Denny Hastert, Ed Rendell, Tony Podesta
Former Speaker of the House Denny Hastert was a pedo https://disobedientm...icking-network/
Despite the severity of the allegations against Hastert, a surprisingly large number of prominent political figures called for leniency on his behalf. The support Hastert received from colleagues is incredibly disturbing because it suggests that some elected leaders would publicly defend such a person without fear of electoral reprisal.
This speaks to a pervasive culture of permissiveness towards sexual abuse among elected leaders that has come to the forefront of public awareness in recent months, as numerous sex abuse allegations were made against Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Al Franken, Mark Helperin and many others.
Reports that Congressional sexual assault settlements were often billed to taxpayers further reveals an endemic tolerance towards sexual abusers in positions of power. In November 2017, Fox News revealed that between 1997 and 2014, hundreds of women were paid $15.2 million in total in awards and settlements for Capitol Hill workplace violations. This recent episode provides a small glimpse into the ongoing attitude of leniency surrounding unchecked sexual abuses.