[a fool in paradise]

Because paying blackmail is more criminal than being blackmailed.

He was a criminal for molestation, no doubt that was criminal, but odd that the payoff is the charge and not molestation or blackmail. Procedural crime.

[all the best]

The crime is that he used his own money. Ill-gotten perhaps, but his own money. Welcome to the new America.

[Sawdring]

Come on fool, he voted for the law that made structuring illegal. He structured and then lied about structuring to the FBI to cover up his alleged molestation of an underage male and his alleged homosexual affair.

[BunnySlippers]

Money laundering is at the heart of the patriot act.

[mrs ippi]

“He was a criminal for molestation, no doubt that was criminal, but odd that the payoff is the charge and not molestation or blackmail. Procedural crime.”

It occurs to me that you are right. I have been scratching my head for 24 hours on what is really going on. I speculate this is not the reason for $3.2 million pay off. That “Kid” would be 50 years old. Hastert was finished long ago as a politician. Where is the extortion charge? Why is this side of a criminal act being covered up? I think this has nothing to do with a pedophile and more to do with something else. Where are Woodward and Berstien? Wasn’t the money Hasterts to begin with? get your pop cord ready on this one. ( also note it broke on friday?? )

[TomGuy]

odd that the payoff is the charge and not molestation or blackmail.

One link in a related thread had this brief timeline: Hastert met with Individual A in 2010. Payments began shortly after.

Was that Individual A the youth involved or someone who knew of the situation? Why so long (decades) after for payments to start?

Another 'individual' supposedly also had incident(s) with Hastert but FBI declined to include that person/incident(s) in the indictment.

Per some comments in related threads, payments had been going on since Hastert's coaching days.

[As with Clinton/Obama on Benghazi, the early reporting of the Hastert affair(s) is/are confusing and unclear on details, including the payments timeline.]

[duffee]

“He was a criminal for molestation, no doubt that was criminal, but odd that the payoff is the charge and not molestation or blackmail. Procedural crime.”

Not really, they want to be sure that blackmailers pay taxes too. I believe government considers tax evasion to be one of the most dastardly of deeds.