The Elder Statement : Sean Higgins

Monday, June 8, 2015

How long did he think he could keep it a secret?

Hastert Sought To Boost Income While Making Secret Payoffs

By Sean Higgins, Jun.. 7, 2015, Washington Examiner

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert was searching for ways to further boost his income while he was making secret payments to cover up allegations he was involved in child sexual abuse when he was a high school wrestling coach, J. David John, a former friend and business associate alleges.

John asked financial advisers on Hastert's behalf in 2010 for advice on how to create an annuity that would provide a large cash payout each year. John did not tell the advisers that he was working for Hastert.

"I did not think much about it at the time, but looking back at it, it does seem strange," John told the New York Times. "He just said he needed to generate some cash."

Hastert became a lobbyist after he retired from politics in 2007 and had a net worth of several million dollars, but very little of it was liquid. Around the same time as John's inquiries, the former lawmaker stepped up his lobbying work, putting in long hours on behalf of several clients.

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No, More Like A Creeping Totalitarianism

elderstatement.com June 08, 2015 Democracy , New York Mayor Bill de Blasio 0 Comments

NYC Mayor: U.S. Has A Democracy Problem

By Sean Higgins, Jun. 7, 2015, Washington Examiner

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday that there was a "democracy problem" in the U.S. caused by the fact that the states are allowed to pass the laws that govern voting. Federal reform of the process is needed, he said.

"Our elections are governed by state law and for a long time I've believed we need to make a fundamental series of reforms," de Blasio told CBS's "Face the Nation." "Let's face it, a lot of the people in the political class have tried to discourage voter involvement and a lot of incumbents prefer a very small electorate."

The mayor referred to several Republican governors who have signed laws requiring photo identification by voters, arguing the provision is a modest step to prevent fraud. Democrats like de Blasio counter that Republicans' interests are more partisan: They want to discourage some people from voting altogether.

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