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Ohioans and Cleveland.com Editorial Board Question LaRose’s Ethics  

Columbus, OH – Frank LaRose continues to be called out for “stop[ping] at nothing to put party over people” by Ohioans. As LaRose faces political scandal after scandal – most recently for wasting $600,000 in taxpayer funds to move his official office to his campaign HQ amid reports that his office is in disarray and “plague[d]” by turnover while he is “laser-focused” on his Senate bid – it’s clear LaRose will do whatever it takes to support his political ambitions, no matter how much it costs or hurts Ohioans. 

Here’s what Ohioans are reading about Frank LaRose’s “downward spiral:”

• Leila Atassi, manager public interest and advocacy: “If LaRose were capable of feeling chastened and sobered, it would have happened after the August special election, when voters backhanded his attempt at subverting democracy. The guy stops at nothing to put party over people.”

• Ted Diadiun, columnist:“It’s distressing, however, to see [LaRose’s] downward spiral as he increasingly attempts to fashion the law to fit his political preferences – as the unanimous Supreme Court decision emphasizes.”

• Thomas Suddes, editorial writer: “That Ohio’s Supreme Court (4-3 Republican) unanimously ruled against Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose demonstrates LaRose’s gross overreach…Suspicious minds might notice he’s running for the Senate in a highly competitive Republican primary. But that’s a complete coincidence, of course.”

• Mary Cay Doherty, editorial board member: “That the decision was unanimous is striking. As Secretary of State, LaRose must be scrupulous in his duties, fulfilling them responsibly and ethically. Integrity is everything for elected public servants.”

• Elizabeth Sullivan, opinion director: “LaRose’s ambition-driven transformation…has been extremely discouraging to witness.”

• Dennis Lambert, North Olmstead: “Secretary of State Frank LaRose is the poster child for today’s autocratic, dictate-down-to-the-people politician… Even our courts are on to his treachery… He should never hold another public office in this state, ever again.”

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Trump World: “It has not been lost on the Trump team that candidates like Frank LaRose have not defended President Trump…”

Columbus, OH –  According to a new report from NBC, Donald Trump isn’t buying Frank LaRose’s excuses as he tries to outrun his “history of Trump criticism” – including calling Trump “racist,” and positioning himself himself as “Never Trump” before reversing course and endorsing the former president this year – something he refused to do in 2016, 2020, and throughout the first week of his Senate campaign. 

In a radio interview earlier this month, LaRose claimed he was “fooled” by fellow anti-Trumper John Kasich and was “victim of a ‘false narrative.” He also tried to “clean up” calling Trump “racist.” Earlier this year, LaRose was caught on tape dismissing the value of a Trump endorsement, saying it “doesn’t carry as much weight as it once did.” 

While LaRose now says his Trump credentials are “rock-solid,” the Trump camp says otherwise: 

“‘It has not been lost on the Trump team that candidates like Frank LaRose have not defended President Trump’ or embraced his claims about the 2020 election…‘that’ll be a big inflection point throughout the election.’” 

Read more:

NBC: A new crop of GOP Senate candidates grapples with Trump-skeptical pasts

Henry Gomez

October 20, 2023

• When Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose called into a local radio show this month, the host grilled the Republican Senate hopeful over his past disdain for former President Donald Trump — like how he positioned himself as “Never Trump” before the 2016 election and how he described Trump’s 2019 social media tirade against Black members of Congress as racist.

• LaRose was ready with excuses for Bob Frantz, one of the state’s most influential right-wing voices. He said he had been “fooled” by the state’s anti-Trump former governor, John Kasich. He claimed to be the victim of a “false narrative” from a GOP primary rival. And he insisted he had never accused Trump of racism, offering a cleaned-up answer that didn’t match the quote that The Cincinnati Enquirer had printed after an editorial board interview.

• For good measure, LaRose mentioned that he and Trump had dined together recently: “My Trump credentials are golden, rock-solid,” said LaRose, who has endorsed Trump’s 2024 campaign.

• A source close to Trump, who was not authorized to speak on the record, told NBC News that “it has not been lost on the Trump team that candidates like Frank LaRose have not defended President Trump” or embraced his claims about the 2020 election. “That’ll be a big inflection point throughout the election,” the source added.

• Trump has encouraged, but not endorsed, Moreno’s candidacy despite the candidate’s past disparaging comments, which surfaced during his brief run in the state’s 2022 Senate primary. Moreno, who initially supported Marco Rubio and donated to Kasich in the 2016 presidential race, has since grown closer with Trump — a relationship fostered by his daughter, who worked for Trump, and by Vance, who has endorsed Moreno. A third GOP contender in Ohio, state Sen. Matt Dolan, also ran in 2022 and is sticking with a message that largely ignores Trump while showing little interest in courting the former president.

• So far, LaRose’s campaign has had the hallmarks of a candidate worried about alienating Trump. His team attempted to clarify his remarks after an August interview in which LaRose spoke supportively of former Vice President Mike Pence’s role in certifying the 2020 election results. LaRose also recently fired the press secretary in his state office over personal tweets that made fun of Trump.

• But in the final days of the 2016 race, after the old “Access Hollywood” footage of Trump bragging about sexual assault leaked, LaRose told The Akron Beacon Journal he would not vote for Trump.

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Will LaRose finally provide answers on his costly move? 

Columbus, OH – Yesterday, Ohio taxpayers announced they’ve submitted three separate public records requests to state agencies, calling for answers on Frank LaRose’s costly decision to move the official Secretary of State office to his campaign HQ – costing Ohio taxpayers $600,000. Despite calls from Ohioans, media outlets, and lawmakers, LaRose has been dodging questions for weeks, leaving Ohioans in the dark about his wasteful spending of their tax dollars. As LaRose’s recent scandal grows, “serious questions” are being raised as more “ethical lines” are crossed. 

Read more about Ohio taxpayers calling on LaRose for answers about his costly office move: 

WSYX: Ohioans Submit Public Records Request to Get Answers on LaRose’s Decision to Move His Office

Ohio Capital Journal: Details behind LaRose move again demanded

Marty Schladen 

October 19, 2023

• There was another call on Wednesday for Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose to provide documents explaining his decision to move his state offices into the same building as he registered his campaign for U.S. Senate.

• But he refused to answer last week when asked whether he was engaged in campaign activities in the same building the secretary of state’s offices are moving into — something he appears already to have done on at least one occasion.

• For LaRose to administer next year’s Senate election in the same building he campaigns out of would raise serious ethical questions, experts have said. For one, LaRose and his staff would be strongly tempted to use taxpayer resources meant to run a fair election to instead try to win that election, they said.

• Late last month, 13 Democratic lawmakers sent LaRose a letter demanding information about the move, which could be complete as early as next month.

• Then on Wednesday, the state Democratic Party organized a press conference in front of the offices the secretary of state has occupied for the past two decades. It featured three Ohioans who have submitted open-records requests to the state Department of Administrative Services — which handles state leases.

• “LaRose refuses to be transparent with us,” said Armando Telles, one of those speaking at Wednesday’s press conference.

• He, Kathryn Seewer and Alfred Navarro submitted identical open-records requests to the Department of Administrative Services asking for all communications between the secretary of state’s office and DAS about the move since the start of last year.

• “This is a conflict of interest at the expense of Ohioans,” Telles said.

Statehouse News Bureau: Ohio Secretary of State gets requests for records on his plans to relocate his office

Karen Kasler

October 18, 2023

• Three people have filed public records requests for information about Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s decision to move his office to a building that houses the law firm that filed paperwork for his U.S. Senate campaign.

• The Ohio Democratic Party brought together the three who are concerned about the move of the secretary of state’s office from its 4th Street location, where it’s been for nearly 20 years. LaRose has said relocating the office to a building a few blocks away will save taxpayer dollars — though there will be a $600,000 upfront cost to ready the new space and move into it.

• “I think Mr. LaRose is not being forthright about the intentions of the move, the timing of the move, let alone the exposures of the integrity of his office, coincidentally being the same building of his U.S. Senate office, and how that’s a conflict of interest as well as an unethical move at the time,” said Armando Telles, a Columbus strategist and activist who is one of those who filed the public records requests.

• “LaRose claims that the move will pay for itself. But in reality, taxpayers like me will be paying off LaRose’s latest scandal until 2077, when I’m going to be 75 years old,” said Katie Seewer, an Ohio State University student who also filed a public records request.

Dayton Daily News: Dems question Secretary of State office move amid LaRose Senate campaign

Avery Kreemer

October 19, 2023

• Ohio Democrats publicly demanded answers from Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose on Wednesday regarding his recent decision to move the secretary’s office from its longstanding home to an office building connected to LaRose’s campaign for U.S. Senate.

• The move came under scrutiny in September when Columbus news channel NBC4 reported that the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office would move from 180 Broad St. in Columbus, where it’s been located for nearly 20 years, to 200 Civic Center Drive — an address that also appears on LaRose’s official federal filings for candidacy for U.S. Senate.

• Reeves Oyster, a spokesperson with the Ohio Democratic Party, said that the proximity of LaRose’s government office to a suite connected to his Senate campaign raises “serious ethics concerns,” and might intermix political campaigning with government duties.

• Videos posted to LaRose’s X account (formerly Twitter) shows that LaRose has participated in several interviews directly involving his Senate campaign in a high rise building overlooking Columbus’ Scioto Mile looking westward, a view that matches that of 200 Civic Center Dr.

• Cianciolo and Ben Kindel, spokesperson for LaRose’s Senate campaign, would not answer whether LaRose has officially campaigned from 200 Civic Center Dr. or from what suite those interviews might have come from.

• According to the secretary’s filings with the Ohio Controlling Board, it will cost the state an estimated $600,000 to adequately prepare the space at 200 Civic Center Drive for the move — $400,000 up front and $200,000 added over the course of the first year’s rent.

Ohio Capital Journal: Does Sec. of State LaRose have no Senate campaign HQ, or is it where he’s moving his state office?

Marty Schladen

October 17, 2023

• Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose last week flatly refused to answer questions about whether he’s campaigning for a seat in the U.S. Senate from the same building where he’s moving his state offices. If he is, it raises questions about whether the state’s top elections officer will be blurring his duty to run a fair election with his attempt to win one of the state’s most coveted offices in the same election.

• LaRose’s refusal to comment comes after he certainly appeared last month to do a campaign interview with provocateur Steve Bannon from the building at 200 Civic Center Drive. Perhaps tellingly, LaRose’s office didn’t answer questions before that story was published, nor did it dispute it after.

• Current and former employees of the secretary of state’s office earlier this month told The Columbus Dispatch that LaRose’s laser focus on the Senate campaign has already led to costly mistakes and high staff turnover.

• When asked last week to provide documentation of the first public announcement of the move, LaRose’s office didn’t respond.

• Among the questions LaRose’s office didn’t respond to last week was one asking why LaRose wanted to be exempted from competitive bidding to lease space in a building that also happens to house his campaign attorneys, BakerHostetler.

See also: Ohio Taxpayers Demand Answers from Frank LaRose after Spending $600,000 to Move Official Office to Campaign HQ; BOMBSHELL REPORT: “Turnover Plagues” Secretary of State’s Office As Frank LaRose Is “Laser-Focused” on Senate Campaign; NEW: Frank LaRose Caught Campaigning At Taxpayer Funded Office Amid Growing Scandal; Frank LaRose’s “Latest Political Controversy” Escalates, Ohioans Agree LaRose Misusing Taxpayer Funds; Frank LaRose Continues Dodging Questions From Ohioans, Media, and Lawmakers on Latest Scandal; Ohio Lawmakers Call On Frank LaRose To Answer for Latest Scandal Costing Ohioans; LaRose’s Math Not Adding Up as Taxpayers Cover Steep Cost to Move Secretary of State Office to His Campaign HQ; As Scandal Grows, LaRose’s “Answers” Just Raise More Questions About Steep Cost to Move Secretary of State Office to His Campaign HQ;  A New Scandal For Frank LaRose: Taxpayers Foot Steep Bill to Move Secretary of State Office to Campaign HQ

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Columbus, OH –  Following a “scorch[ing]” primary forum over the weekend and reports that Frank LaRose’s campaign is on “life support” due to his abysmal fundraising, Bernie Moreno is turning up the heat with a new memo taking aim at LaRose and his long list of scandals. 

“From the beginning, LaRose’s campaign has been immersed in scandal, political ineptitude and negative press… In addition to his fundraising woes, LaRose has failed to generate any grassroots excitement or support,” writes Moreno’s campaign. 

Moreno’s memo also bashes LaRose for “fumbling” the August amendment due to his “mismanagement and incompetence.” LaRose, who made himself the face of the amendment, was “the biggest loser” when the amendment “flopped.”

This slugfest is heating up – read more: 

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Ohio Taxpayers Submit Public Records Request to LaRose’s Office for All Public Documents Pertaining to Latest Scandal Costing Ohioans

Columbus, OH – Today, Ohioans demanded answers from Frank LaRose after he spent $600,000 in taxpayer funds to move the official Secretary of State’s Office to the same building as his campaign HQ. 

At the event, Ohioans Armando Telles, Katie Seewer, and Alfred Navarro announced they’ve filed three separate public records requests to LaRose’s office, the Office of Budget and Management, and the Department of Administrative Services for all public documents pertaining to LaRose’s decision to use taxpayer funds to move his official office closer to his campaign. 

“Frank LaRose: if you want to be our Senator, then give us the answers we deserve,” said Al Navarro, a retired Vietnam veteran and Ohio taxpayer. “Explain your wasteful use of our taxpayer funds.”

“Just as I do as a Marine, it’s time for LaRose to serve his constituents faithfully and fully by providing all public records pertaining to this move so Ohioans can see for themselves how he’s wasting our taxpayer dollars,” said Armando Telles, independent contractor, Marine Corps veteran, and Ohio taxpayer. 

“Frank LaRose’s pattern of putting his political ambitions ahead of Ohioans and wasting taxpayer funds is seriously troubling,” said Katie Seewer, Ohio State University student and Ohio taxpayer. “I can tell you firsthand that our state’s young people are paying attention. They don’t want elected officials who think they’re above the rules and won’t be responsible for their actions.” 

Since initial reports showed LaRose was moving the Secretary of State’s office for the first time in nearly two decades to his campaign HQ – raising serious ethical red flags – LaRose has failed to provide additional details despite calls from reporters, Ohioans, and lawmakers. 

Earlier this month, a new report from the Ohio Capital Journal showed that Frank LaRose “recorded a campaign interview that appeared to take place in the building where he is moving his taxpayer-funded state offices” potentially violating Ohio Ethics code by soliciting a campaign contribution from a taxpayer-funded building. 

Photos of the event are available for media use below:

Pictured: Al Navarro, Ohio taxpayer and retired Vietnam veteran, demands answers from Frank LaRose on his costly office move while surrounded by Ohioans.

Download the photo here.

Pictured: Katie Seewer, Ohio State University student and taxpayer, calls on LaRose to stop wasting Ohioans’ money.

Download the photo here.

Pictured: Armando Telles, independent contractor, Marine Corps veteran, and Ohio taxpayer discusses the public records request he filed for information pertaining to LaRose’s costly move. 

Download the photo here.

Pictured: Ohio State University students held signs demanding answers from LaRose about his expensive office move. 

Download the photo here.

A copy of the public records request submitted today by Telles, Seewer, and Navarro are available for media use here, here, and here.

See also: NEW: Frank LaRose Caught Campaigning At Taxpayer Funded Office Amid Growing Scandal; Frank LaRose’s “Latest Political Controversy” Escalates, Ohioans Agree LaRose Misusing Taxpayer Funds; Frank LaRose Continues Dodging Questions From Ohioans, Media, and Lawmakers on Latest Scandal; Ohio Lawmakers Call On Frank LaRose To Answer for Latest Scandal Costing Ohioans; ICYMI: “Ethics Red Flags” Go Up as Frank LaRose’s “Ability to Do that Job Impartially Has Been Called into Question” [Ohio Capital Journal]; LaRose’s Math Not Adding Up as Taxpayers Cover Steep Cost to Move Secretary of State Office to His Campaign HQ; As Scandal Grows, LaRose’s “Answers” Just Raise More Questions About Steep Cost to Move Secretary of State Office to His Campaign HQ; A New Scandal For Frank LaRose: Taxpayers Foot Steep Bill to Move Secretary of State Office to Campaign HQ

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