Former U.S. House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert hired Washington white-collar criminal-defense lawyer Thomas Green as he faces charges of planning to pay $3.5 million in hush money.
Green, a former federal prosecutor in Washington, is senior counsel at Chicago-based Sidley Austin LLP. His retention by Hastert was confirmed by Carter Phillips, chairman of the firm’s executive committee, in an e-mail.
Hastert, 73, is set to be arraigned in Chicago federal court Tuesday on charges he withdrew $952,000 from accounts in increments of less than $10,000 to evade federal bank-reporting requirements and then lied to the Federal Bureau of Investigation about what he was doing with the cash.
A Republican, Hastert served in Congress from 1987 to 2007, the last eight years as House speaker. He has made no public comment since the charges were announced last month.
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