Uncategorized

Husted has been mentioned more than 200 times in the ongoing criminal trial regarding the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history

Husted led the charge for massive utility bailout scheme

Ohio families paying $663 more a year on electric bills thanks to Husted

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Today, FirstEnergy “golden boy” Jon Husted was forced to take the stand to answer for his role in the largest public corruption scandal in Ohio history. Husted’s testimony made clear he was at the center of the massive bribery scheme that delivered a billion dollar bailout to utilities and contributed to electricity costs for Ohioans increasing by $663 a year.

Here are the biggest takeaways from Jon Husted’s testimony on his central role in Ohio’s largest corruption scandal:

• Husted played a key role in passing the billion dollar FirstEnergy bailout, which has contributed to Ohioans paying $663 a year more in energy costs.

• New emails between Husted and Sam Randazzo, the disgraced former Public Utilities Commission chair, show the two had an even deeper relationship than previously reported. 

• Husted tried to downplay his extensive relationship with Chuck Jones and Mike Dowling, the former FirstEnergy executives who helped mastermind the corrupt bailout scheme – despite Chuck Jones calling Husted a “good friend of FirstEnergy” and phone records showing an established line of communication between Husted and the defendants. 

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

“Jon Husted’s testimony today confirmed what Ohioans already knew: he was at the center of the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history and it’s costing families hundreds of dollars more a year. Husted didn’t just sell Ohioans out to a big utility company — he set the entire bribery scheme in motion, and voters will hold him accountable in November.” 

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

• Jon Husted played a central role “running the show” in the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history that is costing Ohioans $663 more a year.

• New evidence revealed nine calls between Jon Husted and Mike Dowling in the months preceding a $4.3 million bribe to former Utilities Commission Chair Sam Randazzo. 

• New reporting revealed Jon Husted held secret meetings with indicted FirstEnergy executives, including with the “mastermind of Ohio’s largest public corruption scheme two days before scandal-ridden bribery legislation was introduced.”

• 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.

• A dinner between Jon Husted, Mike DeWine, and the indicted FirstEnergy executives at the Athletic Club of Columbus has become a focal point of the current criminal trial.

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

###

Husted was at the center of the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history

Ohio families are paying $663 more a year on electric bills thanks to Husted

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Today, FirstEnergy “golden boy” Jon Husted will testify in the largest public corruption case in Ohio history. Husted was at the center of the largest bribery scheme in Ohio history, which delivered a billion dollar bailout to utilities and contributed to energy rates for Ohioans increasing by $663 a year.

Husted’s testimony comes as he has already been mentioned more than 100 times during the corruption trial, with new developments continuing to surface — including phone calls, text messages, and previously unreported secret meetings between Husted and the indicted FirstEnergy executives.

Husted will testify virtually, blaming the war in Iran for keeping him in DC — but this didn’t stop him from coming back to Ohio for a fundraiser last weekend, where tickets cost as much as $1,000.

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

“Jon Husted was at the center of the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history and it’s costing Ohioans hundreds of dollars more a year. Not only did Husted sell Ohioans out to a big energy company, he set the bribery scheme in motion — Husted owes the public answers on how deep his involvement goes.”

Five questions Jon Husted must answer as he takes the stand in Ohio’s largest corruption scandal:

1. What do you have to say to Ohioans who are paying $663 more per year for electricity because you led the passage of a billion dollar bailout for utilities?

2. You have argued that passing HB 6 was critical to “saving the nuclear power plants.” Given everything we now know about the bribery and corruption tied to that law, do you regret your role in backing it?

3. Chuck Jones and Michael Dowling have painted Sam Randazzo, who you pushed as chair of the Public Utilities Commission, as the sole mastermind of the bribery scheme. Do you think Jones and Dowling are innocent? Are you ready to defend them?

4. Jones and Dowling have said it was you who pushed for Randazzo for Chair of the Public Utilities Commission. Is this accurate?

5. Your calendar shows you met with Sam Randazzo days before HB 6 was introduced in the state legislature. What was the nature of your meeting?

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

• Jon Husted played a central role “running the show” in the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history that is costing Ohioans $663 more a year.

• New evidence revealed nine calls between Jon Husted and Mike Dowling in the months preceding a $4.3 million bribe to former Utilities Commission Chair Sam Randazzo. 

• New reporting revealed Jon Husted held secret meetings with indicted FirstEnergy executives, including with the “mastermind of Ohio’s largest public corruption scheme two days before scandal-ridden bribery legislation was introduced.”

• 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 dark money group backing Husted in 2017 — part of the same corrupt scheme that led to federal and state indictments.

###

Husted: “People living in poverty are just not very, they’re not very experienced at navigating the real world”

COLUMBUS, OHIO — In a new interview, Jon Husted once again insulted hardworking Ohioans, claiming that families struggling to make ends meet are “not very experienced at navigating the real world.”

WATCH:

Transcript: 

Jon Husted: “… And people living in poverty are just not very, they’re not very experienced at navigating the real world, right? I remember talking to one young lady who said, ‘Well, I don’t really know how money works at a grocery store’ because she grew up and has lived all of her adult life using SNAP cards to buy groceries. And so you literally have to teach people how to budget, how to do all these things.”

This is part of a long trend of Senator Husted showing how out of touch he is with hardworking Ohioans and blaming them as they struggle with skyrocketing utility, grocery, and health care costs:

• Husted has dismissed concerns from struggling Ohioans, claiming that he has helped lower grocery and gas prices and that affordability problems do not exist.

• Husted revealed he has no solutions to actually lower prices, suggesting that Ohioans should just “earn more” money to make ends meet.

• Husted insulted Ohioans working harder than ever, complaining that their “work ethic is broken.”

• Husted defended his friends and donors, complaining about people saying “rich people [are] selfish” while attempting to justify his record of delivering tax breaks to the rich.

• Husted claimed the affordability crisis only exists in “blue states,” dismissing the pain Ohio families are feeling every day.

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

“Jon Husted couldn’t be more wrong and out of touch. Ohioans are working harder than ever to make ends meet, but they’re being screwed by Husted and politicians in Washington voting to make everything more expensive. It’s clear that Jon Husted has no clue what people in Ohio are actually going through.” 

###

News 5 Cleveland: “Next week, the defense is set to call Senator Jon Husted to the stand… [Morgan Trau] is asking why Senator Husted may not be able to testify in Ohio, but can campaign here”

Ohio families paying $663 more a year on electric bills thanks to Husted

COLUMBUS, OHIO — In case you missed it, Senator Jon Husted is under fire for refusing to testify in person to explain his role in the ongoing FirstEnergy criminal corruption trial. Husted was at the center of the largest bribery scheme in Ohio history,  which delivered a billion dollar bailout to utilities and contributed to energy rates for Ohioans increasing by $663 a year.

Husted’s lawyers claimed he must remain in Washington due to the “outbreak of war in Iran.” That excuse fell flat when he was spotted traveling through airports in both Washington and Columbus to attend a swanky fundraiser where tickets went for as high as $1,000.

Husted has already been mentioned more than 100 times during the corruption trial as new developments continue to surface, including phone calls, text messages, and previously unreported secret meetings between Husted and the indicted FirstEnergy executives.

What Ohioans are reading about Jon Husted’s role in Ohio’s largest corruption scandal: 

News 5 Cleveland: Sen. Husted can’t testify in person in corruption trial due to ‘Iran War,’ but did come to Ohio for fundraiser

• U.S. Sen. Jon Husted can’t leave Washington, D.C., to testify in the largest public corruption trial in Ohio history due to the “Iran war,” the defense attorneys said, but did find time to return to the state to attend a fundraiser.

• Our previous investigations have shown that FirstEnergy executives say that then-Lt. Gov. Husted worked closely with them to pass H.B. 6 in 2019, after they helped fund his campaign.

• But Husted, who doesn’t sit on any committees related to safety, military or foreign affairs, can’t find time to return to Ohio to testify, according to Grimes and the defense. Well, he did.

• “Senator Husted, are you flying home to testify?” a woman can be heard asking on a cell phone video, which can be watched in the player at the top of this article.

• The woman, who does not work for an Ohio politician or candidate, showed the senator getting into the security line at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in D.C. on Thursday.

• In another video sent to us, a man found Husted walking in the John Glenn Columbus International Airport that same evening. The senator ignored the Ohioan, who repeatedly asked about FirstEnergy.

• We discovered that the senator is set to attend a fundraiser on Friday. Husted is the keynote speaker at the Greene County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, where tickets were up to $1,000.

Ohio Capital Journal: Husted can’t testify in person in corruption trial due to Iran war, but came to Ohio for fundraiser

• Our previous investigations have shown that FirstEnergy executives say that then-Lt. Gov. Husted worked closely with them to pass H.B. 6 in 2019, after they helped fund his campaign.

• But the senator’s testimony won’t be at the Summit County Court of Common Pleas. It will be hundreds of miles away.

• “Given the war, his availability is not great,” Dowling’s defense attorney Steve Grimes said in court.

• “[He should] explain to Ohioans what he means by unavailable or dealing with the war, if he’s in fact here in the state raising money for his embattled Senate campaign,” state Sen. Casey Weinstein, D-Hudson, said. “It’s despicable, and I can’t think of a more significant breach of trust.”

• Weinstein was a state witness in the trial and believes that Husted just doesn’t want to deal with the publicity.

• “I’m not surprised he doesn’t want to show up in person,” the lawmaker said. “He’s so deeply intertwined in this whole case, but it’s incredibly disappointing.”

Heartland Signal: Jon Husted won’t testify in person for FirstEnergy trial, but he’s flying to Ohio for a fundraiser.

• A judge ordered Wednesday that U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) must testify in the FirstEnergy bribery trial. 

• Lawyers claimed he cannot attend in person because he needs to be in Washington D.C. due to the ongoing war with Iran. However, he traveled to Ohio to attend a fundraiser on Friday.

• Husted’s office did not immediately respond to a request to comment on the news of his testimony or clarify why he was traveling to Ohio while Dowling’s lawyers are claiming that he needs to be in Washington.

• Husted’s calendar shows he met with Randazzo days before HB 6 was introduced in the state legislature.

• Husted also had nine phone calls with Jones after he was elected. Jones’ text messages also suggest Husted was acting on FirstEnergy’s behalf to pass HB 6.

TiffinOhio.net: Husted ‘can’t testify’ in corruption trial in person, but flew home for $1,000-a-plate fundraiser

• Defense attorneys told a Summit County judge that U.S. Sen. Jon Husted couldn’t leave Washington to testify in person in Ohio’s largest public corruption trial because of the military campaign against Iran. Then he flew home for a fundraiser.

• Video obtained by WEWS showed Husted in the security line at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Thursday. A separate video showed him walking through John Glenn Columbus International Airport the same evening. 

• He was scheduled to serve as keynote speaker Friday at the Greene County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, where tickets were priced as high as $1,000.

• He was called as a defense witness, not a prosecution witness.

• Husted’s name has come up more than 100 times during the trial, which cited phone calls, text messages, and previously unreported meetings between Husted and the indicted FirstEnergy executives.

###

WEWS: “Next week, the defense is set to call Senator Jon Husted to the stand… Tonight [Morgan Trau] is asking why Senator Husted may not be able to testify in Ohio, but can campaign here”

Husted refuses to testify in person despite returning to Ohio for a fundraiser

Ohio families paying $663 more a year on electric bills thanks to Husted

COLUMBUS, OHIO — In a stunning new development in the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history, Senator Jon Husted is now expected to testify next week in the ongoing FirstEnergy criminal corruption trial. Husted played a key role in the bribery scheme that delivered a billion dollar bailout to utilities and contributed to energy rates for Ohioans increasing by $663 a year.

WATCH HERE:

Despite being called to testify, Husted is refusing to appear in person to explain his role in the scandal, with his lawyers claiming he must remain in Washington due to the “outbreak of war in Iran.” But Husted’s excuse is already falling flat as he was spotted traveling through airports in both Washington and Columbus, on the way to a swanky fundraiser where tickets go for as high as $1,000.

Husted has already been mentioned more than 100 times during the corruption trial as new developments continue to surface, including phone calls, text messages, and previously unreported secret meetings between Husted and the indicted FirstEnergy executives.

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

“Jon Husted has been mentioned more than 100 times in the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history — and now that he’s finally being called to testify, he is refusing to show up in person to answer for his role in the scandal. Ohioans deserve to know why Jon Husted sold them out to a big utility company and left families paying hundreds more each year on their energy bills.”

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

• Jon Husted played a central role “running the show” in the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history that is costing Ohioans $663 more a year.

• New evidence revealed nine calls between Jon Husted and Mike Dowling in the months preceding a $4.3 million bribe to former Utilities Commission Chair Sam Randazzo. 

• New reporting revealed Jon Husted held secret meetings with indicted FirstEnergy executives, including with the “mastermind of Ohio’s largest public corruption scheme two days before scandal-ridden bribery legislation was introduced.”

• 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 dark money group backing Husted in 2017 — part of the same corrupt scheme that led to federal and state indictments.

###