicated that the sister approached the media a number of years ago but didn’t want to go public at the time.
- Crispy - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:18 am:
This is heartbreaking. If Hastert truly did this, then there are no words to describe the depth of his betrayal of the victim(s). Just awful.
- Confused - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:22 am:
Dennis Hastert, Bill Clinton, Mark Foley, Matthew Pennell, Bernie Sanders, etc. etc. etc. Does anyone in DC actually desire uncoerced sex with an equal?
- justthefacts - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:26 am:
“Dennis Hastert, Bill Clinton, Mark Foley, Matthew Pennell, Bernie Sanders, etc. etc. etc. Does anyone in DC actually desire uncoerced sex with an equal?”
Bernie Sanders?
Who did Bill Clinton coerce sex with?
- Anonin' - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:42 am:
Mr/Ms Anon
Good job slippin’ the Kirksters in. They had a great sense of timin’ there.
- john doe - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 10:43 am:
=”Who did Bill Clinton coerce sex with?”=
Paula Jones
- Kendrick - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:50 am:
Justthefacts:
Funniest post of all time.
Who didn’t Clinton coerce sex with?
I suggest you do a little googling and find the woman he raped while Arkansas AG. It was on NBC before that network ceased being in the tank for all Democrats.
- illini - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 11:55 am:
We all knew that this story would have legs and that there was more to come. Obviously there was more than one person involved - the Brian Ross reporting appears to be credible.
There are victims here, and one of them is not DH, in spite of those apologists who will make him out as the good guy.
Yet Cong. Shimkus was involved in the Foley matter got a pass and has continued to be reelected.
More to come, but Bernie Sanders - where did this come from?
- Confused - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 12:11 pm:
==“Dennis Hastert, Bill Clinton, Mark Foley, Matthew Pennell, Bernie Sanders, etc. etc. etc. Does anyone in DC actually desire uncoerced sex with an equal?”
Bernie Sanders?
Who did Bill Clinton coerce sex with?==
Bernie Sanders wrote a fantasy essay about rape. Bill Clinton used his unequal position as President of the United States of America to maneuver an intern into a sexual relationship. Which of these creepy facts is in dispute?
- Blago's Luxurious Grey Mane - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 12:11 pm:
One of the alleged victim’s good friend and teammate has a response in the Sun-Times that is worth a read: http://chicago.suntimes.com/news-chicago/7/71/665300/former-yorkville-wrestler-friend-alleged-hastert-victim-says-doesnt-believe
- john doe - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 12:16 pm:
=but Bernie Sanders - where did this come from?=
I think he was referring to the rape “essay” Sanders penned back in the 70’s.
- Confused - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 12:18 pm:
Feel free to vote for Bernie, obviously, but he’s got some unacceptable attitudes towards sex and women:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3105059/Democratic-hopeful-Bernie-Sanders-says-sex-essay-wrote-woman-fantazing-gang-rape-1972-like-badly-written-50-Shades-Grey.html
- illini - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 12:33 pm:
re: Bernie Sanders
I do recall seeing a posting somewhere a while ago about an essay/article he had written some 40 years ago. Will check the sources out when I get back this afternoon.
Yet to put him in the same category as Hastert, Foley, Craig and probably numerous others I can’t recall at this time does seem to be a bit of a stretch.
This in no way absolves Hastert and does not detract from the seriousness, and validity ( let the courts decide! ) of the indictment.
- DuPage - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 12:41 pm:
Hastert was the last politician I would have ever suspected of this. I was shocked at the first accusation, but thought maybe there was a chance he was innocent. I don’t think so anymore. I am very, very disappointed in Hastert.
- Team Sleep - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 1:10 pm:
Mane - that is interesting. I wondered that, too, and not because I’m programmed to distrust anyone who makes claims like that. If this story is true - and even if abuse did happen - the gentleman who claims to have been abused was clearly extorting Speaker Hastert. For over 35 years. For a lot of money. That’s quite the payoff to keep quiet and go away for a while. I don’t want to trivialize the situation or the sister’s claims, but how is it fair to Speaker Hastert if the accuser gets away with extortion?
And in case we get into another “what’s legal” debate, here’s the section of U.S. Code about willingly accepting extorted funds:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/880
- Get a Job! - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 1:14 pm:
I feel sorry for Mr. Reinboldt on numerous levels. Of course the abuse he allegedly endured at the hands of a person in authority & his unfortunate death at a young age. But I also feel sorry for the fact that his sister will not let him rest in peace. It is a secret that Mr. Reinboldt willingly took to his grave. For whatever reason he never felt the need or desire to come forward, he did this by choice, for more than 2 decades. His sister says it was because he assumed nobody would believe him, which may very well be the case, but unfortunately we’ll never know. I’m curious how the rest of Mr. Reinboldt’s family feels about his sister going to the press.
- Team Sleep - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 1:22 pm:
I would like to recant about half of my first post. I finally had a chance to read the AP article about Mr. Reinboldt and his passing. My apologies. My posts are not 100% up to par this week. But it does still stand that it appears Mr. Reinboldt may have extorted funds from eventual Speaker Hastert for 15-20 years. And while it is not fair to speak ill of those who have passed, it is also not fair for the general public to not examine that critical portion of the case.
- Team Sleep - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 1:41 pm:
I just read and reread the ABC article - which is very similar to the ABC article/video. The one thing that is not clear to me is who did the extorting. I can’t tell if Mr. Reinboldt was involved in such a plot or if it was someone else. I’m sorry for sounding/being daft but I’m hopeful the FBI releases a clear, descriptive timeline.
- Wensicia - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 1:46 pm:
==It is a secret that Mr. Reinboldt willingly took to his grave.==
It wasn’t just a secret; it was a crime. The sister talked to the media after the feds visited her and charged Hastert. Not a secret anymore and don’t blame family members who may or may not wish to talk publicly about the criminal violation of Reinboldt.
- Confused - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 1:48 pm:
The category to which I’m assigning Berie is “Powerful Creepy Old White Men in DC.”
- Wordslinger - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 1:56 pm:
TS, Reinboldt is not Individual A from the indictment.
According to the indictment, Individual A began receiving payments in 2010. Reinboldt died in 1995.
I dont see anything anywhere about payments to Reinboldt or anyone else but Individual A.
- Team Sleep - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:01 pm:
Word - thanks. I figured that Mr. Reinboldt was not Individual A, but I should have reread the indictment. Again - and this is not an excuse - I am way off my game.
- a drop in - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:17 pm:
After reading comments from Scott Walker and Mike Huckabee you can add another catagory: “Powerful Creepy Old White Men who want to be in DC.”
- Wordslinger - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:31 pm:
Zonz, not funny and way out of line.
- Team Sleep - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:43 pm:
Word - to your earlier point about payments to anyone else, I’m wondering if more will come out. Not saying that’s the case, just curious.
- illini - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:54 pm:
Without a doubt there will be more that will be forthcoming.
I did have a chance to check the Sanders “essay” of over 40 years ago - does anyone actually believe that this piece of fiction has any relevance to this discussion. How many of us could be embarrassed about things we did over 40 years ago?
The subject is Hastert not Sanders. Keep to the topic.
- Cindy - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:01 pm:
The rumors about Hastert abusing minors while a coach were well known to many area democrats. I am having a very difficult time understanding the feigned shock of those who took money and opportunities from him claiming that they had never heard anything before.
- Get a Job! - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:17 pm:
@Wensicia – I am in no way defending Hastert, nor I claiming that this lady is lying. The evidence shows that it is very likely that Mr. Reinboldt’s sister is telling a true story & therefore it’s likely that Hastert is indeed the lowlife he is now assumed to be. Again my issue is that Mr. Reinboldt told his sister something in confidence, something he never decided to come forward with personally. Yet his sister, on 2 occasions since her brother’s death (never before) she has attempted to come forward telling this secret of her brother’s. Both times she’s come forward were at a time when Hastert’s was facing scandals.
Upon leaving this world, I would hope that any secrets I’ve shared with them stay a secret.
- Precinct Captain - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:17 pm:
==- Team Sleep - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 2:43 pm:==
Besides Individual A, there is an Individual B. http://www.buzzfeed.com/johnstanton/former-us-speaker-of-the-house-dennis-hastert-indicted#.quyQE8L9m
- Team Sleep - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:26 pm:
PC - I hadn’t seen that. Thanks for the link.
Cindy - while concerning, why didn’t anything say anything? Innuendo is thrown around all of the time when campaign season rolls around. Not only would such info have ground Speaker Hastert’s ambitions, but people would’ve known the presumed truth. His first win at the federal level was close.
- Team Sleep - Friday, Jun 5, 15 @ 3:33 pm:
Sorry - that should read “why didn’t anyone say anything?”. First order of business tomorrow afternoon is a nap followed by another nap.