Lawmaker calls for state to revoke Hastert's pension
CHICAGO (AP) - An Illinois state senator is urging the state to strip Dennis Hastert of the taxpayer-funded pension he receives from when he was state legislator.
The former U.S. House Speaker was sentenced to 15 months in prison Wednesday in a hush-money case that revealed accusations he sexually abused teenagers while coaching high school wrestling in Yorkville, Illinois.
State Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant sent a letter Thursday to the General Assembly Retirement System calling Hastert a "predator who harmed the lives of innocent students" and urging it to immediately revoke his $28,000-a-year pension.
But Tim Blair, who oversees the system, tells The (Aurora) Beacon-News that Hastert won't lose the pension because his crimes are unrelated to his time as a legislator.
Hastert's $16,000 teacher's pension has been canceled. He receives a federal pension.