Demagogue

Republican House members on Thursday echoed House Speaker Dennis Hastert's demand that ABC News "fully retract" a report that the Illinois Republican was the subject of a Justice Department probe into corruption on Capitol Hill.

The Justice Department on Wednesday night twice issued denials of the story, saying that Hastert, the House's top Republican, was not the subject of an investigation. Such denials are rare; the Justice Department usually refuses to confirm or deny the existence of a probe.

"The ABC News report is absolutely untrue," Hastert spokesman Ron Bonjean said, in a statement, Wednesday night, citing the Justice Department denial.

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

ABC News late Wednesday posted an update on its Web site, saying that despite the Justice Department statement, federal law enforcement sources said the network had accurately reported that Hastert was "in the mix" in the FBI probe of congressional corruption.