WHAT OHIOANS ARE WATCHING: Jon Husted At the Center of Ohio’s Largest Corruption Scandal

WHAT OHIOANS ARE WATCHING: Jon Husted At the Center of Ohio's Largest Corruption Scandal

March 17, 2026

Jon Husted: Corrupt billion dollar bailout to utilities was the "right thing"

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

COLUMBUS, OHIO - FirstEnergy "golden boy" Jon Husted was across the airwaves this weekend as news outlets covered his desperate attempts to downplay his central role in the largest public corruption scandal in Ohio history after being forced to take the stand.

Husted's testimony last week made clear he was at the center of the massive bribery scheme that delivered a billion dollar bailout to utilities and contributed to electricity costs for Ohioans increasing by $663 a year.

See what Ohioans are watching about Jon Husted being forced to answer for his role in Ohio's largest corruption scandal:

NBC 4 Columbus: Sunday Briefing: Husted on House Bill 6 […]

• Colleen Marshall, WCMH: "It is the latest chapter in the saga known as the HB 6 scandal, the billion dollar bailout of two FirstEnergy power plants paid for with your tax dollars and fueled by a $60 million bribery scheme.In the ongoing trial, Husted's name has come up more than 100 times."

• Colleen Marshall, WCMH: "Testimony revealed that Husted was referred to as FirstEnergy's 'Golden Boy' by accused HB 6 co-conspirator Neil Clark, who died by suicide.

• Colleen Marshall, WCMH: "Andin 2017, FirstEnergy contributed a million dollars to Husted's then campaign to be Governor of Ohio. The money was funneled through a dark money group, a political 501(c)(4) nonprofit that can accept unlimited funds from corporations without disclosing the source."

• Jon Husted: "Ultimately, what we were trying to do was the right thing…"

10TV Columbus: Face the State | March 15, 2026

• Ohio Political Strategist: "I think the thing that did hurt Jon Husted in this manner was the fact that he said he was unable to make the first appointment for testimony but still managed to make it home for a fundraiser. […] I think it is the fact that you have a federal case that you are being called back for and you can't make it because of requirements back in DC, but you get caught at home for a fundraiser."

News 5 Cleveland: US Senator Jon Husted testifies in FirstEnergy corruption trial

• U.S. Senator Jon Husted testified in the trial related to the largest public corruption scheme in Ohio history on Wednesday morning, maintaining his distance from the FirstEnergy executives. However, there were some discrepancies between his testimony and public documents.

• The FirstEnergy team invited DeWine and Husted to a private meeting at the Athletic Club of Columbus in 2018, after they were elected.

• Meyer tried to give the jury a picture of what kind of establishment the men met at. The ACC is basically a members-only country club without the golf course. It costs thousands of dollars to join, according to Capitol Square lobbyists. It has a wellness center, spa, bowling alley and even overnight rooms.

• After Husted downplayed the fanciness of the club, Meyer noted the "wood panelling." "It's not like Planet Fitness, or something like that?" Meyer asked Husted.

• "I've never been in a Planet Fitness," Husted said, seriously, but received laughs.

• For years, we have been uncovering the close ties between FirstEnergy and major political players. Our previous investigations have shown that FirstEnergy executives say that then-Lt. Gov. Husted worked closely with them to pass H.B. 6 in 2019, after they helped fund his campaign.

• "There are inconsistencies between what he said and what some of the documents and investigative reporting have shown," Chaffee said.

• Husted claimed to have no knowledge of Randazzo's active relationship with FirstEnergy at that time, saying it hadn't been disclosed to him. But he later referenced the 'Randazzo Dossier.'

• "I recall that one of the other utilities had sent maybe a letter or something to the governor criticizing Sam Randazzo as a potential appointment," Husted said.

• In a nearly 200-page document sent by a former colleague who then worked for American Electric Power, the dossier to Husted and DeWine stated, "PUCO applicant Sam Randazzo has opaque, undisclosed financial ties to FirstEnergy that should be fully examined and made public." The document provided proof of financial, legal and business filings.

• "If you find a document that provides pretty direct evidence to the contrary of what somebody testified, there is reason to consider the accuracy of the testimony offered by the witness," Chaffee said.

• Husted also testified that he couldn't recall how Randazzo's name was brought up for the chair, but Randazzo testified in his 2019 Senate confirmation hearing that it was Husted who recruited him, according to a transcript of the meeting.

• We asked for clarification from the senator's team, but didn't hear back.

Read more about Jon Husted's role in Ohio's largest corruption scandal:

• Jon Husted played a central role "running the show" in the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history that is costing Ohioans $663 more a year.

• New evidence revealed nine calls between Jon Husted and Mike Dowling in the months preceding a $4.3 million bribe to former Utilities Commission Chair Sam Randazzo.

• New reporting revealed Jon Husted held secret meetings with indicted FirstEnergy executives, including with the "mastermind of Ohio's largest public corruption scheme two days before scandal-ridden bribery legislation was introduced."

• Neil Clark, a FirstEnergy lobbyist and co-defendant with former House Speaker Larry Householder, referred to Husted as FirstEnergy's "golden boy."

• Text messages between Husted and FirstEnergy Executives reveal that the trio were in constant communication "before, during and after his campaign."

• Indicted FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones said Husted was a "good friend of FirstEnergy" who was "highly engaged" and "fighting to the end" in support of the massive bail out.

• A dinner between Jon Husted, Mike DeWine, and the indicted FirstEnergy executives at the Athletic Club of Columbus has become a focal point of the current criminal trial.

• Public records show that FirstEnergy funneled $1 million in dark money to a dark money group backing Husted in 2017 - part of the same corrupt scheme that led to federal and state indictments.

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