Republican former House Speaker Larry Householder will go on trial in January on federal corruption charges related to the nuclear bailout law known as House Bill 6. He was released after his arrest in July 2020, and the Columbus Dispatch reports he’s been texting with his former colleagues in the House about a data privacy bill. Statehouse correspondent Karen Kasler has more.
David Devillers was the US Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio when he announced the charges in the House Bill 6 case, which he called the biggest corruption scandal in Ohio history. Devillers says current legislators could be called as witnesses against Householder, and if it’s thought he’s trying to influence or tamper with witnesses, that’s a separate charge and a violation of his pre-trial release.
“I'm certain, quite certain that the AUSAs in charge of this case would have filed a motion if they thought that it was something that would affect the integrity of the investigation or the pending trial.”
Devillers says COVID has led to the long wait for the trial, but the length of time shouldn’t be a factor because the case is driven by documents and recordings, which don’t go away.