The Usual Suspects
There's only a small list of powerful politicians that FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones would've been interested in allegedly bribing.
Once upon a time, I truly believed that America’s imperfect criminal justice system was a model for the rest of the world.
Shortly thereafter, I graduated from third grade and realized that once you reach a certain level of wealth and power in America, the chances of ever being convicted of a crime go down to an almost nonexistent threat level.
That’s almost doubly true in Ohio.
But that’s what makes the HB-6 investigation unique. It feels like another lifetime now, but not that long ago, then-Speaker Larry Householder was the most powerful politician in Ohio. He made passing HB-6, which Vox called “the worst energy law of the 21st century,” look easy.
At the time of his arrest, Householder and his fossil fuel benefactors were pondering legislation that would have allowed him to be Speaker for the next 16 years.
Well, we know what happened next. Householder is currently serving a 20-year sentence in FCI Elkton. Former PUCO chairman Sam “The Randazzler” Randazzo and former superlobbyist Neil Clark died by suicide.
Former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and VP of Bribes Michael Dowling await trials in state and federal courts.
And most curiously, former Householder lieutenants Juan Cespedes and Jeffrey Longstreth, both of whom pleaded guilty almost as soon as they were charged, have yet to be sentenced nearly 4.5 years later.
We’re at the point where a documentary on HB-6 debuted earlier this week. And yet… against all odds… It’s still an active investigation!
That investigation took another major twist yesterday, when The Rooster broke the news that Chuck Jones’ defense team believes federal prosecutors could allege Jones conspired to pay bribes to more public officials than the ones we already know about.
You can download that filing here:
But here’s the relevant part, with the newest names redacted from the document:
It’s a long road from the suspicions of a defense attorney to a criminal indictment.
However, federal prosecutors aren’t known for playing whimsical games while preparing for trial, which is why they have a 99 percent conviction rate.
And that’s the point I made as recently as Wednesday’s dispatch: Householder couldn't have possibly been the mastermind to the scheme, because he only controlled one lever of government.
HB-6 still had to pass scrutiny from the Public Utilities Commission, pass through the State Senate, and be signed into law by the governor.
That means there’s likely only a small list of names that could be redacted in that newest federal court filing on behalf of Jones.
Former Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, who has a porcelain dildo where his brain is supposed to be
The late Neil Clark called former Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted the “Golden Boy” of FirstEnergy in his memoir, and it’s easy to see why.
When Husted bent the knee to Mike DeWine in the 2018 GOP gubernatorial primary, he texted FirstEnergy Vice President of Bribes Michael Dowling, “I hope you’re proud of me.” FirstEnergy had pumped $1 million into Husted’s gubernatorial campaign before he joined forces with DeWine.
Husted also personally recruited fossil fuel gremlin lawyer Sam Randazzo out of an early retirement and helped install him as the chairman of the Public Utility Commission, a key role for which FirstEnergy had already paid him a $4.3 million bribe.
Husted, and not DeWine, led the administration’s charge in the passage of HB-6.
Former Senate President Larry Obhof
Larry Obhof was the Yale-educated counterpart to Householder’s aw-shucks bumpkin ass. He enjoys heavy metal and is a licensed barbecue judge.
While he has never been accused of wrongdoing, Obhof could have single-handedly killed HB-6 in the Senate if that had been something he was interested in doing.
After all, five of his Republican colleagues, including current Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon), voted no. Senator Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City) once told me that he voted “no” because “something stunk” about the legislation.
There was a rumor last year that Obhof had turned state’s evidence. The story went that he had fallen off the face of the Earth for a couple of weeks and nobody could get ahold of him.
I don’t believe that rumor, though Obhof does strike me as a guy who would immediately fold if federal investigators put him in the hot seat.
But I have always found it interesting that Obhof somehow avoided all scrutiny when, theoretically, he was equally as powerful as Householder and as instrumental in passing the law at the center of the largest bribery scheme in state history (that we know about).
Governor Grandpa Sleepy Tea
Governor DeWine only looks like a kindly grandpa who should be selling sleeping potions by caravan in the hinterlands of Ohio.
In reality, DeWine is one of the most cunning and ruthless political operators in state history. And HB-6 would not have become the law had Rich Cordray defeated DeWine in the 2018 gubernatorial election.
In April 2022, I compiled a timeline of public information that put HB-6 on the doorstep of the governor’s mansion. And that’s on top of the $2.5 million that FirstEnergy spent to elect DeWine in the first place, including another $200K to his daughter’s failed prosecutorial campaign in Greene County.
I don’t think it’s a matter of opinion when I say that FirstEnergy wasn’t throwing that kind of money around out of the kindness of their hearts.
And DeWine has never spoken honestly about that financial support throughout the investigation.
Suspected domestic terrorist Matt Huffman
Yes, current Speaker Matt Huffman was a mere State Senator during the passage of HB-6.
But as I linked the other day while discussing the HB-6 documentary… that makes it even more curious that Dan McCarthy, DeWine’s legislative director, who later resigned from that role under ostensibly mysterious circumstances, was on Michael Dowling’s ass about funnelling money to a c(4) group “Liberty Ohio” supporting Huffman.
From Jake Zuckerman of cleveland.com in April 2024:
“[FirstEnergy lobbyist] Danny McCarthy was on my a-- last night about giving to Matt Huffman – the next Senate President,” Dowling wrote. “He wants us to give him A LOT. Why? Because Huffman is transactional and can get shot [sic] done. And when that happens, it helps the governor because it just makes things easier.”
In my opinion, it’s telling that McCarthy targeted Huffman as a Senator who could “get shit done” despite not even being the president of the higher chamber.
In fact, according to additional reporting from cleveland.com, FirstEnergy sent $1.4 million to Liberty Ohio, with Huffman’s consulting team at High Bridge Consulting earning $136,000 and two out-of-state firms earning $500,000.
Huffman had previously claimed he didn’t know anything about FirstEnergy’s support, which is something I might believe if I had awoken from a 20-year coma yesterday and had no passing knowledge about how Huffman operated.
What now?
I’m not going to sit here and predict that every name on that list will see the inside of a prison cell, though it would certainly amuse me if that were the case.
But I’m also not going to sit here and pretend that “nothing ever happens” or that Donald Trump would instantly pardon someone like Husted if he were charged.
After all, it was Donald Trump’s Justice Department that originally charged Householder and his lieutenants, even if the Justice Department feels a lot more fascist this time around.
What I will promise is that someone like Husted, who has a poop emoji where his brain is supposed to be, isn’t walking around unconcerned because he thinks he has a Trump pardon on ice.
Remember: Republicans all hate each other. That’s as true on the national stage as it is in Ohio.
It’s entirely possible that Trump would laugh at the idea of Husted going to prison. Throwing former servile subserviants to the wolves is perhaps Trump’s most admirable quality, after all.
In that regard, we’re lucky to be five years into a still-ongoing investigation. There was a time, not that long ago, when we all would have thought “nothing would ever happen” to Householder after he rammed HB-6 down our throats.
So, it feels foolish to speak with finality when none of us are federal prosecutors.
Do we live in a world where Governor DeWine will be frog-marched into prison? Probably not! But we might be lucky to see Jon Husted indicted.
And frankly, I’d rather keep the hope of Husted struggling with basic arithmetic while trying to order from a prison vending machine until that light is extinguished.
Today is not that day! And tomorrow ain’t looking good for Husted, either. That’s enough for me, for now.
THOSE WMDs. I spent nearly a year on a conservative dating app as a liberal—here’s what I learned… The jungle prince of Delhi… Stranded in space… The tactics Elon Musk uses to manage his “legion” of babies—and their mothers… The great Buenos Aires bank heist.
I just watched the Documentary, my wife and I were shocked how screwed up Ohio politics are and I’ve followed this story from the beginning.
Despite not feeling well this morning, this still made me involuntarily laugh out loud there times (third grade, sleeping potions, porcelain).