DENNIS HASERT CASE.

>> THANK YOU.

LATER THIS MONTH, A FEDERAL

JUDGE WILL DECIDE THE FATE OF

FORMER U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER DENNIS

HASERT.

DENNIS HASERT HAS PLEADED GUILTY

TO HUSH MONEY CHARGES CONNECTED

TO A FORMER YORKVILLE HIGH

SCHOOL STUDENT WHO ALLEGEDLY WAS

SEXUALLY ABUSED DECADES AGO BY

HASTERT WHEN HE WAS A WRESTLING

COACH AT THE SCHOOL.

THE "CHICAGO TRIBUNE" REPORTED

THAT A NUMBER OF FORMER STUDENTS

WERE ALLEGEDLY SEXUALLY ABUSED

BY HASTERT.

AND IN A BOMBSHELL FEDERAL

FILING PROSECUTORS CALLED THEIR

STORIES OF ABUSE CREDIBLE.

JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT THIS

STORY IS CHRISTY GUTOWSKI A

REPORTER FOR THE "CHICAGO

TRIBUNE" AND PART OF A TEAM AND

HAS BEEN ABLE TO TRACK DOWN

THREE OF THE FIVE ALLEGED

VICTIMS.

HOW DID YOU DO IT?

IF THERE IS A METHODOLOGY TO

THIS AND IT IS A DIFFICULT STORY

TO REPORT OUT, HOW DID YOU FIND

THEM?

>> AS YOU KNOW, FROM DECADES IN

REPORTING, YOU CAN EITHER HAVE A

SOURCE WHO TELLS YOU, HAVE

LEAKED DOCUMENTS OR BOOTS TO THE

GROUND KNOCKING ON DOORS CALLING

PEOPLE.

I HAVE NEVER BEEN A FEDERAL

COURTS REPORTER SO I HAD NO

SOURCES TO LEAK ANYTHING TO ME.

THERE WERE NO DOCUMENTS TO LEAK

BECAUSE EVERYTHING WAS UNDER

SEAL TO PROTECT THE VICTIMS.

SO THERE WERE NO LEAKED

DOCUMENTS.

IT WAS REALLY JUST GOING THROUGH

OLD YEARBOOKS WITH THE TEAM OF

TRIBUNE REPORTERS AND PUTTING

TOGETHER ROSTERS OF THE

WRESTLERS AND TRYING TO FIND

THEM.

>> AND WHEN YOU DID, DO THAT,

THEN THAT BOOTS TO THE GROUND

PART WHERE YOU GO TO KNOCK ON A

DOOR OR SAY TO A PERSON I AM A

REPORTER, AND I WANT TO KNOW

ABOUT SEX ABUSE.

HOW MANY SLAMMED DOORS DID YOU

GET BEFORE YOU GOT AN OPEN ONE?

>> IT WAS A HEARTBREAKING STORY.

MY BACKGROUND IS WORKING WITH

SURVIVORS OF VIOLENCE CRIMES

COURTS FOR YEARS.

SO I HAVE A LOT OF BACKGROUND

WORKING WITH SURVIVORS OF CRIME.

AND I FEEL COMFORTABLE TALKING

TO THEM.

SO WHEN I WAS GOING THROUGH THE

OLD YEARBOOKS FROM THE 60s AND

70s, YOU GET TO MEMORIZE THE

FACES AND BECOME CURIOUS WHAT

HAPPENED TO THESE PEOPLE IN

LIFE.

AND I REMEMBER MY HIGH SCHOOL

YEARBOOK AND ALL THE DREAMS AND

ASPIRATIONS YOU HAD AND I

WONDERED IT BECAME PERSONAL TO

ME.

I WANTED TO KNOW WERE THEY

HIDING A SECRET?

WERE THEY HARMED?

DID THEY GO AND ASK FOR HELP?

AND NO ONE BELIEVED THEM?

IT BECAME IMPORTANT TO ME AND TO

THE TRIBUNE TO FIND THEM.

AS YOU CAN WELL IMAGINE THESE

WERE MIDDLE-AGED PEOPLE WHO WENT

ON AND MANY THIS WAS THEIR HERO

AND DID NOT BELIEVE IT AND THOSE

WHO DID BELIEVE IT BECAUSE THEIR

OWN KNOWLEDGE WERE NOT THRILLED

ABOUT TALKING ABOUT IT.

>> WHEN THE FEDS FIRST INDICTED

DENNIS HASERT, IT WAS VERY

CAREFULLY WRITTEN INDICTMENT IN

WHICH THEY TALKED ABOUT HIS PAST

MISCONDUCT FOR WHICH HE WAS

STRUCTURING FINANCES BANK

WITHDRAWALS TO PAY HUSH MONEY

AND IT WAS A MALE STUDENT WHO

HAD KNOWN HIM ALL OF HIS LIFE

ALMOST.

AND SO YOU HAD TO PULL OUT OF

THERE AND DEDUCE HERE IS THIS

ONE STUDENT.

YOU NOW KNOW AND FIGURED OUT

THERE WERE FIVE STUDENTS?

>> THE INDICTMENT I READ IT OVER

AND OVER AND OVER TRYING TO GET

CLUES FROM IT AND IT WAS SO

CAREFULLY WORDED AND IT DID NOT

SAY IT WAS A STUDENT.

IT GAVE A BIOGRAPHY ABOUT Mr.

HASTERT THAT HE TAUGHT CIVICS

AND WAS A WRESTLING COACH IN

65-80 AND SAID INDIVIDUAL A IS A

PERSON DID NOT GIVE THEIR

GENDER, WHO KNEW Mr. HASTERT

MOST OF HIS LIFE MOST OF IS WHAT

I BECAME FOCUSED ON.

AND WHAT BROTHERED ME I AM NOT A

HUGE POLITICAL PERSON BUT I KNEW

THIS MAN HE WAS LONGEST REIGNING

SPEAKER REPUBLICAN SPEAKER IN

OUR COUNTRY'S HISTORY AND HE IS

DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY PERSONAL

LIBERTIES AND YOUR PERSONAL

LIBERTIES AND THE PUBLIC'S

PERSONAL LIBERTIES.

AND I WANTED TO KNOW THE TRIBUNE

WANTED TO GET TO THE TRUTH OF

WHAT HAPPENED.

SO YOU KNOW, REALLY IT WAS JUST

A NEEDLE IN A HAY STACK.

>> YOU FOUND INDIVIDUAL A.

>> WE DID.

SO WHAT I DID AND WHAT SOME OF

MY COLLEAGUES DID, JEFF COHEN,

WE WENT THROUGH THE ROSTERS AND

WE CALLED AND KNOCKED ON THE

DOOR OF MANY OF THEM AND I FELL

IN YORK A GREAT TOWN MANY HOMES

ARE CONVERTED CHURCHES.

AND ON FARMS AND IT'S DIFFERENT

FROM MY BACKGROUND.

AND WE DEVELOPED SOME KEY NAMES

OF PEOPLE WE FOCUSED ON AND TOOK

THE REPORTING THROUGHOUT AS LONG

AS WE COULD.

RUMORS, SPECULATION, PEOPLE THAT

WERE CONNECTED TO HASTERT BUT WE

TOOK IT AS FAR AS WE COULD.

AND I REACH YOU HAD OUT TO --

REACHED OUT TO ALMOST 100

WRESTLERS AND KEPT GOING BACK

AND BACK.

AND SOME STARTED TRUSTING US.

AND ONE VICTIM CAME FORWARD IN

OCTOBER.

HE STILL IS NOT WILLING TO TELL

HIS STORY PUBLICLY.

WE HAVE NOT IDENTIFIED HIM.

BUT AROUND CHRISTMAS I WAS

WORKING ON LAQUAN McDONALD'S

STORY LIKE THE REST OF CHICAGO

INCLUDING YOU, AND SOMEONE SAID

YOU KNOW ONE OF THE WRESTLERS

YOU MIGHT WANT TO LOOK AT THIS

PERSON AND IT WAS RUMOR.

SO I STARTED SCRUBBING HIM AND

SURE ENOUGH I PUT TOGETHER 21

POINTS WHY I THOUGHT THIS WAS

INDIVIDUAL A AND WENT TO JEFF

WHO COVERED FAMILY SECRETS AND

MURDERS AND WHAT TOOK ME EIGHT

MONTHS HE COULD GET CONFIRMED IN

LESS THAN A DAY.

>> AND YOU LAID THE GROUND WORK

TO HELP WITH THAT.

>> I THINK IT HELPED WITH THE

NAME.

>> DO THE BRICK WORK FIRST.

SO INDIVIDUAL A, INDIVIDUAL YOU

FIGURED OUT WHO INDIVIDUAL A AND

D ARE IS THAT CORRECT?

>> RIGHT.

AND STEVEN RHINE BOLT'S DIED IN

1995 OF AIDS AND WE THINK HE IS

THE FIRST VICTIM.

AND HIS SISTER HAS SPOKEN OUT

PUBLICLY SINCE LAST SUMMER.

>> BECAUSE SHE CONFRONTED DENNIS

HASERT AT HER BROTHER'S WAKE.

ALL OF THESE, FOR ALL OF THESE

MEN HAVE THEY --

DO THEY STILL WEAR THE SCARS?

IS THERE SOMETHING THAT A

COMMONALITY THAT YOU SEE IN

THEM?

>> COLLEGE EDUCATED.

DENNIS HASERT KNEW THEIR

FAMILIES WELL.

THEIR PARENTS TRUSTED HIM.

THEY SOME OF THEM STAYED CLOSE

AND OTHERS HAVE GONE FAR.

SUCCESSFUL.

SOME OF THEM ALL OF THEM HAVE

HAD PERSONAL STRUGGLES.

AND YOU KNOW IT'S INTERESTING

THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO STILL

DON'T BELIEVE THIS.

AND THESE VICTIMS, I THINK THEY

ARE GROWING IN STRENGTH AND

NUMBERS.

BUT THEY ARE AWARE OF THAT.

I TALKED TO ONE MEMBER OF THE 76

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM WHO TOLD

ME I DO NOT CARE IF HE DID DO

IT.

HE IS MY COACH.

IT DOESN'T CHANGE MY MIND.

THEY HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH

THIS.

BUT THERE HAVE BEEN STRUGGLES

AND I CANNOT SAY IF IT'S BECAUSE

OF WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM AS A

CHILD BUT YOU HAVE TO THINK IT

HAD EFFECT.

>> INDIVIDUAL A HAD MANY

FINANCIAL REVERSALS.

HAD SOME ANXIETY STRUGGLES.

AND HASTERT WHEN THE FEDS SAW

SOMETHING STRANGE GOING ON IN

HIS BANKING, HASTERT TOLD THEM

WELL HE WAS BEING EXTORTED BY

INDIVIDUAL A.

THE AMAZING THING IS THE F.B.I.

WIRETAPPING THEIR CONVERSATIONS

FOUND QUITE THE OPPOSITE, DIDN'T

THEY?

>> AND PEOPLE HAVE STRONG

OPINIONS ABOUT WHETHER

INDIVIDUAL A IS AN EXTORTIONIST

OR NOT.

AND THAT WAS WHAT Mr. HASTERT

TOLD THE FEDS WHEN THEY

CONFRONTED HIM SO THEY

TAPE-RECORDED TWO CONVERSATIONS

IN MARCH OF 2015 AND BOTH

ACCORDING TO THE DOCUMENT THAT

THE FEDS RELEASED FRIDAY, 8:00

P.M., INDIVIDUAL A WAS PASSIVE

AND NEVER ANGRY WHEN Mr.

HASTERT SAID HE COULD NOT GET

MORE MONEY.

AND SAID ALL I ALONG I WANTED TO

GO TO YOUR LAWYERS AND STRUCTURE

THIS IN A WAY THAT WAS

ABOVEBOARD.

SO THAT IS WHY --

>> AND HASTERT ALLEGEDLY SAID

NO.

>> RIGHT.

HE WANTED TO KEEP IT SECRET.

AND ACCORDING TO THE FEDS THAT

IS BECAUSE HE KNEW JOL LEAN WAS

OUT THERE.

>> THE SISTER OF STEVEN WHO DIED

OF AIDS AND WAS THE FIRST IN

THIS LINE OF YOUNG MEAN.

IN THE GOVERNMENT'S FILING THEY

TALK ABOUT NO ONE IS WITH ABOVE

THE LAW NOT DENNIS HASERT, NOT

ANYONE.

AND, YET, IN THOMAS DURKIN'S

FEDERAL COURTROOM REPORTERS HAVE

NOT KNOWN OF SEVERAL OF THE

HEARINGS THAT WERE GOING ON.

THEY SEEMED TO BE SLIPPED UNDER

THE RADAR.

WHY IS THAT?

>> SO IT TOOK 300 DAYS SINCE THE

INDICTMENT WAS UNSEALED THAT THE

WORDS SEXUAL ABUSE WERE UTTERED

IN OPEN COURT AND ON PUBLIC

RECORD ONE OF THE THINGS THAT

MOTIVATED THE TRIBUNE TO PURSUE

THE STORY.

DURING THE 300 DAYS THERE WERE

TWO COURT HEARINGS THAT WERE NOT

REPORTERS WERE IN THE COURTHOUSE

AND THEY KNOW WHEN THINGS ARE

UP.

AND TWO WERE CALLED WITHOUT ANY

SORT OF PUBLIC NOTICE.

AND I DO BELIEVE THAT JUDGE

DURKIN GIVEN THE DIFFICULTIES OF

THIS CASE HAS DONE HIS BEST TO

TRY TO KEEP THINGS PUBLIC.

WHAT HAPPENED ON ONE OF THE

INSTANCES WAS HE WAS ON TRIAL

AND THE LAWYERS CAME IN

LAST-MINUTE WITH SOMETHING THAT

THEY WANTED TO GET ON THE RECORD

SO HE DID HIS LUNCH, DID IT ON

HIS LUNCH-HOUR AND WE GOT

TRANSCRIPTS LATER.

IT GOES TO SHOW YOU IN THIS

CASE, IF OUR FEDERAL COURT

REPORTER DID NOT HEAR ABOUT IT

FROM ONE OF HIS PROBABLY

SOMEBODY IN THE COURTHOUSE, WE

WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN ABOUT IT.

IT'S UPSETTING.

>> IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT YOU ARE

STILL REPORTING THIS STORY?

>> RIGHT.

>> AND THE HEARING WE MAY HEAR

FROM INDIVIDUAL D THE IRONY IS

THAT HE CAME FORWARD TO

PROSECUTORS AFTER HASTERT'S TEAM

ASKED HIS FAMILY TO WRITE A

LETTER OF AFFIRMATION AND

RECOMMENDATION.

>> KEEP IN MIND THIS WAS A TOWN

THAT HAS GROWN BY LEAPS AND

BOUNDS SINCE THE 60s AND

70s.

AND EVERYBODY KNEW EVERYONE.

IT WAS LIKE 1500 PEOPLE BACK IN

THE DAY.

HE KNOWS THEIR FAMILIES.

AND WE'VE HEARD BECAUSE OF THE

DIFFICULTY HE HAS HAD MEDICALLY

HE LOST SOME OF HIS MEMORY AND

THINGS LIKE THAT.

THAT IS WHAT THE DEFENSE HAS

SAID BUT WE ARE TOLD HE DID

REACH OUT TO A MEMBER OF D'S

FAMILY AND D HAS ALWAYS BEEN ON

THE FENCE.

THERE IS NO PUBLIC UPSIDE.

SOME MUCH COMES UPSIDE-DOWN WHEN

YOU COME AGAINST ONE OF THE MOST

POWERFUL MEN IN OUR COUNTRY'S

HISTORY.

BUT HE IS GOING TO TELL HIS

STORY.

AND HE IS SCARED BUT HE IS GOING

TO DO IT.

>> CHRISTY GUTOWSKI, IT'S AN

AMAZING STORY.

AND I KNOW THE LEGWORK ON IT HAS

BEEN ENORMOUS.

THANK YOU FOR COMING AND TALKING

ABOUT THAT.