Disgraced former House Speaker Dennis Hastert dies at 84, tell me about this news today

Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert died over the weekend at his home in Kendall County, Illinois, at the age of 84. On Monday, October 5, 2026, the Kendall County Coroner’s Office announced his passing, stating that the cause of death was natural causes.

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Political Career An Illinois Republican, Hastert served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 until his resignation in 2007. He rose to national prominence in early 1999 when he was chosen as Speaker of the House following the sudden resignations of Newt Gingrich and Bob Livingston. Hastert held the speakership until early 2007, making him the longest-serving Republican Speaker in U.S. history. During his tenure, he was known for the informal “Hastert Rule,” a legislative principle where the Speaker generally only brought a bill to the floor if a majority of the majority party supported it.

Fall from Grace and Imprisonment Hastert’s legacy was permanently eclipsed years later when federal authorities uncovered illicit financial transactions. In 2015, he was indicted for structuring cash withdrawals in increments just below $10,000 to avoid bank reporting requirements and lying to the FBI.

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The investigation revealed that Hastert was paying millions of dollars in hush money to conceal his past sexual abuse of teenage boys whom he coached and taught at Yorkville High School in the 1960s and 1970s. Although the statute of limitations had expired for the sexual abuse offenses themselves, the financial structuring charges led to his conviction. In 2016, the federal sentencing judge called him a “serial child molester,” sentencing him to 15 months in prison. He served roughly 13 months before being released in 2017.

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