After Mark Foley tweet, unearthed video shows Adam Putnam’s Dennis Hastert ‘problem’ won’t go away

A decade-old interview with CNN is showing Adam Putnam’s past may be a little harder to shake in his bid for Florida Governor.

The recently unearthed video shows then-Congressman Putnam defending his “friend and mentor” Dennis Hastert, the longest-serving Republican House Speaker in history.

At one time, Hastert was one of America’s most powerful politicians, but now the Illinois Republican is a felon, branded a “serial child molester” by the judge who found him guilty of illegally structuring bank withdrawals for hush money to a former student he sexually abused.

Among the allegations against the former Yorkville High School wrestling coach include molesting students, some as young as 14 years old, frequently during practices and events such as camping trips, often under the guise of giving “a massage.”

After serving 13 of a 15-month sentence in Federal prison, Hastert was forced to undergo counseling for sex addiction and pay $250,000 in fines. He has kept a low profile since being released into a halfway house last year.

Putnam’s extensive history with Hastert is being revisited once again in the wake of a tweet Friday of a photo of the gubernatorial candidate with Mark Foley, the disgraced Florida congressman who stepped down a dozen years ago for sending sexually suggestive messages to a former congressional page living in California.

Putnam and Foley (shown chatting up Donald Trump Jr.) were attending the Republican Party of Palm Beach County’s Lincoln Day Dinner last week at Mar-a-Lago.

Thanks to @DonaldJTrumpJr for hosting us at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. pic.twitter.com/TihChUcfpl

— Adam Putnam (@adamputnam) March 16, 2018

Becoming the youngest person ever elected to Congress in 2001, Putnam quickly rose through the Republican ranks, thanks in large part to Speaker Hastert’s tutelage.

“He really caught the Speaker’s eye,” fellow Florida Republican Rep. Clay Shaw told The Weekly Standard in 2006, without a hint of irony.

“He has a very good manner with members,” Hastert praised Putnam at the time. “He has the ability to talk to them and communicate with them, and the ability to do that with the press.”

Within five years of his election, the conservative Putnam was serving as chair of the Republican Policy Committee, one of most powerful positions in GOP House leadership. In 2006, Hastert sent Putnam as his point man to speak with U.N. officials, including U.S. allies, about strategies for building a coalition toward actions to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

The relationship between Hastert and his protege only grew closer during their time in Congress. Hastert appointed Putnam to lead key efforts, including crafting energy policy. In 2004, the Speaker tapped Putnam — 29 years old and serving his second term — to keynote Hastert’s annual spring fundraiser in Aurora, Illinois, speaking to a crowd of 1,500 supporters.

And, as POLITICO noted in 2008, Putnam developed as Hastert’s top confidant and beneficiary: “Hastert at one point tapped Putnam to serve as his eyes and ears for rank-and-file members, and the Florida Republican inherited his top staff from the longest-serving GOP speaker in House history.”

Roll Call notes that Hastert even sold his prized vintage fire truck to Putnam, a piece of “campaign equipment” used for campaign events and parades, for $23,000.

By 2009, Putnam also emerged as the prime heir to Hastert’s legacy.

“Putnam stayed close to the speaker throughout Hastert’s tenure and hired many of his former aides when the Illinois Republican relinquished his post atop the party when the GOP lost control of the House after the 2006 elections,” POLITICO wrote.

These qualities that attracted the Speaker’s attention were in full display in the CNN interview, where Putnam staunchly defended his friend who the day before had apologized for not doing more in the House to punish Foley, telling reporters: “The buck stops here.” CNN was reporting on calls for Hastert to step down.

Hindsight being 20/20, Putnam’s defense now sounds a little awkward: “First of all, the Speaker dedicated his life to being a teacher, a coach, a role model and mentor for children and high school students for his entire life.”

Looking back, that statement is more than a little disturbing.

But the CNN interview was far from the first (or last) time Putnam would stand tall on Hastert’s behalf.

According to US Fed News, after Hastert announced in 2008 he would not seek re-election, Putnam issued a lengthy statement praising the accomplishments of his friend and mentor.

“Ever the coach at heart, he was never anything less than generous with his time and genuine in his concern for the viewpoints of his colleagues — both Democrat and Republican,” Putnam wrote. “I look forward to working with him over the next 16 months to address the highest priorities of the American people, and wish him, his wife, Jean, and their entire family nothing but the best.’”