COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Republican Senator Jon Husted continues to grapple with connections to a massive $60 million corruption case that has dominated state politics for over half a decade as he campaigns for reelection this fall.
The senator recently provided testimony as a defense witness in the criminal proceedings against two former energy company leaders, and he may need to testify again following a mistrial in March due to a deadlocked jury. An Akron judge has set the new trial date for September 28, potentially placing Husted back in court just one week before early voting commences for November’s election.
While the former lieutenant governor and Ohio secretary of state has never faced charges or accusations of criminal conduct, extensive court records from the corruption investigation have sparked questions about his interactions with key figures who were either indicted or incarcerated in connection with the scheme. The scandal centered on legislative passage of a $1 billion rescue package for Ohio’s two nuclear facilities.
Whether Husted’s connection to the proceedings will hurt him politically remains unclear as the first-term senator prepares to face Democrat Sherrod Brown, who lost his Senate seat in 2024.
Suggesting possible Republican anxiety, the Senate Leadership Fund — the party’s primary super PAC — recently declared its intention to invest $79 million supporting Husted’s campaign. This represents approximately 25% of the organization’s total planned expenditure across eight competitive Senate contests nationwide.
When questioned in 2022 about his involvement in the bailout measure, called House Bill 6, Husted responded, “None.” He has maintained this position repeatedly, despite emerging evidence that has prompted scrutiny of his participation.
Calendar records belonging to Husted that surfaced during the recent trial of FirstEnergy executives revealed numerous additional meetings and telephone conversations with former CEO Chuck Jones, Ohio’s deceased former chief utility regulator, and then-House Speaker Larry Householder. Federal prosecutors identified these three as forming the central power triangle in the corruption scheme. The Ohio Capital Journal obtained Husted’s schedules through public records requests, which The Associated Press subsequently examined.
Jones and former FirstEnergy lobbyist Michael Dowling face charges for their alleged participation in the bribery operation and will stand trial again this fall. Householder is currently serving a 20-year federal prison term after his 2023 conviction for orchestrating the scheme, which FirstEnergy has acknowledged funding.
The meetings documented in Husted’s calendars occurred during the period when lawmakers were crafting and approving the bailout legislation. Court evidence from multiple cases showed Jones and Dowling discussing Husted’s efforts to secure additional subsidies within the bill.
Husted has repeatedly denied participating in the legislation’s creation or having any awareness of criminal activities related to the measure.
During a January NBC4 interview, Husted stated, “My role was very clear. I wanted the nuclear power plants to remain operational.” He explained his position as “about keeping those plants open and keeping the lights on for millions of Ohioans.”
In June 2019, Jones sent Dowling text message screenshots of his conversation with Householder indicating that Husted was advocating for FirstEnergy to extend the nuclear plant subsidies from six to 10 years.
Jones pressed Householder to “negotiate hard” for the decade-long subsidies or face revisiting the matter before his speakership concluded. “Ugh, that adds $600M,” Householder responded regarding the additional cost, a figure not previously disclosed publicly. The legislation required Ohio customers to pay $150 million annually in nuclear subsidies.
“Husted called me 2 nights ago and was supposed to get it in the Senate version,” Jones texted back.
“He’s not a legislator,” Householder replied about Husted, who served as lieutenant governor at the time.
“I know but he said Senate leaders would listen,” Jones responded. “He didn’t deliver.”
These text exchanges formed part of the evidence in Householder’s criminal case. When previously asked about these communications, Husted has firmly denied they demonstrate his involvement in negotiations.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We weren’t involved,” Husted said when questioned about the messages during an unrelated 2024 press conference. “Texts to other people — texts to other people shared amongst themselves — have nothing to do with me. And I wasn’t involved in that conversation.”
A veteran Ohio lobbyist informed federal investigators that FirstEnergy and its subsidiary FirstEnergy Solutions, which owned the nuclear plants aided by the bailout, channeled undisclosed political money to nonprofit organizations that supported Husted and Republican Governor Mike DeWine.
Based on interview notes from his Department of Justice meeting obtained by The Associated Press and not previously made public, lobbyist Neil Clark named Freedom Frontier as one such organization. This same group received a $1 million donation in 2017 that FirstEnergy internally labeled as “Husted campaign.” The contribution came to light through FirstEnergy shareholder lawsuit documents and cleveland.com records requests. Husted was running for governor during this period.
Dark money describes political donations to specific nonprofit groups whose contributors can remain anonymous. Federal law typically prohibits coordination between these organizations and candidate campaigns.
FirstEnergy internal correspondence from 2017 and 2018, which serves as evidence in a Securities and Exchange Commission probe, includes discussions among Jones, Dowling and others about participating in Husted events dating to 2016. The communications also show Dowling’s worries about dark money donations becoming public knowledge.
Jones and Dowling additionally discussed methods to contribute using alternative names. In July 2018, while planning a DeWine-Husted fundraising event in Naples, Florida, they considered contributing under one identity while paying event expenses under another — ensuring “no cost billed to (the) campaign.”
Husted refused additional comment requests about the details emerging from the ongoing bribery scandal cases.
“Sen. Husted has commented extensively with the media and given testimony under oath and doesn’t have anything additional to add,” said Josh Eck, his spokesperson.
