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DeWine Trying to Stonewall, Avoid Answering What He Knew & When About Largest Corruption Scandal in Ohio History

Columbus, OH — Today, the Ohio Democratic Party announced a lawsuit against Governor Mike DeWine and his office to get answers about what DeWine knew and when about the largest public corruption scandal in Ohio history. This marks the next steps in the ongoing battle with DeWine and his administration to secure the answers Ohioans deserve, as DeWine continues to try to stonewall and ‘no comment’ his way out of the scandal.

The lawsuit filed by the Party can be found HERE.

Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters announced the legal action against the governor this morning for illegally rejecting records requests filed by the party.

“We know DeWine met with Mike Dowling and Chuck Jones, the two men named as ordering the FirstEnergy bribes. Now, he’s trying to hide behind illegal redactions so we can’t see who else he’s been meeting with. But that’s not all. We believe the other record requests rejected by DeWine were done so illegally. So today, we’re re-submitting those requests. If his administration continues to reject these requests, we’re prepared to sue on those, too,” said Chair Walters.

Attorney General candidate Jeff Crossman and Auditor candidate Taylor Sappington joined the call and announced they’re releasing the records they’ve secured from DeWine to improve transparency and accountability around the scandal – in direct contrast to their Republican opponents who have done nothing to get answers.

“DeWine thinks he can ‘no comment’ his way out of the largest public corruption scheme in Ohio history. He thinks with Dave Yost and Keith Faber turning a blind eye, he’ll be able to get through this scandal unscathed.  Not on our watch. Ohio voters are looking for answers, and we’re here to get them,” said Rep. Crossman.

“Today, Jeff, Nan I along with our fellow Democrats are charting a better path forward. We’re promoting accountability and transparency – two things that have been missing in Ohio for too long. We’re sharing the records we’ve secured and are holding those in power to account for their misdeeds and corruption,” said Sappington.

The records can be found on Crossman’s website HERE and Sappington’s website HERE.

Since October, Ohio Democrats have been working on getting answers to who knew what and when about the FirstEnergy scandal – which Ohioans continue to pay $287,000 every single day for – but have been stonewalled at every turn by the DeWine administration, leaving public records requests unanswered for over a hundred days. The lack of accountability from DeWine is leading Ohioans to wonder what he’s hiding and why.

Nan Whaley, DeWine’s opponent, has released a plan to root out corruption and restore ethics in Ohio’s government and is leading the charge to hold Republicans accountable for the $60 million bribery scheme. Whaley’s full plan can be found HERE.

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Following the results of the Ohio GOP U.S. Senate primary, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters released the following statement:

“It’s no wonder that an elitist like California Vance admits he feels ‘out of place’ in Ohio after leaving the state behind and moving to San Francisco, scoring a New York City book deal to cash in on Ohioans’ pain and making untold millions from a Netflix Hollywood movie deal. California Vance is an elitist and a fraud who blamed Ohio workers for their own hardships while absolving unfair trade deals and giant corporations of their role in outsourcing jobs and devastating Ohio communities. But it’s not just Ohioans who are fair game – California Vance actually thinks our whole country is ‘kind of a joke.’ Now, this Silicon Valley elitist is looking for another ticket out of Ohio so he can move back to Washington D.C. to become California’s third Senator. We look forward to holding California Vance accountable so every voter knows he’s an out-of-touch elitist who left Ohio behind and does not have Ohio values.” 

BACKGROUND: 

• Headline: Jason Williams: As J.D. Vance launches U.S. Senate campaign, does ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ author still feel ‘out of place’ in Ohio? [Cincinnati.com, 7/2/21]
• Vance’s Central Argument In Hillbilly Elegy Is That “Hillbillies Themselves Are To Blame For Their Troubles.” According to the New Republic, “Vance’s central argument is that hillbillies themselves are to blame for their troubles. ‘Our religion has changed,’ he laments, to a version ‘heavy on emotional rhetoric’ and ‘light on the kind of social support’ that he needed as a child. He also faults ‘a peculiar crisis of masculinity.’ This brave new world, in sore need of that old time religion and manly men, is apparently to blame for everything from his mother’s drug addiction to the region’s economic crisis. ‘We spend our way to the poorhouse,’ he writes. ‘We buy giant TVs and iPads. Our children wear nice clothes thanks to high-interest credit cards and payday loans. We purchase homes we don’t need, refinance them for more spending money, and declare bankruptcy, often leaving them full of garbage in our wake. Thrift is inimical to our being.’” [New Republic, 11/17/16]
• Vance Made Most Of His Earnings From A Thiel-Backed Venture Capital Firm And Royalties From “Hillbilly Elegy.” According to CNBC, “Most of Vance’s earnings came from his Thiel-backed venture capital firm and royalties from his bestselling memoir ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ according to Vance’s financial disclosure…” [CNBC, 11/26/21]
• J.D. Vance Said The Reason People Were Not Working Is Some Perceived Unfairness But It Was A “Lie” That “All The Jobs Went To The Chinese.” According to The Vindicator, Vance wrote in Hillbilly Elegy, “We talk about the value of hard work, but tell ourselves that the reason we’re not working is some perceived unfairness: (Barack) Obama shut down the coal mines or all the jobs went to the Chinese. These are the lies we tell ourselves to solve the cognitive dissonance.” [The Vindicator, 4/28/22]
• Headline: Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance says ‘our country is kind of a joke’ in justifying his off-color tweets [Insider, 1/24/22]

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Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Columbus, OH — Today, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters issued the following statement congratulating Nan Whaley on her election as Ohio’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee.

“Nan Whaley is the leader Ohio deserves with a proven track record of leading Ohio through its toughest times and helping our state come out stronger on the other side. Tonight, she makes history as the first woman to secure the gubernatorial nomination of a major political party in Ohio, cementing a strong and diverse ticket of candidates ready to show Ohio voters we’re on their side. Mayor Whaley provides a stark contrast to the corruption, incompetence and waste we’ve seen from Mike DeWine and his Republican cronies. Mayor Whaley is the candidate Ohio needs to create jobs, clean up corruption and put Ohio back on the right track,” said Chair Walters.

Mayor Whaley joins a strong, diverse ticket of Ohio Democrats ready to show Ohio voters that our candidates are laser-focused on the issues that matter to working families, in contrast to Republicans who are embroiled in the largest corruption scandal in state history and only looking out for themselves and their special interest friends.

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Columbus, OH – Following the results of the Ohio Democratic U.S. Senate primary, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters released the following statement congratulating Tim Ryan on his victory: 

“Congratulations to Tim Ryan for winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. Tim understands that all work has dignity, and he has spent his career fighting for a fair shot for Ohio workers. As Ohio’s next U.S. Senator, Tim will keep working alongside Sherrod Brown to level the playing field and invest in our state so that we can out-compete China and create more opportunities for working families in every corner of our state—a far cry from any of the unaccountable and out of touch millionaires vying for the GOP nomination in this race. The stakes of this election could not be higher, and we look forward to doing all we can to flip this seat and send a second pro-worker champion to the Senate.” 

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For Immediate Release

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Ohio Democratic Party Congratulates Judicial and Statewide Candidates on Winning Primary Elections

Strong, Diverse Ticket Ready to Show Ohioans that Democrats are on Their Side

Columbus, OH — Tonight, Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) Chair Elizabeth Walters released the following statement congratulating the Democratic slate of Ohio Supreme Court and statewide candidates who won their primary elections.

“Congratulations to all of our statewide candidates on tonight’s election victories. Ohio Democrats – with our strong, diverse slate of candidates – are ready to show Ohio voters we’re on their side. While Republicans are making Ohioans pay too high a price for their ongoing corruption and incompetence, Ohio Democrats are offering a better way forward: investing in Ohio workers. We’re not taking any voter for granted, and we’re excited to hit the ground running, travel the state and offer Ohioans a better way forward,” said Chair Walters.

Learn more about the candidates here:

• Jennifer Brunner, candidate for Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
• Terri Jamison, candidate for Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
• Marilyn Zayas, candidate for Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
• Jeff Crossman, candidate for Attorney General
• Taylor Sappington, candidate for State Auditor
• Chelsea Clark, candidate for Secretary of State
• Scott Schertzer, candidate for State Treasurer

During the months ahead, Ohio Democrats will continue to show Ohio voters that our candidates are laser-focused on the issues that matter to working families, in contrast to Republicans who are embroiled in the largest corruption scandal in state history and only looking out for themselves and their special interest friends.

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