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COLUMBUS, OHIO — New reporting out today shows that Jon Husted’s senior advisor and general counsel has “maintained a paid consulting relationship” with an Ohio lobbying firm — receiving $22,652 in income in addition to his federal salary.

Previous reporting revealed that the same senior advisor in Husted’s office worked as an opioid and utilities lobbyist whose clients “made millions” off the FirstEnergy corruption scandal, which resulted in a billion dollar bailout for utilities that’s contributing to families paying thousands of dollars more on their energy bills.

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

“We’ve always known Jon Husted was corrupt, but he’s not even trying to hide it anymore — his senior advisor is currently working as a consultant for a lobbying firm who helped pass the corrupt FirstEnergy bailout for utilities that’s contributing to families paying thousands of dollars more on their energy bills. Ohioans deserve better, and they will vote Jon Husted out in November.”

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NOTUS: Top Jon Husted Senate Aide Kept Working for Ohio Lobbying Firm

• A top aide to Republican Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio maintained a paid consulting relationship with an Ohio lobbying firm while serving as the senator’s senior adviser, according to a federal financial disclosure filing.

• Sean Dunn, who has served as Husted’s senior adviser and counsel since February 2025, disclosed working as a consultant for Statehouse Impact Group — a Columbus-based government relations and lobbying firm.

• The disclosure — part of Dunn’s certified personal financial report covering calendar year 2025 and submitted to Congress on May 14 — shows Dunn received $22,652 from the firm while he also worked in Husted’s office.

• Husted’s office did not respond to questions about the nature of Dunn’s work with Statehouse Impact Group.

• Anne Griffin of Columbus, Ohio, filed a formal complaint on May 29 with the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics, asking for it to investigate both Dunn and Husted, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by NOTUS.

• The complaint also implicates Husted directly, arguing that the senator bore primary responsibility under Senate rules to prevent conflicts of interest among his staff and appears to have failed in that duty. 

• The complaint asks the committee to investigate both whether Dunn received improper compensation and whether Husted was aware of the arrangement and failed to act.

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REPORTING: Inflation hits 4.2% in May, highest in over 3 years as energy prices soar

COLUMBUS, OHIO — New data today shows that the Jon Husted-backed war in Iran has sent inflation surging to the highest level in years, with CNBC reporting that “rising energy costs [have] contributed to pain for consumers.”

Despite the pain that Ohioans are feeling, Jon Husted has dismissed their concerns: 

• Jon Husted has voted eight times to continue the war in Iran while costs continue to skyrocket.

• Jon Husted has claimed that he thinks the war is “good news for the global economy” and going “much better than anyone thought it would.”

• When a truck driver asked about soaring diesel costs, Husted brushed him off and responded by asking if he was comfortable with Iran being a nuclear power. 

• When asked what he was doing to address rising costs for his constituents, Husted responded: “What do you want me to do?” 

• When asked about the pain that Ohio families are feeling at the pump, Jon Husted’s campaign “declined to comment.”

• Jon Husted continues to insult struggling Ohioans as “not very experienced at navigating the real world” and consistently dismisses the mounting affordability crisis by telling Ohioans to fix their “work ethic” and to simply “earn more” money to make ends meet.

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

“Thanks to Jon Husted, inflation has soared to the highest levels in years and Ohioans are getting crushed by rising energy and food prices. Instead of fighting to lower costs for Ohio families, all Jon Husted cares about is sending more money for war overseas while lecturing hardworking Ohioans to work harder and earn more money.”

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Ohio families paying $663 more a year on utility bills thanks to Husted’s corruption

COLUMBUS, OHIO — In case you missed it, Jon Husted’s corrupt donors were reindicted with new criminal charges in the FirstEnergy bribery scheme — the largest public corruption scandal in Ohio history. The widened scope of the reindictment will call Jon Husted’s central role in the bribery scandal into further question.

As a reminder, Jon Husted remains at the center of the massive scandal, with recent reporting from the Associated Press revealing Husted’s ties to be much deeper than previously known:

• Previous reporting has already uncovered phone calls, text messages, and secret meetings between Husted and the indicted FirstEnergy executives, and Husted was forced to testify for the defense in a state criminal trial — where he was mentioned 386 times.

• When Husted was forced to testify, his testimony showed discrepancies from public documents and reporting, only raising more questions. 

• Husted’s FirstEnergy nightmare isn’t going away anytime soon, with the new trial set to begin September 18, 2026.

• The massive FirstEnergy bribery scheme that Jon Husted championed delivered a billion dollar bailout to utilities and contributed to electricity costs for Ohioans increasing by $663 a year. 

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

“Ohioans are calling on Jon Husted to come clean about his central role in the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history that’s costing families thousands of dollars more on their utility bills. It seems every week more details come to light about Jon Husted’s deep ties to this massive corruption scheme. Ohioans deserve accountability and answers about how deep his involvement goes.”

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Cleveland.com: New charges against ex-FirstEnergy executives could reshape second corruption trial

• New criminal charges filed this week against two former FirstEnergy executives could dramatically change how prosecutors present one of Ohio’s largest public corruption scandals in an expected second trial.

• Former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and the utility giant’s former top lobbyist, Michael Dowling, still face accusations that they bribed Sam Randazzo just before he became chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

• But a new indictment unsealed Thursday broadens the case, accusing the pair of participating in a wider scheme that also involved former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and the passage of the scandal-ridden House Bill 6, which gave FirstEnergy a $1.3 billion ratepayer bailout of two failing nuclear plants.

• The indictment says Jones and Dowling learned during a late-2018 dinner with incoming Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted that Randazzo was being considered to lead the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

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REPORT: Husted took hundreds of thousands from insurers now raising Ohio rates

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Last night, Jon Husted voted against two bipartisan proposals to prevent insurance companies from denying or delaying critically needed health care to Ohio families and requiring preauthorization for care. Husted has accepted more than $679,000 from insurance companies and their executives who have raised rates on Ohioans in 2026. 

Last year, Husted voted nine times against lowering health care premiums for Ohio families. Because of Husted’s votes, health care costs have skyrocketed for an estimated 583,000 Ohioans, forcing tens of thousands of Ohioans to forgo coverage altogether.

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

“Last night, Jon Husted refused to ban insurance companies from denying or delaying critical health care to Ohioans. It’s no surprise — Husted voted nine times against lowering premium costs and now 120,000 fewer Ohioans have access to health care. Jon Husted couldn’t be more out of touch with what families in this state are going through, and they will send him packing in November.” 

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Husted continues dodging basic questions that Ohioans deserve answered

STEUBENVILLE, OHIO — In case you missed it, Ohioans in Steubenville 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 Steubenville 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, and Westlake, 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:

WTRF: Protesters gather outside Jefferson County Courthouse over Epstein-related concerns

• Alex Taylor, WTRF: Organizers pointed to donations they say are tied to billionaire Les Wexner and criticized Husted’s vote connected to the release of Epstein files. Demonstrators say they believe voters deserve more transparency.

• Karen Lloyd, Ohio educator: This isn’t just standard political fundraising. This money came directly from billionaire Les Wexner, a man explicitly named as a co-conspirator in the federal investigation into the horrific crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.

WTOV: Ohio Democrats rally at Jefferson County courthouse over Husted Wexner donations

• WTOV Anchor: A group of Ohioans gathered Tuesday afternoon in front of the Jefferson County Courthouse to call out Sen. Jon Husted for taking more than $100,000 from Ohio billionaire Les Wexner.

• Missie Jasielum Basich, retired educator: Jon Husted will your hands ever be clean? I think not! Four thousand times Wexner’s name was mentioned [in the Jeffrey Epstein files], the FBI named him as a co-conspirator. This is a shameful trickle down cycle. 

Steubenville Herald-Star: Democrats question Husted donations tied to Epstein associate at Steubenville rally

• Democrats from across the region gathered in front of the Jefferson County Courthouse Tuesday to question the judgment and motivation behind Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted accepting more than $116,000 from a co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein.

• At issue is the $116,892 Husted received from New Albany billionaire Les Wexner, who has come under scrutiny for his relationship with Epstein.

• “We’re making voters aware that Husted has been accepting money from an Epstein co-conspirator for years,” said Eddie Abdalla, chairman of the Jefferson County Democratic Party. “If you tie together his vote to not release the Epstein files and the fact that he received a maximum donation from Wexner, it makes you wonder what people are hiding.”

• “Right now a profound shadow hangs over the office of Sen. Jon Husted,” Lloyd, a Steubenville resident, said. “It is a shadow cast by more than $116,000 in campaign contributions. This isn’t just standard political fundraising — this money came directly from billionaire Les Wexner, a man explicitly named in the federal investigation into the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.”

• “Look closely at the facts and the timeline, because the timing of these events is deeply troubling,” Lloyd said. “Campaign finance records reveal a disturbing pattern. Husted accepted maximum allowable donations from the Epstein associate. Just weeks after securing that financial backing, a critical procedural decision was made to block the public release of the Epstein files.

• “Eventually, amid intense public pressure, a vote was taken to release these records, but the initial hesitation and decision to stall happened right alongside a massive influx of cash from the very network under investigation,” she added.

• “We cannot change the system that protects the powerful and the rich, but we can replace people like Husted,” Antinone, a Steubenville resident, said during Tuesday’s protest rally.

• “Even if he claims he has given back some of the money, it is too late,” she added. “He already voted no on opening the Epstein files.”

• Lloyd, a retired teacher, said it’s time for Ohio residents to get answers.

• “When you spend nearly four decades in the classroom, you develop a fierce, unyielding instinct to protect the innocent,” she said. “You learn to spot evasion, you learn when someone is hiding the truth. Right now, my instincts as a mother, a grandmother and a teacher are screaming that something is deeply wrong in one of the highest levels of our state government.”

• Basich agreed. “Ohio, we deserve better — we can clean up this cycle,” the Adena resident said. “I challenge everyone to be good people, even better people every day. Men, speak out against pedophiles and their terrible crimes and the people who support them. Women, speak up for equality and a better life.”

• Tuesday’s protest was the fifth similar event held around the state. Previous rallies were in Columbus, Toledo, Youngstown and Westlake.

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