Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio has denied any knowledge of FirstEnergy Corp.’s $4 million in dark money payments supporting his 2018 gubernatorial campaign. These payments were part of FirstEnergy’s acknowledged bribery campaign to pass legislation bailing out its nuclear plants in 2019.
Beyond traditional campaign contributions, FirstEnergy paid millions into dark money organizations, which can raise and spend unlimited sums on “independent expenditures” without disclosing donors. Records show these contributions included $2.5 million to State Solutions, $1 million to Freedom Frontier, and $300,000 to Securing Ohio’s Future.
DeWine has expressed support for nuclear generation in Ohio and stated that FirstEnergy must answer for how it spent the money. He maintains that his campaign did not receive information about the independent expenditures.
Two FirstEnergy officials at the heart of the scandal, CEO Chuck Jones and executive-level lobbyist Mike Dowling, have pleaded not guilty to bribery charges. Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder was convicted of racketeering and bribery for successfully passing House Bill 6, which provided over $1 billion in bailout funds to FirstEnergy.
DeWine has also distanced himself from allegations that FirstEnergy paid a $4.3 million bribe to Samuel Randazzo, who was appointed as the state’s top utility regulator by the governor. DeWine maintains that Laurel Dawson, his longtime chief of staff, is an “honest person” despite her involvement in the scandal. Randazzo died by suicide earlier this month.
In 2021, FirstEnergy admitted to bribing both Householder and Randazzo and agreed to pay a $230 million criminal penalty. The company also acknowledged the central role of dark money in its lobbying efforts supporting HB6.
Several individuals connected to DeWine have played various roles in the HB6 saga. DeWine’s longtime campaign adviser, Josh Rubin, later became a FirstEnergy lobbyist, and a handwritten note suggests that Dan McCarthy, DeWine’s former legislative director, founded a conduit to transfer dark money to support DeWine, Householder, and DeWine’s daughter in her county prosecutor race. Despite these connections, DeWine has appointed these individuals to new positions, including Dawson as an adviser to the governor and McCarthy and Rubin to boards overseeing state racinos and economic development.
When questioned about these appointments, DeWine defended his employees and stated that he takes ultimate responsibility, emphasizing his long-standing confidence in their abilities.
