300 Days Later: Ohioans Paying the Price as Republicans Refuse to Answer Questions about Larry Householder
May 20, 2021
In Case You Missed It, Cleveland.com today reported on repeated refusals by House Speaker Bob Cupp and Republican politicians to comment on Larry Householder’s expulsion from the Ohio House as Ohioans remain on the hook for his $60,000 salary. Householder was arrested more than 300 days ago amid allegations he took a $60 million bribe in exchange for raising the cost of energy bills for Ohioans.
“Since the beginning of this year’s legislative session, reporters have asked House Speaker Bob Cupp on a regular basis about whether GOP lawmakers will expel state Rep. Larry Householder, who’s charged with overseeing the largest bribery scheme in state history. Every week, Cupp offers an (non-)answer similar to the one he gave Wednesday: ‘I have nothing further to report,’” writes Jeremy Pelzer for Cleveland.com.
Despite his arrest, the federal charges against him and Republican claims they’d like to see Householder expelled, the former Speaker remains in office with no efforts taken to remove him from office.
Read the story from Cleveland.com HERE and more below:
- Since the beginning of this year’s legislative session, reporters have asked House Speaker Bob Cupp on a regular basis about whether GOP lawmakers will expel state Rep. Larry Householder, who’s charged with overseeing the largest bribery scheme in state history.
- Every week, Cupp offers an (non-)answer similar to the one he gave Wednesday: “I have nothing further to report.”
- It’s not because Householder’s fate isn’t on lawmakers’ minds, as Cupp said when pressed by a reporter. “Members talk about it a lot to each other,” he said. “But there’s nothing further to report.”
- If there’s all this talk among lawmakers, is there any consensus emerging about Householder’s fate?
- “I have nothing further to report,” Cupp said.
- When asked why he has nothing further to report, and why he’s withholding such information from the public, Cupp replied: “I’m not withholding anything from the public. I don’t have anything to report.”
- The House speaker was similarly tight-lipped when asked whether he saw any issue with Householder continuing to draw a legislative salary of more than $60,000 per year.
- Householder was arrested last July and accused of using more than $60 million in bribe money from FirstEnergy Corp. entities to secure passage of House Bill 6, which included a $1 billion-plus ratepayer bailout for two Northern Ohio nuclear power plants.