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REPORTING: Husted Took $116,892 From Les Wexner, Including A Max Donation Just A Few Weeks Before Blocking Epstein Files Release

Columbus, Ohio — Today, Ohioans called out Senator Jon Husted outside his Columbus office 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 Columbus follows mounting criticism from across the state. In Norwalk yesterday, Ohioans called out Husted for being a “pedophile protector.” Husted declined to answer questions about voting to block the release of the Epstein files after taking the maximum donation from an Epstein co-conspirator — instead turning his head and refusing to respond.

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.

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NEWS 5 CLEVELAND: Sen. Husted met with man accused of bribery 2 days before H.B. 6 was introduced, according to schedule

Columbus, Ohio — New reporting from News 5 Cleveland reveals that Senator Jon Husted’s ties to the FirstEnergy bribery scandal, the largest corruption scheme in Ohio history, are much deeper than previously known.

The new reporting underscores Husted’s key role in the $61 million dollar bribery scandal — revealing previously unreported secret meetings between Husted and the “mastermind” of the scandal just days before “scandal-ridden bribery legislation” was introduced.

On the first day of proceedings in the criminal trial of former FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones and Mike Dowling, Husted was mentioned twenty one times, with his first mention coming less than twenty minutes after opening statements began.

Ohio Democratic Party Senior Communications Advisor Tony Wen released the following statement:

“Ohio families are learning that Jon Husted’s ties to the FirstEnergy bribery scandal run even deeper than previously known. With new reporting exposing secret meetings linking Husted to the largest corruption scandal in Ohio history, there is one question on the minds of Ohioans: what else is Jon Husted hiding?”

News 5 Cleveland: Sen. Husted met with man accused of bribery 2 days before H.B. 6 was introduced, according to schedule

• U.S. Senator Jon Husted met with the alleged mastermind of Ohio’s largest public corruption scheme two days before scandal-ridden bribery legislation was introduced, according to his official calendar.

• As former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and VP Mike Dowling are on trial for bribery, their close ties to major political players continue to be revealed.

• “He had access to Jon Husted, the lieutenant governor of the state of Ohio,” Steven Grimes, the attorney for Dowling, said during the opening statements.

• A brand new records request shows Husted’s calendar from 2019. Two days before H.B. 6 was introduced, Husted had a scheduled meeting with Randazzo, the bill drafter. Combined with our records received in 2024, the calendar lines up dates and times, giving more legitimacy to texts between FirstEnergy officials that Husted was talking to them as frequently as they said.

• Call logs showed dozens of conversations between Husted, Randazzo and leaders within FirstEnergy.

• Throughout the hearing process, Husted had reported a dozen meetings related to energy policy, H.B. 6, more than any specific bill on his calendar. 

• We reached out to Husted’s team on Monday morning and asked them half a dozen questions, including why he was so involved in this legislation. By Tuesday evening, his team still hadn’t responded to comment.

Read more about Jon Husted’s role in Ohio’s largest corruption scandal:

• Jon Husted is listed as a potential defense witness in the criminal trial of Chuck Jones and Mike Dowling, underscoring his role in the scheme that delivered a billion dollar bailout to corporations while sticking Ohio families with higher energy bills.

• Neil Clark, a FirstEnergy lobbyist and co-defendant with former House Speaker Larry Householder, referred to Husted as FirstEnergy’s “golden boy.”

• Text messages between Husted and FirstEnergy Executives reveal that the trio were in constant communication “before, during and after his campaign.”

• Indicted FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones said Husted was a “good friend of FirstEnergy” who was “highly engaged” and “fighting to the end” in support of the massive bail out.

• Just weeks after Husted and DeWine were elected in 2018, they had dinner with Jones and Dowling at the Athletic Club of Columbus.

• Public records show that FirstEnergy funneled $1 million in dark money to a nonprofit backing Husted in 2017 — part of the same corrupt scheme that led to federal indictments.

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REPORTING: Husted Took $116,892 From Les Wexner, Including A Max Donation Just a Few Weeks Before Blocking Epstein Files Release

Columbus, Ohio — After taking more than $116,000 directly from Epstein co-conspirator Les Wexner — including the maximum donation just a few weeks before he voted to block the release of the Epstein files — Jon Husted is now attempting to erase his record of protecting pedophiles and his billionaire donor.

Ohio Democratic Party Senior Communications Advisor Tony Wen released the following statement:

“Jon Husted is desperately trying to bury the fact that he took more than $116,000 directly from an Epstein co-conspirator and then voted to block the release of the Epstein files. But Ohioans know exactly what’s going on — Husted was bought off and is protecting pedophiles and his billionaire donor — and they will hold him accountable in November.”

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.

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