HUSTED TRIAL TRACKER: Jon Husted Mentioned Nearly 400 Times as FirstEnergy Criminal Corruption Trial Wraps
March 18, 2026
Husted remained at the center of the ongoing criminal trial regarding the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history
Ohio families paying $663 more a year on utility bills thanks to Husted
COLUMBUS, OHIO — As the FirstEnergy criminal corruption trial wraps up, FirstEnergy’s “golden boy” Jon Husted has now been mentioned 386 times in the trial over the largest corruption scandal in Ohio history.
Over the course of the trial, testimony made clear that Husted 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. Last week, Husted was forced to take the stand and answer for his role in the massive scandal, where his testimony raised even more questions.
Ohio Democratic Party Senior Communications Advisor Tony Wen released the following statement:
“As the trial over the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history comes to a close, one thing is clear: Jon Husted didn’t just sell Ohioans out to a big utility company — he set the entire bribery scheme in motion. And now working families are paying the price. Husted was mentioned nearly 400 times, was forced to testify, and tried to downplay his central role in the FirstEnergy scandal. Ohioans won’t forget this, and they 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.
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