Inside Out: The Abramoff Investigation and Speaker Hastert

May 26, 2006 — -- Wednesday's World News Tonight and ABCNews.com led with an exclusive story reporting on the federal investigation into the activities of former Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff expanding to include US House or Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert. The report, by ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross, was based on information provided to ABC News by federal officials with knowledge of the probe.

Ross' report on Wednesday night prompted two official denials by the US Department of Justice, the first stating that "Speaker Hastert is not under investigation by the Justice Department." A second denial, released shortly after midnight, quoted Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty, who said "[w]ith regard to reports suggesting that the Speaker of the House is under investigation or 'in the mix,' as stated by ABC News, I reconfirm, as stated by the Department earlier this evening, that these reports are untrue."

Earlier Wednesday evening, when asked about Ross' report, Hastert told ABC News producer Dean Norland that he knew nothing of the report and later, in a statement issued by his communications director, demanded a full retraction from ABC News.

ABC News stands by its story. Ross and his team posted a series of updates to the ABCNews.com "Blotter" reporting that "federal law enforcement" authorities had re-confirmed to them that, although Hastert is not a formal subject or target of the probe, "ABC News accurately reported that Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert is 'in the mix' in the FBI investigation of corruption in Congress."

On Thursday, Hastert did a radio interview with Chicago's WGN and said that he believes the Department of Justice had leaked the story to "intimidate" him in response to his vocal opposition to the recent FBI raid on the Capitol offices of Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.): "It's just not true, you know. The Justice Department said there is no investigation, and this is one of the leaks that come out to try to, you know, intimidate people, and we're just not gonna be intimidated on it," he said. Hastert reiterated his demand that ABC News retract its story.