Dennis Hastert, longest-serving Republican House Speaker and convicted child molester, dies at 84

The late House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) was an accidental speaker.And it was a sheer accident that the world learned a dark secret about Hastert, years after he left Capitol Hill.It was twenty years ago, almost to the date.House Republicans were on the verge of losing their majority in the 2006 midterms.

And their Speaker, Dennis Hastert, was in meltdown.HIGHEST-RANKING US OFFICIAL TO EVER SERVE JAIL TIME, FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER DENNIS HASTERT DEAD AT 84Word had just broken that then-Rep.Mark Foley (R-FL) had sent inappropriate messages to high school-age male teens, serving as House pages.

The Republican-led House was meeting on September 29, 2006, trying to escape town so the GOP could defend their majority.But nothing was going right for Republicans.

The public was growing weary of President George W.Bush and the war in Iraq.

Democrats were poised to retake the House in November.Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert next to his seat in the Congressional Chambers shortly before President Bill Clinton delivers his State of the Union speech before a joint session of Congress on January 20, 1999.(David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)Yours truly and Deirdre Walsh — then of CNN — spotted the portly Hastert lumbering across Statuary Hall toward the Speaker’s office."Did he call you?" Walsh asked Hastert about Foley."What are you going to do about it?" I inquired."We’ll talk about that shortly," mumbled Hastert under his breath, his wide glasses nearly tumbling over the bridge of his nose as he huffed into the Speaker’s suite.An hour later, Hastert, outgoing Senate Majority LeaderBill Frist (R-TN) and other top Republicans convened a brief press conference to tout a national security bill they just passed.

The legislation was designed as the GOP sendoff as lawmakers went home to campaign."Ok, we’ll take questions.Only on the bill," instructed Frist.

"Only on the bill."No one even squeaked.Finally, I piped up."We have questions about other subjects," I anno...