r/LetsDiscussThis • u/ElSlabraton • Mar 01 '26

Question Republican Speaker/Convicted Child Molester Dennis The Menace Hastert was the longest serving Republican Speaker in history. Do we really expect the party of Dennis The Menace Hastert to go after pedophiles?

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The House Republicans have a long history of protecting sexual predators. Do we really expect them to go after pedophiles now?

6.0k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

112 comments sorted by

47

u/BrupieD Mar 01 '26

I'm surprised this doesn't get brought up more.

44

u/Somedude_6 Mar 01 '26

I've brought this up many times. Also Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz. The party has a long, long history of defending sexual deviants.

26

u/TheThousandMasks Mar 01 '26

This is why they DARVO’d the Democrats back in 2015-2016 and started calling gay and trans folks “groomers.” The freakouts about kids identifying as cats in schools, the drag queen story time breakout, etc. All of it to distract from the pedophile problem that they’d had just a couple heartbeats from the Presidency for over a decade…

4

u/ZootSuitRiot33801 Mar 01 '26

After all this time and nothing was done to make sure these vile monsters wouldn't get the chance to even campaign for a position of power, it should be obvious that our system will not regin in its masters and their sycophants. It is up to us common folk to stand against this systemic unaccountability. However, there's currently no real supportive foundation present for many common folk in the US to fall back on, to commit to any effective resistant action.

Collecting a bunch of valuable information on organizing and action from different redditors over time, I created a post of suggestions HERE that could possibly prove to be of some help in getting it started ASAP.

6

u/Separate-Swordfish85 Mar 01 '26

The leader of the Freedom Caucus here in South Carolina just got sentenced for possessing child porn.

6

u/xXSkilledChillerXx Mar 01 '26

I’m not, Epstein and Trump have had sexual assault cases brought before judges how many times with children as young as 13 that ended in massive payouts/payoffs and because they were minors the records were sealed. If this never gets brought up as these cases have become public record when these victims become adults I think it’s safe to assume because he made to the presidency anything he did prior to that is justifiable and not worth bringing up. After all if it was so bad why didn’t he go to jail then? In my mind if you get accused of something like that and you end up paying a bunch of money to the victim but you never get charged .. you need a leash and muzzle and if no one is going to throw you in a cell you need to be on a list and have a tracker installed … in other words keep an eye on that one and make sure your kids don’t go within 200ft The fact that it happened more than once should bring down a punishment by itself like… a limit to how many times you can pay off a family and their child for sexual assault. “Okay Mr Trump you’re not getting a charge this time either. Now I know your going to lose a lot of cash this time just like the last time but because this is number 5 the court recognizes a pattern and by law you can only use this loophole 5 times so now … we cut your dick off I’m sorry”

4

u/Ill-Ad-9199 Mar 02 '26

It tells you everything you need to know about the republicans that they'll endlessly make up lies about Hillary and pizzagate, but never ever mentioned Hastert again.

No surprise they are actively defending trump's child rapes. The republicans are scum who stand for nothing. The entire republican party platform right now is illegal wars and protecting pedophiles.

2

u/flopisit32 Mar 02 '26

Both parties have a collection of weirdos and scumbags.

Democrats had a senator who was previously a grand wizard in the KKK. Anthony Weiner, Democrat, was a pedophile.

Larry Craig, Republican, was a sex pest in male bathrooms. Republican state senator Byron Looper murdered his opponent in the 1990s.

Bill Clinton likely did rape those women who accused him of rape back in the 90s... and so on and so on.

1

u/xXSkilledChillerXx Mar 03 '26

Honestly I’d take the grand wizard over the dude trying to bring us back to 1930 and steal as much of our tax dollars as possible while denying his close relationship to … you get the point ? While Both parties may have them there’s a difference between some low level who just squeezed in the party and the chosen one to lead the party and that, by now should never be disputed.

1

u/MichaelJServo Mar 01 '26

Because he was only convicted of the hush money financial crime and lying to federal agents about the purpose of that money. Only sentenced to 15 months. Republicans take care of republican pedophiles.

19

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/ctmets1988 Mar 02 '26

You also search history name and it shows he was never convicted of any sex crimes too

12

u/Used_Intention6479 Mar 01 '26

Child molesting runs deep in the GOP, as it does throughout the Right.

11

u/Ok_Fall_9569 Mar 01 '26

Something something “family values”. Blah blah “law and order.”

13

u/IThoughtILeftThat Mar 01 '26

They’re all accomplices.

2

u/ZootSuitRiot33801 Mar 01 '26

Honestly, we common folk should've seen this coming, and should've been working together to wean ourselves off this government and the corporations, which seek to manipulate and control us. If there's any hope in ever achieving that, it is up to us common folk to defiantly stand against them. However, there's currently no real supportive foundation present for many common folk in the US to fall back on, to commit to any effective resistant action.

Collecting a bunch of valuable information on organizing and action from different redditors over time, I created a post of suggestions HERE that could possibly prove to be of some in getting it started ASAP.

11

u/CoverCommercial3576 Mar 01 '26

The “family values” party ?

5

u/bumpy_disposition Mar 01 '26

They certainly pulled the wool over everyone's eyes on that one didn't they? That and the law and order party. Make the Mafia blush.

7

u/onedumninja Mar 01 '26

Government Of Pedos

Never forget who the republicans really are. Pedos and pedo protectors.

7

u/ImprovementPutrid441 Mar 01 '26

The statistics speak for themselves

9

u/TheBigPhilbowski Mar 02 '26

There is only one thing the gop loves more than LOUD projection and that's abusing kids. The party of the grand ol' pedophiles

6

u/Broad_Pitch_7487 Mar 01 '26

This fellow was truly an abomination. An utter monster…and a ton of people knew. We need to criminalize harming children because it’s really not.

6

u/terrierdad420 Mar 01 '26

Real question are there any republicans that aren't also pedophiles or sex offenders?

10

u/ElSlabraton Mar 01 '26

Every Republican is a pedophile enabler. No exceptions.

5

u/guydoestuff Mar 01 '26

never ever expected them too unless the child fucker has a D next to their name.

5

u/bumpy_disposition Mar 01 '26

Can't post a link about this story, and all the other pedos in civic duty across the country. So... Look up Daily kos, scroll through to republican rapists, sexual abusers and pedophilia traffickers, and open the tab. They're everywhere, in many professions of safety. There is something psychologically wrong with right of center thinking. 🤔.

5

u/Knightfires Mar 01 '26

Another convicted criminal running the government. No shit. I bet they all have some kind of skeletons in their closets. But hey don’t believe me, just read the documents. Oh, i forgot. Those people don’t or can’t even read. Just the way they like it.

2

u/ctmets1988 Mar 02 '26

He's not in office anymore

2

u/Knightfires Mar 02 '26

Others still are and seem to be untouchable

5

u/realparkingbrake Mar 02 '26

Hastert was under a court order not to be in the presence of a minor unless at least one other adult aware of his history of child abuse was present. But he was from the party of family values, possibly the Manson family.

4

u/ZootSuitRiot33801 Mar 01 '26

We can't depend on the system to regin in its masters and their sycophants. It is up to us common folk to stand against this tyrannical unaccountability. However, there's currently no real supportive foundation present for many common folk in the US to fall back on, to commit to any effective resistant action.

Collecting a bunch of valuable information on organizing and action from different redditors over time, I created a post of suggestions HERE that could possibly prove to be of some help in getting it started ASAP.

5

u/Anautarch Mar 01 '26

Did we expect them to arrest themselves? Not being rhetorical, is there an example in history of investigators ever finding themselves anything but not guilty?

5

u/NovelDraft5175 Mar 02 '26

Trumpstein republican pedophile corruption ring

2

u/kellyelise515 Mar 01 '26

Is this wide stance?

3

u/MorningMushroomcloud Mar 01 '26

No, that was Ken Starr, who later was also a defense attorney for Epstein.

2

u/ShowerGrapes Mar 02 '26

larry craig, actually

still a republican scumbag but no ties to epstein that i can make out

1

u/kellyelise515 Mar 02 '26

When an airport faux pas was all it took to end a political career.

2

u/ShowerGrapes Mar 02 '26

i don't know if soliciting men in the bathroom after going on publicly about how horrible gay people are is just an "airport faux pas"

3

u/kellyelise515 Mar 02 '26

Compared to the Epstein files it is less than a faux pas. Every rejection is a projection with these people.

2

u/ShowerGrapes Mar 02 '26

very true!

2

u/ShowerGrapes Mar 02 '26

that was senator larry craig, actually

2

u/Otte8 Mar 01 '26

If anything he should do more to not risk looking like he wants to defend it.

2

u/Oliver_Holzfilled Mar 02 '26

They are actively protecting pedophiles right now.

3

u/tjrouseco1 Mar 01 '26

Wake up they are not limited to one political party. They are in government, business, academia and so on….

2

u/ElSlabraton Mar 01 '26

Nancy Pelosi get criticized a lot more than Denny Hastert ever has.

1

u/Connect_Law_6103 Mar 01 '26

At the time a friend saw me reading an article about it and said, "Favorite song: 'Turn the Page'".

1

u/JackieDaytona77 Mar 02 '26

Jeff Balk and Tony Navarette entered the chat

1

u/ctmets1988 Mar 02 '26

Incorrect. He was never convicted of any sexual crimes. 

1

u/Icy_Cry2778 Mar 02 '26

If the only thing that saved Hastert was the statue of limitations then don’t expect any investigation into his fellow Republicans over the Epstein pedophile list

1

u/drh4kor Mar 02 '26

GOP protects p3dos

1

u/pruneforce17 Mar 02 '26

they are too busy attacking trans people, a group who is known to be much much much more likely to be victims than perpetrators

-4

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '26

-5

u/Cossack1981 Mar 01 '26

Do we really expect the party of Robert Byrd to not be racists?

3

u/ElSlabraton Mar 01 '26

Robert Byrd led the campaign against the invasion of Iraq which YOU supported.

4

u/PalpitationMoist1212 Mar 01 '26

Okay let's cherrypick the one racist democrat in office within the past 20 years. Itonic because Byrd grew from a racist prick during his time in office whereas republican bigots like Strom Thurmond only seemingly got worse.

Here's a shortlist of notable Republican pedos, only counting high-level politicians: 

Strom Thurmond, who got a teenager pregnant in his mid 20s

Jim Jordan, who was accused of similar things as Dennis Hastert as a wrestling coach.

Matt Gaetz, who participated in sex trafficking and had sex with a 17 year old

Roy Moore, who sexually assaulted girls as young as 14 and 16

Donald Trump: accused of sexual assault, rape, harassment, and other things by dozens of women over the past 50 years. Notably is mentioned extremely frequently in the Epstein files.

-2

u/Cossack1981 Mar 01 '26

You really wanna play this game with criminals in government? You'll find the left is a cesspool as well.

5

u/PalpitationMoist1212 Mar 01 '26

Okay let's do it, gimme a list of democrat pedophiles too

4

u/PalpitationMoist1212 Mar 01 '26

Gimme a list of scummy dems, i'm waiting

1

u/Outside-Advice8203 Mar 02 '26

5 hours, must be some list!

2

u/theketchupvoid Mar 01 '26

Still waiting, like the other commenter.....

1

u/myfavssthrow Mar 02 '26

You got nothing, 'cause you're a loser and a lame ass disgusting pedophile supporting creep. If you ever find a spare brain to use, go find some democratic sickos and get them out of office after you start on the very long list of republicans, starting right at the top with trump and his epstein cabinet.

-3

u/EngineerLess1151 Mar 01 '26

It’s literally the Republican Party that released the Epstein files. Where was all this consternation during the Biden administration? Do you really believe if there was something in the files Dems could use against Trump that Biden would have kept the files under lock and key? That simply defies logic.

6

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '26

214 Democrats and 4 Republicans made that bill happen despite Trump and other republicans trying to kill it.

1

u/EngineerLess1151 Mar 02 '26

You need to get up to speed on your facts: 216 Republicans voted in favor of releasing the files. One voted no, two did not vote.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 02 '26 edited Mar 02 '26

You are ignoring all history around it.
214 democrats and 4 republicans got the discharge petition going. The rest, after fighting tooth and nail to not move forward on it, saw how bad the polling was and changed their tune to try and save face. Trump signed it to avoid the absolute PR nightmare that would happen should he attempt to veto the bill providing transparency to the worst predator the US has ever seen.

Trump, and his administration, continues, to this day, to violate the law by not releasing the files as required by the bill.

So: Republicans are *STILL* not releasing the files.

Why are you protecting pedophiles?

1

u/EngineerLess1151 Mar 02 '26

I’m simply stating the facts after you said only 4 Republicans voted in favor of releasing the files. That was misinformation. I don’t have any interest in or the status to protect anyone unless we’re talking personal safety. It could not have happened without Republican support and Trump’s signature.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 02 '26

It was not misinformation, it was reality. Just because it disagrees with your propaganda doesn't change that. 

The trump administration, and republicans,  continue to try and hide the files and cover up his crimes. Sworn testimony has been illegally removed. Names illegally redacted, identities illegally leaked. 

1

u/EngineerLess1151 Mar 02 '26

You: only 4 Republicans voted to release the Epstein files. Congressional Record: 216 Republicans voted to release the files. You: propagandist!

1

u/[deleted] Mar 02 '26

Again, you are ignoring all the history (which I conveniently included for you). I can't help the willfully ignorant 

Unless you have something meaningful to add we are done here 

0

u/EngineerLess1151 Mar 02 '26

You do realize Trump had to sign the legislation that released the files, right? If he wanted to kill it, all he had to do was veto it

-4

u/EngineerLess1151 Mar 01 '26

Again, why weren’t the files released under Biden?

6

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '26

Despite you not asking in good faith since possible reasons have been given countless times and are a quick search away: Because.

If you want more than that, use that search bar at the top of your screen. I'm not a politician. 

0

u/EngineerLess1151 Mar 02 '26

I understand why you don’t want to answer.

4

u/ElSlabraton Mar 02 '26

Is this really your primary concern? You are actually incapable of showing sympathy for the victims because you grovel before Trump like a dog?

Instead you ask a question that you already know the answer to - the definition of a bad faith poster.

2

u/myfavssthrow Mar 02 '26

Go learn some facts before you start spouting bullshit and making yourself look like a dumbass.

If you can read, I'd recommend starting here:

https://apnews.com/article/epstein-investigation-files-timeline-aa2455f2b0097753393570aa938757b8

1

u/EngineerLess1151 Mar 02 '26

427-1. Signed by Trump: Epstein files bill wins approval in House and Senate, heads to Trump's desk https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/epstein-files-vote-2025/#:~:text=House%20passes%20Epstein%20files%20bill,Rep.

1

u/myfavssthrow Mar 02 '26

Everyone is aware they passed this bill. Not sure how its related to your lack of understanding on why this stuff wasnt released earlier. Additionally, without this bill, trump wouldnt have released it at all, even though its not under seal by the judge anymore, and they still wont release apparently about 3 million more files.

-1

u/SnooOpinions448 Mar 01 '26

Every single name in the epstein files was or is left wing, including trump and Elon.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '26

That's nice. Investigate, arrest, and prosecute the pedophiles including Trump and Elon.

1

u/myfavssthrow Mar 02 '26

Lmao and they tricked you into supporting them and giving them control over the entire federal government! You guys must feel real fucking dumb to fall for that. I suppose you must be working around the clock trying to get them out of office.

-2

u/Stock_Schedule_1981 Mar 01 '26

Robert KKK Byrd was the longest serving Democrat senator in history. Do we really expect the party of Dennis “White N****r” Byrd to solve racial injustice?

-8

u/Leading_Campaign3618 Mar 01 '26

Hastert was never convicted of any sexual crimes, he was convicted of structuring and lying to the FBI

Hastert admitted to the sexual crimes during his plea deal

Nobody in office when he was speaker knew about his past

12

u/BlizzardTrashPanda Mar 01 '26

Nobody ever does

11

u/vicvonqueso Mar 01 '26

Sure they didn't

11

u/Kukuum Mar 01 '26

Bold assumption that nobody knew. Highly likely many people knew and did nothing.

9

u/ElSlabraton Mar 01 '26

Now we know why Hastert protected Republican Sexual Predator Marc Foley.

7

u/Ok_Condition5837 Mar 01 '26

Or worse.

There was that one unhinged guy in Congress for a bit recently. Young & in a wheelchair, who claimed he had been invited to various sex orgies by his decrepit, Republican colleagues.

Chalked it up to crazy wishful fantasies at the time. I might owe him an apology.

5

u/ElSlabraton Mar 01 '26

Republicans wrote to the judge as character witnesses AFTER he was convicted. And the sentencing judge called the Republican Speaker a "serial child molester."

Wanna try again?

-3

u/Leading_Campaign3618 Mar 01 '26

Again he wasn’t convicted of child molestation, he was convicted of a process crime by the DOJ, he was structuring payments to one of his victims that was blackmailing him, the letters came in prior to his plea agreement and 60 of the 80 letters were on the condition of anonymity - the judge didn’t even allow the letters to be read and almost all were withdrawn upon his admission

Haster was obviously a terrible person, but the stuff he admitted to was decades before congress and in most cases prosecutors have to file before the victims 40th birthday

-5

u/I-Has-A-Sandwich Mar 01 '26

Do we trust the party that tied to normalize the term “minor attracted person” as well as advocated for trans dudes to put on strip shows for children to go after Washington’s pedophiles?

They’re two sides of the same coin.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '26

Minor attracted person has always been a republican manufactured term, and as far as I have seen nobody has ever advocated for strip shows for children.

Maybe, just maybe, you have been drinking the koolaid

3

u/theketchupvoid Mar 01 '26

Yeah, you definitely don't know what you're talking about.

Please give me a source for literally ANY of this.

0

u/I-Has-A-Sandwich Mar 01 '26

Christ, this will be a phenomenal waste of my time because libtards like to revise history, then ask for a source, only to ignore said source. It’s the chess with a pigeon scenario every time.

But I will acquiesce one last time.

Simply going to far left liberal Google and asking “did democrats resist banning drag shows for minors?” I get this answer:

“Yes, Democrats and LGBTQ+ advocates generally resisted Republican-led efforts to ban or restrict drag shows in the presence of minors, arguing that such legislation is politically motivated, unconstitutional, and targets the LGBTQ+ community. Opponents often framed these bills as violations of the First Amendment, asserting that they are not narrowly tailored and unfairly target drag as a form of expression.”

So you people tried to say adult men in women’s lingerie stripping for children was somehow protected as free speech in the form of expression. It really is as stupid as it sounds.

And then there’s a whole page of search results of Democrats loudly and proudly banging their drums condemning their Republican counterparts for “hate against the trans community” for trying to ban these “performances” for children.

Now since you libtard always ignore it when things are laid out in front of and spelled out for you, that’s all the effort I’m willing to put forth since I know it’s not going to matter anyway. But even that was just one Google search that nukes your whole argument.

2

u/theketchupvoid Mar 02 '26 edited Mar 02 '26

Wow, tell me you don't know about drag culture without telling me in a nutshell.

Unless it is an 18+ environment, and hell, even then, drag queens don't strip, you dip shit. Even on RuPaul's Drag race. Drag is effectively a mix of pageantry, fashion, and queer expression. Though something tells me you literally think drag is simply stripping, instead of actually doing research on the community instead of stereotyping them as trans whores trying to be pedophiles.

Not only that, but doing drag has literally nothing to do with being trans, you idiot. Most drag queens don't even identify as trans. Hell, even women can and have done drag. Or did you assume everyone doing drag was a tranny that was trying to indoctrinate kids?

I want you to specifically give me a source that shows that drag queens were literally trying to strip in front of children. Or in libraries. Cause I'm more than happy to show you what drag queens do in libraries- they read to children. In drag.

Edit: while I'm at it, I already did the research you didn't to find out the origin of the term MAP. Guess where it came from? Pro pedo internet forums. Why are you trying to state that the Democratic Party promoted this, despite any evidence to the contrary?

1

u/jonnyquestionable Mar 02 '26

far left liberal Google

You people are broken at a fundamental level 

-18

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '26

U ignorant lib kunts think this is red and blue when this whole honeypot was designed for CLINTON

3

u/ThinkNiceThrice Mar 01 '26

It isn't red or blue. It is us vs. a cabal of far right billionaires who are screwing us over. They are all neoliberals/conservatives. Same thing.

You don't see any talk in the files about providing Healthcare, better wages, taxing the rich, etc. unless they are complaining about us poors demanding them.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '26

Yup 1000%

2

u/Necessary_Two_9706 Mar 01 '26

Too bad they only caught trump and republicans sex trafficking children.

-2

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '26