You won’t believe why a former Speaker of the House just got indicted

May 29, 2015

WRITER

Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert was just indicted, and the circumstances are more than a little bizarre. Not only has he been accused of covering up `prior misconduct’ by paying $3.5 million to an unnamed person, he also tried to hide it by withdrawing the funds in amounts below $10,000 (also illegal) and lying to the FBI. Pat has the full story on radio and his reaction.

Get the latest from TheBlaze, and watch Pat's reaction below:

Below is a rough transcript of this segment:

PAT: Pat Gray in for Glenn on the Glenn Beck Program. He's back -- the show will be back together on Monday. 877-727-BECK.

A lot to talk about today as we get into the weekend. Of course, we have the former Speaker Denny Hastert being indicted on charges of -- this is bizarre. It's bank fraud, I guess, now to withdraw -- first of all, if you withdraw more than $10,000, it has to be reported to the federal government.

JEFFY: Right.

PAT: You know, they're looking for drug dealers. Terrorists.

JEFFY: But, my friend, if you withdraw less than $10,000 --

PAT: Then it still has to be reported because now you're skirting the law.

JEFFY: More times than one.

PAT: More times than one. Is that written into the law, that you can't withdraw more than $10,000 and you can't withdraw less than $10,000 more than once?

JEFFY: The indictment -- which is what he did -- the indictment charges him with one count of evading bank regulations by withdrawing -- well, he withdrew $952,000 in increments of less than $10,000 to skirt reporting requirements.

PAT: That's madness! How is that American?

JEFFY: It's not America.

PAT: It's my money. I can withdraw whatever increment I want and do with it whatever I want within the law.

JEFFY: Well, when the FBI comes to you, pal, and says, hey, Pat, what are you doing with that money? Why are you withdrawing it? And you don't tell them the truth, you can be indicted for it.

PAT: Well, the truth is, it's none of your business. I'm not going to tell you what I'm doing with my money. I'm doing whatever I want with my money. Shut up. That's not America.

JEFFY: One count of lying to the FBI about the reason for the unusual withdrawals.

PAT: Wow, that's bad. That is bad.

JEFFY: Each one of those counts, maximum penalty. Five years prison. 250,000 dollar fine.

PAT: Wow. That is crazy. So, anyway, he withdrew $950,000 in small amounts. So he did it over and over again. Now, I don't know what -- he's obviously being blackmailed by somebody.

JEFFY: Some kind of hush money. We don't know what for.

PAT: It would be interesting to know what he did to this unidentified person and they're blackmailing him and he's trying to silence them. So that's a separate issue. I don't know what he did. I don't know what happened there.

But the banking issue is outrageously ridiculous that you can't withdraw -- okay, so there is a regulation in place. We all understand it now. If you take out $10,000 cash, it's going to be reported to the government. But if I withdraw $9,999.99 cents in cash, it's none of your business what I'm doing with it. I don't have to report that. It's $10,000 or more. I didn't take out $10,000 or more. Get off me.

JEFFY: But you know --

PAT: And if I want to do that every day of the week for a year -- if I had that kind of money -- I should be able to.

JEFFY: Well, you can. You can.

PAT: They'll just visit you and ask you what you're doing with it. And it's none of your business what I'm doing with it.

JEFFY: All right. Put your hands behind your back.

PAT: That's exactly what would happen. That's why this is no longer America. That and so many reasons. That's a big one. I don't know what he's doing with the money.

JEFFY: Yeah, and it went way back to his hometown of Yorkville, I guess. Yorkville Illinois. Because it talks about the indictment -- it talks about the -- it said here that the federal prosecutors noted that -- about his ten-year in Yorkville. He was a teacher back in the mid-'60s into the early '80s. And it talked about individual A having known him for almost all his life. So it was something that happened, you know, early on in his life. We don't know what that was. I mean, it could be something someone related to him. It could be something about him. We don't know what that is. However --

PAT: We do know he's being charged with some kind of skirting bank regulation.

JEFFY: Right. Come on.

PAT: Which is madness. That's madness.

JEFFY: Come on.

PAT: We have to revisit that. We must revisit that law, I think.

JEFFY: Oh, my gosh.

PAT: I mean, if you're catching drug dealers, fine. How many drug dealers are --

JEFFY: Former Speakers of the House?

PAT: Not many. No, not many. If the transactions are -- if you're transferring money from the United States to Mexico and on your account it says, Gulf Cartel, maybe we look into that, I don't know.

[laughter]

But American citizens need to be left alone.

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

PHILL MAGAKOE / Contributor | Getty Images

Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

I’ve only felt this weight once before. It was 2001, just as my radio show was about to begin. The World Trade Center fell, and I was called to speak immediately. I spent the day and night by my bedside, praying for words that could meet the moment.

Yesterday, I found myself in the same position. September 11, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk. A friend. A warrior for truth.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Moments like this make words feel inadequate. Yet sometimes, words from another time speak directly to our own. In 1947, Dylan Thomas, watching his father slip toward death, penned lines that now resonate far beyond his own grief:

Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thomas was pleading for his father to resist the impending darkness of death. But those words have become a mandate for all of us: Do not surrender. Do not bow to shadows. Even when the battle feels unwinnable.

Charlie Kirk lived that mandate. He knew the cost of speaking unpopular truths. He knew the fury of those who sought to silence him. And yet he pressed on. In his life, he embodied a defiance rooted not in anger, but in principle.

Picking up his torch

Washington, Jefferson, Adams — our history was started by men who raged against an empire, knowing the gallows might await. Lincoln raged against slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. raged against segregation. Every generation faces a call to resist surrender.

It is our turn. Charlie’s violent death feels like a knockout punch. Yet if his life meant anything, it means this: Silence in the face of darkness is not an option.

He did not go gently. He spoke. He challenged. He stood. And now, the mantle falls to us. To me. To you. To every American.

We cannot drift into the shadows. We cannot sit quietly while freedom fades. This is our moment to rage — not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with courage. Rage against lies, against apathy, against the despair that tells us to do nothing. Because there is always something you can do.

Even small acts — defiance, faith, kindness — are light in the darkness. Reaching out to those who mourn. Speaking truth in a world drowning in deceit. These are the flames that hold back the night. Charlie carried that torch. He laid it down yesterday. It is ours to pick up.

The light may dim, but it always does before dawn. Commit today: I will not sleep as freedom fades. I will not retreat as darkness encroaches. I will not be silent as evil forces claim dominion. I have no king but Christ. And I know whom I serve, as did Charlie.

Two turning points, decades apart

On Wednesday, the world changed again. Two tragedies, separated by decades, bound by the same question: Who are we? Is this worth saving? What kind of people will we choose to be?

Imagine a world where more of us choose to be peacemakers. Not passive, not silent, but builders of bridges where others erect walls. Respect and listening transform even the bitterest of foes. Charlie Kirk embodied this principle.

He did not strike the weak; he challenged the powerful. He reached across divides of politics, culture, and faith. He changed hearts. He sparked healing. And healing is what our nation needs.

At the center of all this is one truth: Every person is a child of God, deserving of dignity. Change will not happen in Washington or on social media. It begins at home, where loneliness and isolation threaten our souls. Family is the antidote. Imperfect, yes — but still the strongest source of stability and meaning.

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

Forgiveness, fidelity, faithfulness, and honor are not dusty words. They are the foundation of civilization. Strong families produce strong citizens. And today, Charlie’s family mourns. They must become our family too. We must stand as guardians of his legacy, shining examples of the courage he lived by.

A time for courage

I knew Charlie. I know how he would want us to respond: Multiply his courage. Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins. Out of darkness, great and glorious things will sprout — but we must be worthy of them.

Charlie Kirk lived defiantly. He stood in truth. He changed the world. And now, his torch is in our hands. Rage, not in violence, but in unwavering pursuit of truth and goodness. Rage against the dying of the light.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family

Glenn Beck is once again calling on his loyal listeners and viewers to come together and channel the same unity and purpose that defined the historic 9-12 Project. That movement, born in the wake of national challenges, brought millions together to revive core values of faith, hope, and charity.

Glenn created the original 9-12 Project in early 2009 to bring Americans back to where they were in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In those moments, we weren't Democrats and Republicans, conservative or liberal, Red States or Blue States, we were united as one, as America. The original 9-12 Project aimed to root America back in the founding principles of this country that united us during those darkest of days.

This new initiative draws directly from that legacy, focusing on supporting the family of Charlie Kirk in these dark days following his tragic murder.

The revival of the 9-12 Project aims to secure the long-term well-being of Charlie Kirk's wife and children. All donations will go straight to meeting their immediate and future needs. If the family deems the funds surplus to their requirements, Charlie's wife has the option to redirect them toward the vital work of Turning Point USA.

This campaign is more than just financial support—it's a profound gesture of appreciation for Kirk's tireless dedication to the cause of liberty. It embodies the unbreakable bond of our community, proving that when we stand united, we can make a real difference.
Glenn Beck invites you to join this effort. Show your solidarity by donating today and honoring Charlie Kirk and his family in this meaningful way.

You can learn more about the 9-12 Project and donate HERE

The critical difference: Rights from the Creator, not the state

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

When politicians claim that rights flow from the state, they pave the way for tyranny.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) recently delivered a lecture that should alarm every American. During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, he argued that believing rights come from a Creator rather than government is the same belief held by Iran’s theocratic regime.

Kaine claimed that the principles underpinning Iran’s dictatorship — the same regime that persecutes Sunnis, Jews, Christians, and other minorities — are also the principles enshrined in our Declaration of Independence.

In America, rights belong to the individual. In Iran, rights serve the state.

That claim exposes either a profound misunderstanding or a reckless indifference to America’s founding. Rights do not come from government. They never did. They come from the Creator, as the Declaration of Independence proclaims without qualification. Jefferson didn’t hedge. Rights are unalienable — built into every human being.

This foundation stands worlds apart from Iran. Its leaders invoke God but grant rights only through clerical interpretation. Freedom of speech, property, religion, and even life itself depend on obedience to the ruling clerics. Step outside their dictates, and those so-called rights vanish.

This is not a trivial difference. It is the essence of liberty versus tyranny. In America, rights belong to the individual. The government’s role is to secure them, not define them. In Iran, rights serve the state. They empower rulers, not the people.

From Muhammad to Marx

The same confusion applies to Marxist regimes. The Soviet Union’s constitutions promised citizens rights — work, health care, education, freedom of speech — but always with fine print. If you spoke out against the party, those rights evaporated. If you practiced religion openly, you were charged with treason. Property and voting were allowed as long as they were filtered and controlled by the state — and could be revoked at any moment. Rights were conditional, granted through obedience.

Kaine seems to be advocating a similar approach — whether consciously or not. By claiming that natural rights are somehow comparable to sharia law, he ignores the critical distinction between inherent rights and conditional privileges. He dismisses the very principle that made America a beacon of freedom.

Jefferson and the founders understood this clearly. “We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights,” they wrote. No government, no cleric, no king can revoke them. They exist by virtue of humanity itself. The government exists to protect them, not ration them.

This is not a theological quibble. It is the entire basis of our government. Confuse the source of rights, and tyranny hides behind piety or ideology. The people are disempowered. Clerics, bureaucrats, or politicians become arbiters of what rights citizens may enjoy.

John Greim / Contributor | Getty Images

Gifts from God, not the state

Kaine’s statement reflects either a profound ignorance of this principle or an ideological bias that favors state power over individual liberty. Either way, Americans must recognize the danger. Understanding the origin of rights is not academic — it is the difference between freedom and submission, between the American experiment and theocratic or totalitarian rule.

Rights are not gifts from the state. They are gifts from God, secured by reason, protected by law, and defended by the people. Every American must understand this. Because when rights come from government instead of the Creator, freedom disappears.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

POLL: Is Gen Z’s anger over housing driving them toward socialism?

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A recent poll conducted by Justin Haskins, a long-time friend of the show, has uncovered alarming trends among young Americans aged 18-39, revealing a generation grappling with deep frustrations over economic hardships, housing affordability, and a perceived rigged system that favors the wealthy, corporations, and older generations. While nearly half of these likely voters approve of President Trump, seeing him as an anti-establishment figure, over 70% support nationalizing major industries, such as healthcare, energy, and big tech, to promote "equity." Shockingly, 53% want a democratic socialist to win the 2028 presidential election, including a third of Trump voters and conservatives in this age group. Many cite skyrocketing housing costs, unfair taxation on the middle class, and a sense of being "stuck" or in crisis as driving forces, with 62% believing the economy is tilted against them and 55% backing laws to confiscate "excess wealth" like second homes or luxury items to help first-time buyers.

This blend of Trump support and socialist leanings suggests a volatile mix: admiration for disruptors who challenge the status quo, coupled with a desire for radical redistribution to address personal struggles. Yet, it raises profound questions about the roots of this discontent—Is it a failure of education on history's lessons about socialism's failures? Media indoctrination? Or genuine systemic barriers? And what does it portend for the nation’s trajectory—greater division, a shift toward authoritarian policies, or an opportunity for renewal through timeless values like hard work and individual responsibility?

Glenn wants to know what YOU think: Where do Gen Z's socialist sympathies come from? What does it mean for the future of America? Make your voice heard in the poll below:

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism comes from perceived economic frustrations like unaffordable housing and a rigged system favoring the wealthy and corporations?

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism, including many Trump supporters, is due to a lack of education about the historical failures of socialist systems?

Do you think that these poll results indicate a growing generational divide that could lead to more political instability and authoritarian tendencies in America's future?

Do you think that this poll implies that America's long-term stability relies on older generations teaching Gen Z and younger to prioritize self-reliance, free-market ideals, and personal accountability?

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