McCarthy ‘shocked’ by Hastert scandal

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Monday he was “shocked” by “disturbing” reports that former Speaker Dennis Hastert allegedly made payments to a former student to keep him quiet about past sexual abuse. 

“As everybody else, I was shocked. It’s very disturbing what is happening,” McCarthy told reporters during a news briefing.

McCarthy arrived in Congress in January 2007, just as Hastert, an Illinois Republican, stepped down as Speaker after an eight-year run. Hastert resigned from Congress 11 months later and became a lobbyist.

{mosads}Federal prosecutors indicted Hastert last week for lying to the FBI and illegally structuring payments to a person known as “Individual A,” against whom Hastert had carried out undisclosed “misconduct.” 

Law enforcement sources said Friday that Hastert had been paying off the individual to conceal allegations he sexually assaulted a student when Hastert was a high school teacher and coach, before his election to Congress.

Hastert will be arraigned in federal court in Chicago on Thursday morning.

McCarthy said “due process” should play out before there’s any discussion about a possible congressional investigation or review.

“Right now, it seems it’s being investigated,” he said.

This story was updated at 1:11 p.m.