Remember, Hastert, Reynolds and others could be guilty of criminal charges

Speaker of the House Denny Hastert, along with Republican Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Tom Reynolds, could face criminal charges over ex-Congressman Mark Foley’s sexually explicit discussions with underage Congressional pages.

It’s a crime — whether formally found to be obstruction of justice, or some other type of criminal behavior — to knowingly fail to report criminal behavior, after all.

So, if Foley is convicted, or pleas out — even to deferred adjudication — lawyering up for Hastert, Reynolds, et al, won’t just be for failure of ethics reason.