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WASHINGTON - House Speaker Dennis Hastert accused the Justice Department Thursday of trying to intimidate him in retaliation for criticizing the FBI's weekend raid on a congressman's office, escalating a searing battle between the executive and legislative branches of government. "This is one of the leaks that come out to try to, you know, intimidate people," Hastert said on WGN radio Thursday morning. "We're just not going to be intimidated on it."


Hastert denies involvement in corruption scandal By Holly Yeager in Washington
Wed May 24, 9:05 PM ET



Dennis Hastert, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, on Wednesday night denied he was under investigation by the FBI as part of its ongoing corruption probe of Congress.

ABC News - citing unnamed justice department sources - on Wednesday said information allegedly implicating Mr Hastert was developed from lobbyists who have already pleaded guilty and are co-operating with the government.

Following the report, the a spokesman for Mr Hastert issued a statement calling for the retraction of the story,

"The ABC News report is absolutely untrue. As confirmed by the Justice Department, 'Speaker Hastert is not under investigation by the Justice Department," the statement said.

Mr Hastert's alleged involvement in the corruption scandal would further taint congressional Republicans, who have already seen Tom DeLay, their former majority leader, step down amid allegations of wrongdoing.

At the centre of the broad federal corruption probe is Jack Abramoff, a powerful Washington lobbyist with ties to top Republicans in Congress.

ABC said the FBI investigation of Mr Hastert involves a letter he allegedly wrote three years ago urging the secretary of the interior to block a casino on Native American Indian reservation that would have competed with tribes represented by Mr Abramoff.

Mr Abramoff has pleaded guilty to providing gifts and trips to members of Congress and their staff members in exchange for favourable treatment for his clients. He is co-operating with government investigators as part of his plea agreement.

The ABC report said Mr Hastert's letter was written shortly after a fund-raiser for the Illinois Republican at a restaurant owned by Mr Abramoff. When Mr Abramoff was indicted, Mr Hastert said he would donate to charity all contributions he had received from Mr Abramoff and his clients.

In recent days, Mr Hastert has been an outspoken critic of the FBI's raid of the Capitol Hill office of William Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat who has been implicated in a separate investigation. He and other congressional leaders have charged that the executive-branch search of a congressional office violates the Constitution's separation of powers.