As New Texts Reveal Even Deeper DeWine-Husted Connection to FirstEnergy Scandal, Ohio Democrats Continue Pushing for Answers
August 11, 2022
Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, Ohio’s Gannett Network Bureau broke new details in the FirstEnergy scandal yesterday as Mike DeWine and Jon Husted were officially named as ‘state official 1’ and ‘state official 2.’ It’s only the latest bombshell further connecting DeWine and Husted to the FirstEnergy bribery scandal that continues to cost Ohioans $287,000 every single day. The news came as no surprise to Ohio Democrats, who have been working since October to learn and share what DeWine and those in his closest orbit knew about the bribery scandal and when. Yet time and time again, all DeWine and his cronies have done is stonewall attempts and hide what they really knew.
“Ohio Democrats have been working for months to get Mike DeWine and Jon Husted to give a full accounting of their role in the FirstEnergy scandal as Ohioans continue to pay $287,000 every single day for Republican misdeeds. The newly released messages only make that full accounting more important and we’ll continue to press for answers,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.
Read below for a timeline of efforts by Ohio Democrats to gain answers from the DeWine/Husted Administration about the FirstEnergy bribery scandal:
- October 13, 2021 – First Public Records request sent to Mike DeWine’s office:
- A log of public records requests submitted to the governor’s office that lists the date of request, the requester’s name, the requester’s organizational affiliation, a description of the request and the date the request was filled from January 2019 to the present.
- A visitor log of meetings with the governor and his staff from January 2019-present.
- The governor’s calendar/schedule, including travel, from January 2019 to the present.
- October 26, 2021 – Second Public Records request submitted to DeWine’s office:
- All communications between DeWine and any staff related to the appointment of Sam Randazzo as PUCO chair.
- All vetting documents related to the appointment of Sam Randazzo that were created by or sent to DeWine or any staff
- All communications between DeWine or his staff and FirstEnergy staff and registered FirstEnergy lobbyists
- All communications among any of the following people in November 2020 and December 2020: Mike DeWine, Dan McCarthy, Laurel Dawson, or any staff classified as a “director,” “deputy director,” or staff with a “senior” designation in their job title
- November 16, 2021 – Third Public Records request submitted to DeWine’s office for a visitor log of meetings at the official governor’s residence from January 2019 – present
- December 13, 2021 – Full resubmission of public records requests to date
- January 24, 2022 – Chair Walters hosts press conference announcing additional public records requested and our intent to sue if they are not fulfilled
- May 5, 2022 – After months of silence from DeWine’s office and only heavily redacted records returned to Ohio Democrats that pose more questions than answers, ODP sued Mike DeWine and his office for answers Ohio voters deserve
- July 7, 2022 – Ohio Dems request an injunction in the lawsuit against DeWine to prevent key records from being destroyed
- August 11, 2022 – After 10 months of attempts by DeWine and his cronies to hide from the truth, text messages released by the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel reveal DeWine and Husted are directly linked to the FirstEnergy scandal
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