Minister accuses Hastert of breaking promise

October 18, 2006 (WLS) -- A controversial minister is speaking for the first time about his visit with House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

Dr. K.A. Paul is the controversial evangelist who met and prayed with House Speaker Dennis Hastert in the congressman's Kendall County home last week. Paul says he is speaking out Wednesday because Hastert broke a promise to resign within seven days after admitting, during the meeting, that he knew about the congressional page scandal a lot sooner than he has acknowledged publicly up to now.

"I am quite shocked that he did know this and he did not come out clean, and I quoted two scriptures, so he said, 'You're right. For the good of the people, for the good of the party, I must step down," said Dr. K.A. Paul, Global Peace Initiative.

Hastert, according to a spokesman, never said those things to Dr. Paul. But, when ABC7 asked the speaker about the meeting last week, he said the details were confidential.

For the record, Dr. Paul is holding rallies around the country, including Saturday in Chicago, to speak out against congressmen who support the Bush administration on the war in Iraq.

Wednesday's political notebook continues with the governor's race where incumbent Democrat Rod Blagojevich argued about state pensions and tainted political contributions, with Republican State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, after a forum with business leaders that was closed to the media. Topinka said later that she will be at a debate that was tentatively scheduled for next week even though the governor backed out at the last minute.

"Both campaigns had agreed to be at channel 11 on the 26th. The governor pulled out, I am definitely showing. I had an agreement. I made an agreement. I live up to my agreements. I will be there," said Judy Baar Topinka, (R)-nominee for governor.

"It's a free country," said Governor Blagojevich.

Finally, Todd Stroger's first campaign ad in the race for county board president hits the air Thursday, praising his legislative record, talking about his goals and saying Cook County doesn't need the George Bush policies of Republican Tony Peraica.

Stroger's allies are also sending out a mailer accusing Peraica of "homophobia" because he opposed the Gay Games that were held recently in Chicago.

"These are absolute lies, just like it's a lie that I would close down Provident Hospital. It's a lie that I would provide assault weapons for all. It's a lie that I would take all of these other issues that are so ridiculous they don't even deserve mention," said Tony Peraica, (R)-nominee for Cook County president.

This political notebook ends with new allegations of sign-stealing. Tuesday, the Stroger campaign accused Peraica supporters of stealing their signs from suburban lawns. Well, Wednesday, Peraica's allies at Republican party headquarters e-mailed photographs of Peraica signs in the back of a Stroger van parked in front of Stroger campaign headquarters. Stroger's campaign manager says the photo was probably doctored because their workers don't steal Peraica signs, they deliver Stroger materials.

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