DeWine responded to questions about his relationship with former FirstEnergy executives.
On Tuesday, we discovered and reported further text messages alleging that he helped advance HB 6 and that we received a guide from FirstEnergy on how to persuade others, FirstEnergy executives say.
RELATED: New texts show FirstEnergy allegedly worked with Governor DeWine to pass House Bill 6
While DeWine deals with the ongoing discovery of text messages linking him to indicted FirstEnergy executives, Republican lawmakers are drafting legislation requiring greater campaign finance disclosure.
On Wednesday, the bill sponsor gave us a first look.
RELATED: Ohio Republicans’ bill to require disclosure of campaign funds in DeWine texting fiasco
“The only conclusion I can draw from your story is: We have to get rid of all this,” House Speaker Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville) said of murky money.
We reported on Thursday that the accused FirstEnergy executive plans to call Gov. Mike DeWine and Gov. Jon Husted to testify as witnesses in his criminal trial.
RELATED: FirstEnergy vice president Dowling plans to call DeWine and Husted as witnesses in corruption trial
After four days of focusing on the Governor, we now focus on the second-in-command.
“Are you concerned about Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted?” we asked DeWine during a December 2023 one-on-one interview.
“No,” the governor replied. “I’m not worried about what I did; I’m not worried about what the lieutenant governor did.
Late last year, we asked DeWine about Husted and HB 6 and the resulting scandal that sent former House Speaker Larry Householder to prison for 20 years.
Both DeWine and Husted have continually denied any involvement, and law enforcement has not charged either of them with a crime.
This week, DeWine reiterated his thoughts for 2023.
“We complied with the law,” DeWine said Monday.
But a public records request reveals Husted’s ties to former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and vice president Michael Dowling – both of whom helped finance his campaign.
Campaign
Before DeWine and Husted were elected, the pair held lavish fundraisers, and Jones made speeches about how the team would be great for “his company and shareholders,” according to a speech we received.
“Jon has always been very approachable and great to work with, and I can say without a doubt that he is a good friend of FirstEnergy,” Jones continued in his speech.
Moreover, Jones provided current Statehouse leaders with money when they asked for it – all in a secret murky money fund.
“Clucking. Can you call me?” DeWine wrote on October 13, 2018 – less than a month before he faced Democrat Rich Cordray in the governor’s race. “The OEA donated a million to Cordray yesterday.”
Three days later, Dowling texts Jones and says, “Chuck, go ahead and call Mike DeWine about the $500,000. dollars. This goes to C(4) RGA called stateful solutions. Everything is ready.”
Jones replies, “Okay. I’ll call him around 5 p.m.
Both Jones and Dowling were charged with state bribery. During a joint hearing in mid-February, they pleaded not guilty. They are accused of masterminding the corruption scheme.
Husted was more than just a friend of FirstEnergy, but he was apparently very close to Dowling. Initially, it seemed like the company would support Husted, but when it saw the poll results and joined the team, it switched to DeWine.
On the day he announced he was withdrawing from the race to join DeWine’s administration, Dowling sent an uplifting message saying he was proud of Husted.
“Your support means a lot to me. I admire you and value your friendship. I hope I haven’t disappointed you, but this is the right decision for everyone involved,” Husted texted Dowling.
And energy talks allegedly started early.
During the 2018 campaign, Husted texted Dowling and wrote, “I wanted you to know I have Chuck’s phone number. I wanted to contact him to give him an update.
Dowling said not to do that that day because they would get bad news from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission about one of their plants.
In a group chat on election night, Jones sent a message to both Husted and DeWine.
“Good luck today,” Jones said. “We will support you and pray for you.”
“Thank you for everything you have done to help,” Husted replied.
“Chuck, we really appreciate all your help!” DeWine spoke up.
“We all gave our all and hopefully we will be rewarded with a victory,” Husted added.
Meeting with PUCO
Correspondence between the directors shows that getting FirstEnergy to agree to serve as chair of the Public Utility Commission of Ohio (PUCO) was a challenge. When they selected Sam Randazzo, they still ran into problems. A problem that Husted and DeWine supposedly helped solve.
“The bullet grazed his temple,” Dowling said.
“I made DeWine/Husted do a battlefield selection,” Jones replied.
FirstEnergy as a company has already admitted that it bribed Randazzo with $4.3 million to serve as chairman. According to federal and state prosecutors, he was necessary to carry out the plan.
Randazzo died by suicide in April after being indicted in state and federal court. He is the second of eight men to take their own lives over the scandal. Neil Clark, a lobbyist accused of bribery, died in 2021 without pleading guilty.
HB 6
The documents show that after taking office, it was Husted, not DeWine, who allegedly helped pay for the Rescue Act.
Dowling emailed Jones before the passage of HB 6 in 2019, saying the governor “left the details of HB 6 to others” – John [sic] Husted and Danny. Dan McCarthy was DeWine’s legislative director after serving as a lobbyist for FirstEnergy.
In addition to McCarthy constantly appearing in the documentaries, John Kiani also appears. Kiani was executive chairman of FirstEnergy’s subsidiary, FirstEnergy Solutions.
“Husted, Sam, Evans and Danny McCarthy are fighting until the end and we are talking to them all day long,” Jones texted Kiani. “Everything that can be done is done.”
The other men Jones mentions are Randazzo and Matt Evans, a Householder ally and coal company executive who essentially works as a lobbyist.
Then came the Senate tax debacle. In compact, FirstEnergy wanted subsidies for its nuclear plants for 10 years, while the Senate leaned toward six.
(*6*) Dowling texted Jones in early July 2019. “He’s afraid he’ll end up at 8. Talk to you later.”
“Matt needs to close 10 with Larry and you or he needs to close with JH,” Jones replied.
While the Senate was holding up passage of HB 6, Jones texted Householder.
“Husted called me two days ago and was supposed to get the Senate version,” Jones said.
“He is not a legislator,” Householder replied.
“I know, but he said Senate leaders would listen,” Jones replied. “He didn’t deliver.”
While all the policy discussions are going on, people associated with Husted and FirstEnergy are texting, meeting and talking on the phone dozens of times, call records show.
The text messages above are just a sampling of countless other messages about how Husted is helping FirstEnergy.
A note included in Randazzo’s federal indictment states that he was apparently deliberately left in the murky about the bribe.
“Explain things as if he doesn’t know anything about it — and be surprised when he does,” Dowling wrote of DeWine in a memo to Jones. “Sometimes he knows what you’re talking about. Sometimes he doesn’t. Sometimes he does it and pretends not to do it.
On the second page of that note, Dowling wrote that “Jon is receiving negative feedback,” illustrating that he was allegedly involved in the conversation.
Reaction
Husted was reluctant to do an interview and we weren’t able to catch him at a public event this week – unlike with DeWine.
Click here to read and watch the full back and forth.
“These are the people who talk about him; not with him. So we can’t comment on their conversations, you would have to ask them,” Husted spokeswoman Hayley Carducci replied when I asked for a statement or comment on the texts. “However, the Lt. Governor has long publicly emphasized that saving the plants is a priority because they provide the vast majority of the state’s zero-carbon energy. If they didn’t work, we would have an energy deficit today.”
We tried to obtain more detailed comments, but Carducci stated that she had already made her statement and would not be adding any more.
Husted has been subpoenaed to testify under oath in a civil case related to the scandal. He hasn’t had that yet, DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney said Monday. DeWine was summoned only to produce documents.
Both the governor and the LG continue to defend themselves using the “politics as usual” argument. It’s a valid argument, said Benza, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University, although it doesn’t look very good when used.
“At least in the public records, there is no indication that Jon Husted or Governor DeWine received the same type of quid pro quo,” the professor said. “It certainly looks like it, but there’s no clue about this type of thing yet… but I think they need to be worried.”
But this could put an end to political ambitions, Benza said.
Husted is expected to run for governor in 2026 against Attorney General Dave Yost – the man who prosecuted Jones, Dowling and Randazzo.
When Randazzo died in April, Yost and I talked about what was happening now with the deceased’s case. He said he would not quash any charges or defendants.
We asked whether we should expect this death to have an impact on future defendants, including anyone in power in the country.
“I have declined to ask questions in the future and I intend to continue to do so,” Yost responded. “If the investigation yields further results, we will take it, like other cases, to court and present our case there.”
We contacted the AG’s office to ask whether it was aware of all of these texts before publication, whether it could have elevated them to the level of campaign coordination, and whether the office was investigating politicians.
The office declined to comment.
