Husted’s testimony on Wednesday focused on a Dec. 18, 2018 dinner in Columbus that prosecutors say plays a key role in the broader Ohio corruption case involving former FirstEnergy executives.
According to testimony reported by the Associated Press, Husted said he attended the dinner with then-Gov.-elect Mike DeWine and two former FirstEnergy executives—Chuck Jones and Michael Dowling—who face allegations tied to bribing a top utility regulator. Husted, who testified remotely, told jurors that he did not remember much about the conversation during the meal.
Asked about the purpose of the dinner, Husted told jurors, “I don’t precisely know. I did not organize it. But it was, I think basically, it was that FirstEnergy was going to be in town and they wanted to say ‘hi’ and congratulate us on winning.” He also told the court that he did not recall anything discussed during the meal beyond DeWine not feeling well.
The case centers on accusations that, after DeWine appointed Randazzo shortly afterward, Jones and Dowling bribed him in exchange for legislative and regulatory favors. Prosecutors allege that among the favors at issue was support for a $1 billion bailout for two FirstEnergy-linked nuclear plants, which became part of the wider bribery scandal.
Husted testified that he was not aware Jones and Dowling planned to meet with Randazzo right after the dinner. He also said he had limited recall of what was discussed, and he described that he was not aware of details linking Randazzo to FirstEnergy or detailing meetings involving DeWine’s eventual utility-regulator choice.
Prosecutors questioned Husted about people connected to DeWine’s then-administration and to FirstEnergy matters, including Laurel Dawson, described in the trial reporting as a person who reviewed a dossier urging DeWine not to choose Randazzo because he was too close to FirstEnergy. Husted said he could recall only limited opposition to Randazzo’s nomination, which he described as coming from American Electric Power.
Husted also addressed testimony involving Mike Dawson. Prosecutors asked whether Husted knew Laurel Dawson’s husband, Mike Dawson, and Husted said yes, describing Mike Dawson as a friend. Husted said he was not aware Mike Dawson had been a consultant to FirstEnergy and had shared an office with Randazzo, and he said he had not heard that Mike Dawson shared information about the DeWine-Husted administration’s internal developments with Dowling.
Trial reporting also described other evidence tied to the dinner and to subsequent contacts among people connected to the alleged scheme. The Associated Press report said evidence showed DeWine, Husted, Jones and Dowling were joined at the dinner by Josh Rubin, a FirstEnergy lobbyist and adviser to the 2018 DeWine-Husted campaign. The report said Rubin provided advice earlier that day on how to lobby DeWine in favor of FirstEnergy’s preferences for who would chair the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
According to the Associated Press report, texts introduced in the case included guidance not to mention to DeWine that the executives planned to meet Randazzo at his residence after the dinner. The report also said Randazzo later texted Dowling a list of numbers for the years 2019 through 2024, and Dowling responded “Got it, Sam.” Other texts reported in the trial coverage included a message from Jones to Randazzo about handling a matter “paid in full,” along with a remark about “Hurricane Chuck” appearing.
Randazzo faced both state and federal charges for his role in the alleged scheme before dying by suicide in April 2024, according to the Associated Press report. The trial’s broader context includes the fact that former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder is serving a 20-year prison sentence for masterminding the corruption scheme tied to the FirstEnergy bribery allegations.
The Associated Press report said Husted’s testimony came as he faces a retention bid this fall for the U.S. Senate seat he was appointed to last year as a successor to JD Vance. The report said Husted is expected to face Democrat Sherrod Brown, a three-term former senator who lost a reelection bid in 2024.