Former Speaker Hastert pleads guilty to federal charge

Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert pleaded guilty Wednesday to evading currency-reporting requirements, but no further details came out about the underlying wrongdoing that led him to withdraw nearly $1 million in cash from four banks over 2 1/2 years.

“Guilty, sir,” Hastert said during his hearing before a judge in Chicago federal court. Hastert admitted he knew his conduct was wrong.

Says “I didn’t want them to know how I intended to spend the money.”