Rep. Hultgren Calls Hastert's Child Sex Abuse 'Abominable'

They share the same Illinois congressional district. But the comparisons quickly end there.

Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-Ill., called former Speaker Dennis Hastert's sexual abuse "abominable."

Hultgren also blasted him for stripping away the dignity and innocence of vulnerable children. He made the remarks in a statement his office released after Hastert's sentencing.
 
The Illinois congressman told CBN News it has been a "sad" and "difficult" time for Illinois, a state with a penchant for producing corrupt politicians.
 
But he also noted no one has suffered more than the victims of abuse, one of whom with which he's acquainted.
 
"I just want to celebrate those who have had the courage to step forward," Hultgren told CBN News. "I happen to know one of the people who testified and have great respect for him - and even more so now [for]  the courage he's shown."
 
Hastert, 74, was speaker of the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007. He is now preparing to serve a 15-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to secretly making payments to cover up the alleged sexual abuse of a young teenage boy when Hastert was a high school wrestling coach.
 
The shocking case only hurts the waning trust the public has for its leaders. A paltry 19 percent of Americans say they can trust the government. According to the Pew Research Center, that figure is among the lowest level in the past 50 years.
 
Hultgren believes credibility can only be restored when leaders hold themselves accountable.
 
"For those of us here  [Capitol Hill] , what I see is how important it is for us to have accountability, for us to have people that we're connected with," he explained.

Hultgren, an evangelical Christian, is a member of the Congressional Prayer Caucus and meets weekly with other Christian leaders in both the House and Senate. He believes leaders need to resist the temptation to go at it alone.

"I think it's just the opposite where, maybe more so, we need people around us who are supporting us, who maybe know the challenges we're going through - how difficult it is for us to be away from our families and to make sure we're making good choices," he said.