Informed Speculation

Last night, I linked to an ABC News story that claimed that Dennis Hastert was under investigation in the bribery probe involving Jack Abramoff.  Hastert is now demanding a full retraction:

House Speaker Dennis Hastert is demanding a “full retraction” of an ABC News report that he is being investigated in connection with the Jack Abramoff corruption probe.

The report Wednesday night prompted the Justice Department to take the highly unusual step of denying on the record that the Illinois Republican is the subject of a probe.

“Speaker Hastert is not under investigation by the Justice Department,” spokeswoman Tasia Scolinos said.

Usually, when queried by reporters, the Justice Department neither confirms nor denies the existence of an investigation.

Citing the department’s denial, Hastert’s spokesman, Ron Bonjean, released a statement saying the ABC report was “absolutely untrue.”

“We are demanding a full retraction of the ABC News story,” Bonjean said.

ABC is standing by the story, however, noting that they said he was being investigated, not that he was a formal target at this point:

Despite a flat denial from the Department of Justice, federal law enforcement sources tonight said ABC News accurately reported that Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert is “in the mix” in the FBI investigation of corruption in Congress.

Speaker Hastert said tonight the story was “absolutely untrue” and has demanded ABC News retract its story.

Law enforcement sources told ABC News that convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff has provided information to the FBI  about Hastert and a number of other members of Congress that have broadened the scope of the investigation. Sources would not divulge details of the Abramoff’s information.

“You guys wrote the story very carefully but they are not reading it very carefully,” a senior official said.

Advantage: ABC…