Hastert to ABC News: Retract your story

CAPITOL HILL (AP) - House Speaker Dennis Hastert is demanding that A-B-C News retract a story that Hastert was being investigated to determine his role in a public corruption probe centered around convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Hastert's demand came after a spokeswoman for the Justice Department denied the story. His office issued a statement calling the report "absolutely untrue."

A-B-C quoted federal officials as saying information implicating Hastert came from convicted lobbyists now cooperating with the government in the Abramoff investigation

An Associated Press review of campaign reports, I-R-S records and congressional correspondence found that Hastert and other lawmakers had collected large donations from Abramoff and clients hoping to build Indian-operated casinos in Louisiana.

http://www.wwsb.com/frameset.asp?page=http://www.wwsb.com/news/details.asp?id=27189