Biglaw

Biglaw Partners In Support Of Dennis Hastert

A well-deserved loss for these Biglaw partners.

By Kathryn Rubino on April 27, 2016 2:00 pm
Dennis Hastert

Dennis Hastert

Corporate or litigation, Biglaw or small, one thing that all lawyers are good at is writing a strongly worded letter. I bet half of you reading this now are supposed to be using this time to write a letter. But just because you can write a killer letter, it doesn’t mean you should.

I say this because two Biglaw partners, Tyrone Fahner of Mayer Brown and Frederick Lowther of Blank Rome according to the National Law Journal, wrote letters in support of Dennis Hastert. Yes, that Hastert. The longest-serving Republican Speaker of the House and the one who pleaded guilty to bank fraud and lying to authorities about it as part of a scheme to pay hush money to his alleged child molestation victims. A real gem, this guy.

And today, at his sentencing hearing, Hastert admitted in court that the allegations of sexual abuse against him were true:

“I mistreated some of my athletes that I coached,” Hastert admitted Wednesday at his sentencing hearing. “I’m deeply ashamed to be standing before you today.”

When the judge specifically asked him if he’d sexually abused a former student named Stephen Reinboldt, Hastert said, “Yes.”

But despite what “their guy” would go on to admit in open court, the letters Fahner and Lowther wrote in support of Hastert painted a picture of a kind, industrious, and dedicated man:

“Whatever conduct is alleged, I know Denny as a kind, strong, principled, unselfish man,” wrote Fahner, a former Illinois attorney general. “I urge the Court to permit him to live the rest of his life in freedom with his family and friends, and all of those who love and admire him. I wish to be counted among them.”

“Whatever conduct is alleged”? That takes the cake for lawyerish non-statements, because let’s not forget the conduct alleged is serial CHILD MOLESTATION. Despite the origination of the case against Hastert (bank fraud stemming from hush money over the sexual abuse), this isn’t some vague financial crime where there are no real victims. We know who they are, and they were children when it happened.

Lowther’s letter provides some insight to Hastert’s work there [at Blank Rome]. He traveled with Lowther to Japan in 2011 shortly after a tsunami led to a partial meltdown of a nuclear power plant to help U.S companies assist Japan’s energy industry, the letter says. In another matter for an unnamed client, Hastert was “instrumental” in addressing the “sudden and unjustified” detention by China of an employee who allegedly was selling “state secrets.”

“In all my years practicing law, I never met a person who could bring people together to solve problems like he could,” Lowther wrote of Hastert.

Hey, here’s a thought. Maybe there is another euphemism you can use besides “bring[ing] people together.” He is, after all, accused of sexual abuse.

In total, there were 41 total letters filed with U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin in support of Hastert. Including one from CIA Director Porter Goss, who called Hastert “a rock solid guy with center-of-the country values.” This says something about the moral compass of the CIA, or the center-of-the country, or both.

But this pandering did not work; this morning, Judge Durkin sentenced Hastert to 15 months in prison, plus two years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. According to the judge, the only reason the sentence is so short is that the statute of limitations has run out on the molestation charges and he specifically said Hastert’s age should not be a factor in sentencing him.

This is a well-deserved loss for these Biglaw partners.

Dennis Hastert Finds Support from Big Law Partners [National Law Journal]
Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert Sentenced to 15 Months In Prison in Hush-Money Sexual Abuse Case [The Slot]
Dennis Hastert, Longest Serving Republican Speaker of the House, is an Admitted Serial Child Molester [Gawker]