Ryan orders removal of Hastert portrait

By Susan Ferrechio, Susan Ferrechio

Published December 20, 2015

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has ordered the removal of the official portrait of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert from its place of honor in the hallway outside of the House chamber.

Ryan's decision came less than a week after Hastert, R-Ill., pleaded guilty to breaking banking laws by structuring withdrawals to avert scrutiny, a felony that could earn him a five-year prison sentence.

Hastert used the money to pay a former student $3.5 million to remain quiet about past behavior, allegedly sexual abuse by Hastert, who was a public school wrestling coach in Yorkville, Ill.

Hastert's portrait was removed from the Speaker's Lobby, an ornate hallway outside of the House chamber. The hallway is lined with the portraits of former speakers, including Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., Tom Foley, D-Wash., and Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, D-Mass.