Republican United States Senator from Ohio Jon Husted. (Photo: Morgan Trau, WEWS.)
U.S. Sen. Jon Husted cannot leave Washington to testify in the largest public corruption trial in Ohio history because of the “war with Iran,” defense lawyers said, but he made time to return to the state to attend a fundraiser.
They said the senator’s team understood the destitute optics but argued that the virtual testimony was due to scheduling conflicts.
For the past five weeks, the state has alleged that former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and Vice President Mike Dowling paid former Utilities Commission Chairman Sam Randazzo $4.3 million in bribes and that $61 million was spent crafting and passing House Bill 6 in the Ohio House.
HB 6 was legislation to provide billions in aid to their struggling nuclear facilities, all at the expense of Ohio ratepayers.
In March 2023, a federal jury found that former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and former Republican Party leader Matt Borges participated beyond a reasonable doubt in this racketeering scheme, which left four men guilty and two dead by suicide.
Householder faces nearly three years of a 20-year prison sentence for accepting a bribe from FirstEnergy, while Borges is released after serving half of his five-year sentence.
For years, we have been uncovering FirstEnergy’s close ties to major political players.
Our previous investigations found FirstEnergy executives say then-Lt. Gov. Husted worked closely with them to pass HB 6 in 2019 after they helped finance his campaign.
In February, we asked Husted what he had to say during the trial and whether he was ready to testify.
“I wanted to save the nuclear plants, and I was right, because if we didn’t have them today, energy prices in Ohio would be out of control,” Husted replied.
“I focused on trying to save these nuclear plants, and fortunately they didn’t shut down. That was my job. My job is to work with the people who make those decisions, and I’m proud of the work I did.”
Senator Husted met as scheduled with man accused of bribery 2 days before HB 6 was introduced
Husted was not charged with anything and was scheduled to be a defense witness on Friday, March 13.
“If I’m asked to help with anything, I always will,” Husted said.
But the senator’s testimony will not be presented in the Summit County Court of Common Pleas. It’ll be hundreds of kilometers away.
“Given the war, his availability is not great,” Dowling’s defense attorney, Steve Grimes, said in court.
“We have spoken with his attorney… Given everything that is happening in the world, we do not believe he can or should insist that he leave his position in Washington at this time.”
Judge Susan Baker Ross approved Husted’s virtual availability in connection with the US military campaign against Iran. Grimes said it would be Friday.
Husted escapes
Both the House and Senate have already voted to reject resolutions limiting President Donald Trump’s powers in the fight against Iran, meaning he could continue attacks.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth then decided to go to Florida for the conference, and the other executive officials flew to their home states for the weekend.
According to Grimes and the defense, Husted, who does not serve on any committees related to security, military or foreign affairs, cannot find time to return to Ohio to testify.
Well, he’s back in Ohio.
“Senator Husted, are you flying home to testify?” In the cellphone video, the woman can be heard asking.
The woman, who does not work for the Ohio politician or candidate, pointed it out to the senator as he walked through the security line at John Paul II National Airport last Thursday. Ronald Reagan in Washington.
Another video sent to us shows that the same evening, a man found Husted walking through John Paul II International Airport. John Glenn Columbus. The senator ignored an Ohioan who repeatedly asked about FirstEnergy.
We learned that the senator was scheduled to attend a fundraiser on Friday. Husted was listed as the keynote speaker at the Greene County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner, for which tickets cost up to $1,000.
“[He should] explain to the people of Ohio what he means by ‘unavailable’ or war-related if he is actually here in the state raising money for his war-plagued Senate campaign,” said Sen. Casey Weinstein, D-Hudson. “This is despicable and I can’t think of a more significant breach of trust.”
Weinstein was a state witness in the trial and believes Husted simply doesn’t want to deal with the publicity.
“I am not surprised that he does not want to appear in person,” the lawmaker said. “He’s so deeply connected to this whole thing, but it’s incredibly disappointing.”
We reached out to Husted’s team, and deputy chief of staff Josh Eck demurred.
Husted at the (virtual) stand
“Our team never said the senator needed to stay in Washington to monitor the war,” Eck said. “Those words came from a defense attorney and I’ll leave it at that.”
Grimes, while on break in the trial, responded to our call.
“I only talked to his representatives and what I said in court is based on my conversations and you can quote me on that,” Grimes said.
Husted has never missed a Senate vote and doesn’t want to start, Eck said.
“If he is called to vote, he will be called to vote, so we have indicated that we are open to potentially testifying virtually,” he added.
“Husted personally proposed numerous dates,” the employee continued, but none suited the changing court schedule.
We asked for documentation, which they repeatedly presented in person and never discussed the war, but we did not receive it.
“No one wishes we could spend more time in Ohio more than we do,” Eck said. “The senator is an elected official in Ohio and has been based in Ohio for some time, but that responsibility requires us to be present in the Senate chamber when we are called.”
Husted can cast votes and still support the “justice system,” Eck continued.
Case Western Reserve University business law professor Eric Chaffee said he understood why Husted might be reluctant to testify in person.
“When you’re trying to get elected and you’re associated with one of, if not the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the state, it really looks bad,” Chaffee said.
The nonpartisan expert added that Husted’s credibility is not improved by the fact that he is already in the city.
“It’s surprising that you came to Ohio to raise money but not to fulfill your public duty and participate in the trial,” he said.
Even if it would be more advantageous for Husted to testify without the press, his prospects for returning to Ohio are not good, Chaffee said.
Husted’s team was asked whether a Republican Party fundraising dinner was more crucial than testifying in person.
“Absolutely not, absolutely not,” Eck replied. “I don’t think anyone would be surprised to learn that an elected official who will be on the ballot in a few months needs to raise money for this race, but it has never been his priority.”
But why couldn’t he be there in person next Friday when Congress had no votes?
“We could potentially do it,” Eck said.
Hours after we turned questions to Husted’s team, Eck said testimony had just been moved from Friday to Wednesday, when he must vote on the Senate floor.
Eck denied that the schedule change was a result of our inquiries.
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This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and are published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication on other news outlets because it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.
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