Feds Deny Reports Of Hastert Probe
The Justice Department twice denied news reports Wednesday that it was investigating House Speaker Dennis Hastert.
The initial statement by department spokeswoman Tasia Scolinos came in response to a report by ABC News that Hastert was under investigation by the FBI to determine his role in a public corruption probe centered around convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Amid a furor surrounding the weekend FBI raid on the offices of Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., ABC quoted federal officials as saying information implicating Hastert was developed from convicted lobbyists now cooperating with the government.
Hastert, R-Ill., sharply criticized the raid and, with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., demanded that Justice Department officials return all the documents seized from Jefferson's office.
Asked if he was being investigated, Hastert said late Wednesday that he has not received any notice from the Justice Department that he was being investigated as part of the Jack Abramoff probe.
"You'll have to ask the Justice Department," he told reporters, as he walked from his office to the House chamber. "Somebody leaked it out."
Pressed by reporters, Scolinos said: "Speaker Hastert is not under investigation by the Justice Department."
Late Wednesday, ABC reported on its Web site that the Justice Department response was intended to deny that Hastert was a formal "target" or "subject" of the investigation. But ABC reported that federal officials confirmed that various members of Congress "including Hastert, are under investigation."
Hastert's office later issued a statement calling the ABC report "absolutely untrue" and demanding a full retraction.
Likewise, the Justice Department issued a new denial in response to the ABC late-evening update.
"With regard to reports suggesting that the Speaker of the House is under investigation or 'in the mix,' as stated by ABC News, I reconfirm, as stated by the Department earlier this evening, that these reports are untrue," Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty said in a statement issued shortly after midnight Thursday.
Hastert was among nearly three dozen lawmakers who pressed the Interior Department to block a Louisiana Indian casino's casino application. An Associated Press review of campaign reports, IRS records and congressional correspondence found that Hastert and the other lawmakers had collected large donations from Abramoff and his tribal clients.
Between 2001 and 2004, Hastert collected more than $100,000 in donations from Abramoff's firm and tribal clients. He also had used Abramoff's restaurant to hold fundraisers.