Ohio’s Husted Under Scrutiny for Meetings Linked to FirstEnergy Scandal
Ohio Senator Jon Husted is facing increased scrutiny as a review of his 2019 calendar reveals multiple meetings with individuals tied to the FirstEnergy bribery scandal. This scandal has already resulted in the imprisonment of one lawmaker.
In 2020, federal prosecutors charged FirstEnergy, an electric utility based in Akron, with channeling $60 million through dark-money groups to five Republican officials. These officials played a key role in passing House Bill 6 (HB 6), a controversial law that increased utility rates to facilitate a $1.3 billion bailout for two nuclear power plants owned by a FirstEnergy subsidiary.
During his tenure as lieutenant governor, Husted held several meetings, some of which were reportedly focused on HB 6. Despite evidence from text messages, phone calls, and meetings, he has denied any knowledge of the bribery scheme.
Among the individuals Husted met with was Sam Randazzo, then-chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, who prosecutors allege received bribe money. Husted’s schedule includes a phone meeting with Randazzo on April 10, 2019, just two days before HB 6 was introduced in the state House. They met again on June 7, following the bill’s advancement to the state Senate.
Randazzo, who was reportedly recruited by Husted for his role, was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2023 for his involvement in the scheme. These charges were vacated after Randazzo’s death by suicide in 2024.
Husted also met with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Dan McCarthy, the governor’s legislative affairs director, on May 10, 2019. McCarthy, formerly a lobbyist for FirstEnergy, is said to have helped establish one of the dark-money groups used in the bribery scheme, as reported.
Governor DeWine signed HB 6 into law in July 2019, sparking public backlash and a campaign for a referendum to repeal the law. Husted met with Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder on August 29, 2019, the day the referendum’s ballot language was certified.
Prosecutors assert that Householder orchestrated the entire scheme and received bribe money. He is now serving a 20-year sentence for federal racketeering and faces state charges for related offenses.
In September 2019, Husted met with FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones as the company sought to block the referendum through the state Supreme Court. Jones, who was CEO during the bribery scheme’s inception, is currently on trial and denies any wrongdoing, as does Householder.
Further records from Husted’s calendar show three additional meetings on “nuclear subsidies” between April and June 2019, though the participants remain unidentified.
Democratic state Sen. Kent Smith commented to News 5 Cleveland that these interactions indicate Husted’s advocacy for FirstEnergy.
The referendum to repeal HB 6 did not secure enough signatures to be on the ballot. However, state lawmakers are pursuing a legislative repeal of the law due to the scandal’s exposure.
Husted, appointed to the U.S. Senate last year to succeed Vice President J.D. Vance, is campaigning for a full term. As a result of the scandal, FirstEnergy has paid $330 million in penalties to the federal government and was ordered last year to refund $186 million to customers affected by the rate hike.
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