Husted continues dodging basic questions that Ohioans deserve answered
LIMA, OHIO — In case you missed it, Ohioans in Lima called out Senator Jon Husted for taking more than $116,000 directly from Epstein co-conspirator Les Wexner, including a maximum donation just a few weeks before he voted to block the release of the Epstein files.
The rally in Lima comes as Husted continues to dodge questions and accountability after voting against the release of the Epstein files. Recently, Husted ran away from a reporter when asked why he accepted money from an Epstein co-conspirator.
Ohioans have also protested Husted in Columbus, Toledo, Youngstown, Westlake, and Steubenville, and Husted was called out for being a “pedophile protector” at an event in Norwalk. Husted is the only Senator up for re-election to take Wexner’s money, and has taken 10 times as much money from the Epstein co-conspirator than any other sitting Senator.
See For Yourself:
WLIO: Ohio Democrats rally in Lima to criticize Husted over Epstein connections
- WLIO Anchor: “During the rally, speakers highlighted Husted’s acceptance of more than $116,000 in campaign contributions from Ohio businessman Les Wexner, who has been linked to Epstein. Speakers also said Husted voted against a defense bill that included an amendment to release files related to Epstein.”
- Alice Donahue, Lima City School Board Member: “Speaking as a victim, we just want accountability. We just want people that are responsible for what happened and especially to these young girls and women. What they went through and their horror and some have taken their lives and some’s lives will never be recovered and I know how many years it took me to come to terms with my own abuse. It’s not a political issue. It’s not Republican-Democrat. It’s a moral issue right now. We owe it to victims of sexual assault everywhere.”
- Jeannine Jordan, Lima City Council: “We need politicians that are willing to take hard stands. We need politicians that are willing to say I don’t want money from people who are getting it in ill-gotten ways. We need people to pay attention. Not just the politicians but you and I. We need to pay attention to what these people are doing, whose name they are doing it in, who’s funding what they’re doing, and care enough that we make hard votes.”
Lima News: Lima Dems protest Husted accepting Epstein associate’s donations
- A pair of local elected officials spoke out Tuesday against Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, for his associations with Jeffrey Epstein.
- The speakers called out Husted, who is up for re-election in November, for accepting more than $116,000 from Epstein co-conspirator Les Wexner — a label the FBI assigned to Wexner in 2019, according to FBI documents released by the Justice Department.
- Donahue and Jordan also took issue with Husted voting to block the release of the Epstein files a few weeks after receiving a “maximum donation” from Wexner, according to a press release from the Ohio Democrats.
- Donahue spoke from her perspective as a survivor of sexual abuse in condemning the “sheer terror and depravity that the survivors of Epstein Island were subjected to.” She claimed Wexner appeared “over 4,000 times” in the Epstein files released thus far, arguing it made Husted’s acceptance of Wexner’s money all the more corrupt.
- “Only after Husted being called out at Sheri’s Coffee House in Huron County by a reporter in February, and refusing to answer them about the money, did Husted’s campaign release a statement the next day that the money would be donated to organizations fighting sex trafficking,” Donahue said. “… Does anyone really believe that if Les Wexner hadn’t been caught with his hand in the Epstein cookie jar, that the money would have been returned?”
- Jordan spoke from her 35 years of experience in Lima city schools on how the youth abused at Epstein Island were taken advantage of through their vulnerability.
- The councilor argued that voting to block the release of the Epstein files on Sept. 10, in addition to his “not pressing the United States Department of Justice” on the matter, shows that he “is not working to make sure that every person who participated in and profited upon Epstein abuse is held accountable.”
- Nonetheless, Jordan argued Husted’s change of heart does not show “courage of conviction,” due to his vote in September aligning with the majority of Republicans.
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