Former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert dead at 84

Former Republican Rep. Dennis Hastert, who was the longest-serving GOP House Speaker, died on Monday at the age of 84.

Hastert died peacefully of natural causes at his home, according to Kendall County Coroner Jacquie Purcell. The longtime politician represented Illinois' 14th Congressional district for 20 years and served as Speaker of the House for eight years before retiring in 2007.

His career was later tarnished by a bank fraud conviction linked to his efforts to quash the story...