COLUMBUS, OHIO — As he seeks to retain his U.S. Senate seat this fall, Republican Jon Husted of Ohio has been unable to escape the shadows of a $60 million bribery scandal that has roiled state politics. More than five years.
It’s been crowded lately He was called to testify As a defense witness in Related criminal prosecution Of two former energy executives, he may have to repeat their testimony after a Hung jury It led to a mistrial in the case in March. A judge in Akron has scheduled the retrial to begin on Sept. 28, meaning Husted could return to the witness stand a week before early voting for the November election begins.
The former lieutenant governor and Ohio Secretary of State have not been accused of wrongdoing. But the voluminous public record that emerged from the scandal has raised questions about Husted’s dealings with key players who were indicted or imprisoned in the scheme, which revolved around legislative approval of… Billion dollar rescue plan For two nuclear power plants in the state.
It’s too early to tell whether Husted’s connection to the trial will pose a political liability for the first-term senator, who will be due in the fall. expected to face Sherrod Brown, Democrat He is expelled from the Senate in 2024.
In a potential sign of concern, Senate Republicans’ main super PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund, recently announced plans to spend $79 million on Husted’s behalf. That represents nearly a quarter of the national spending planned in eight hotly contested Senate races.
When asked in 2022 what role he played in the rescue legislation, known as House Bill 6, Husted replied: “Nothing.” He has repeated this position several times since, although evidence uncovered in the case has raised questions about his involvement.
Busy calendars that came to light during the recent trial involving Akron-based FirstEnergy executives showed a number of additional meetings or phone calls he had with former CEO Chuck Jones, the state’s former CEO. Top Utility Regulatorwho has since died, and with then-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder. They formed the triangle of influence at the heart of the scheme as laid out by federal prosecutors. The Ohio Capital Journal obtained Husted’s calendars through a public records request and was reviewed by The Associated Press.
Jones and former FirstEnergy lobbyist Michael Dowling have been indicted for their alleged roles in the bribery scandal and will be retried in the fall. The homeowner is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being… Convicted in 2023 To regulate the scheme owned by FirstEnergy I confess To subscribe.
The interactions listed on Husted’s calendars were around that time Rescue bill It was being developed and passed. Evidence presented in various cases showed Jones and Dowling discussing Husted’s campaign for additional relief in the legislation.
Husted has consistently denied that he played a role in creating the legislation as well as knowledge of any criminal activity surrounding the bill.
In an interview with NBC4 in January, Husted said, “My role was very clear. I wanted the nuclear power plants to stay operational.” It’s about “keeping those factories open and keeping the lights on for millions of Ohioans,” he said.
In June 2019, Jones texted Dowling screenshots of a conversation he had with the homeowner that indicated Husted was working on behalf of FirstEnergy to extend the nuclear plant’s subsidy period from six years to 10 years.
Jones urged the homeowner to “negotiate hard” for the benefits for 10 years or he would be forced to revisit the issue again before his term ends. “Oh, that adds $600 million,” the homeowner wrote of a previously unreported additional sum. The bill called for charging Ohio taxpayers $150 million annually in nuclear subsidies.
“Husted called me two nights ago and was supposed to get it on the Senate transcript,” Jones replied.
“He’s not a legislator,” Housedred answered of Husted, who was then lieutenant governor.
“I know that,” Jones replied, “but he said the Senate leaders would listen.” “He did not deliver.”
The texts were part of the evidence collected in the homeowner’s criminal trial. When Husted was previously asked about the exchanges, he was adamant that they did not prove he was part of the making of the deal.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We weren’t involved,” Husted said when asked about the texts during an unrelated news conference in 2024. Texts to other people – texts sent to other people in common – have nothing to do with me. “I did not participate in that conversation.”
An Ohio lobbyist told federal agents that FirstEnergy and FirstEnergy Solutions, the subsidiary that owns the nuclear power plants helped by the bailout, funneled dark money to nonprofits that benefited Husted and Republican Gov. Mike DeWine.
According to notes in his Justice Department interview that were obtained by The Associated Press and not previously reported, lobbyist Neil Clark identified one of the groups as Freedom Frontier. This was the same group that received a $1 million contribution in 2017 identified internally by FirstEnergy In the name of the “disturbing campaign”. The donation was revealed through documents filed in a lawsuit by FirstEnergy shareholders and obtained through a records request from cleveland.com. Husted was a candidate for governor at the time.
Dark money Refers to political contributions flowing to certain nonprofit organizations whose donors do not need to be publicly identified. Coordination between those groups and candidates’ campaigns is generally prohibited under federal law.
Internal FirstEnergy communications from 2017 and 2018, which are evidence in the SEC investigation, include discussions involving Jones, Dowling and others about attending Husted events since 2016. They also reflect Dowling’s concerns about publicizing dark money contributions.
Jones and Dowling also discussed strategies for contributing under alternative names. In July 2018, for example, while the two were planning a fundraiser for DeWine-Husted in Naples, Florida, they discussed contributing under one name while covering event costs under another name — so there would be “no cost to the campaign.”
Husted declined a request for further comment on details that have emerged as the various issues surrounding the bribery scandal have emerged.
“Senator Husted has commented extensively with the media and testified under oath and has nothing additional to add,” said Josh Ecke, his spokesman.