Damning. Depressing. Infuriating.
Just a few words that will occur to Ohioans watching the two-hour HBO documentary “Ohio Confidential,” walking through the First Energy/HB6 scandal—the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history and a case study of how dark money and Citizens United put government corruption on steroids.
The documentary has it all: massive bribes, wire taps, gerrymandering, confidential informants, jail time, a billion-dollar bailout, dark money accounts, and even two suicides. No wonder Ohio has been named America’s most corrupt state.
But what might surprise viewers is all the things that—even in two hours—the documentary could not get into.
It reminds me of that old Paul Harvey show my mom would listen to on the car radio — “and now, the rest of the story….”
Throughout the movie, there are hints that there’s more to the story. Start with the stunning photo that lobbyist Neil Clark (a central figure of the movie) committed suicide wearing a “DeWine for Governor” T-shirt:
There’s a quick but unexplored mention of millions of dollars in dark money flowing to benefit DeWine in the 2018 Governor’s race (again, according to Clark).
There’s the late mention that a second man named Sam Randazzo also committed suicide.
Finally, just before the closing credits, there’s this little statement:
What are these various tidbits all about?
The movie doesn’t really say, or connect them.
Well, for those interested, let me now tell you…the Rest of the Story…
And even if you’re not from Ohio, you’re going to want to know it, because it not only involves the sitting Governor of Ohio, but also Ohio’s newest Senator, who happens to be up for reelection next year(!).
Background: Regulatory Capture
As background, before the passage of the legislation known as HB6 (the billion-dollar bailout of a large utility named First Energy that is the subject of the movie)…
…came the first and crucial step to the entire scandal. And it’s a step that we should all be on guard for across states and at the federal level now that Musk and Trump are in charge: the capture of a regulating agency by the very industry/corporation it is regulating.
Specifically, as laid out in federal and state indictments, an insider energy utility consultant was paid an enormous sum—$4.3 million—by First Energy (which later admitted it was a bribe) shortly before being tapped to chair Ohio’s utilities commission (PUCO), with an understanding that this insider would do what they asked (“as requested and as opportunities arise”) once seated in that oversight role.
Yes, PUCO regulates First Energy…so this essentially meant First Energy was soon regulating itself.
This deeply tainted appointment—handing over public power to the private entity it regulates—was the original sin of the First Energy scandal, central to everything that followed:
That new PUCO chairman worked with Ohio House leadership (using his private company’s email) to help draft the HB6 language that ultimately became the corrupt legislation (featured in the documentary);
His appointment was the act that both Ohio’s current governor and newest Senator were up to their ears in;
The appointment connects all those extra tidbits I mentioned above into one seamless narrative; and
Outside of those hints, it’s also the issue that the documentary never delves into.
So let’s dig in, shall we?
But before we get to the appointment itself, let’s first talk about the…
The Dark Money
Here’s a quick review:
First Energy gave $1 million to a dark money PAC to support Lt. Gov. Jon Husted when he ran for Governor (he later dropped out and joined the DeWine campaign as Lt. Gov);
First Energy gave $2.5 million to a dark money PAC to support Mike DeWine’s run for Governor;
First Energy gave $500K to the Republican Governors Association to support Mike DeWine’s run for Governor—which came only a day after a meeting where DeWine, Husted and a First Energy lobbyist discussed their priority issue;
First Energy’s CEO hosted a fundraiser for DeWine at his home.
That’s a lot of money. And lots of dark money.
And to be clear, most of this money didn’t come at just any time.
It came late in the 2018 election, when candidate DeWine was tied or behind in the polls, and desperate for money because his opponent (Richard Cordray) was up on TV and raising lots of money to keep those TV buys going. DeWine was essentially begging First Energy to bail him out. Importantly, around the time the First Energy dark money flowed, DeWine also was weighing how much to personally loan his campaign to save the day (he ultimately loaned the campaign millions).
And all that First Energy money helped fuel a surprise last-minute surge that propelled DeWine to a narrow win (word was, DeWine’s own pollster told him he was going to lose heading into the final weekend of the election).
So it’s safe to say this dark money made a huge difference in the ultimate outcome up and down the ticket of the 2018 election. (And potentially reduced the amount of money DeWine ultimately loaned his campaign).
After the Election: The Dining Room Where It Happened
After helping fuel DeWine’s late surge and close win, First Energy moved quickly to secure what it wanted: a friendly regulatory agency (again, named PUCO).
The key moment came over a single dinner. But before we get to the dinner, you need to understand the broader conversation that took place.
On December 17, 2018, a First Energy consultant named Sam Randazzo texted senior executives of First Energy that there was a vacancy of the chairmanship of PUCO: (this is an excerpt from a federal indictment)
The next day, First Energy executives met with Randazzo in person; following that meeting, Randazzo texted the executives about needing a $4.3M payment—which, again, First Energy would later acknowledge to be a bribe.
The next day, they agreed to make the payment, all in one chunk. They then made the entire payment weeks later, on January 2, 2019.
Two days later, Randazzo received it. Happy New Year!
So—the payment was not only offered, but fully paid.
Now look at this document:
That’s right—Randazzo didn’t even apply for the position with the utility commission until weeks later—on January 17!
Think about that: the “Executives” paid Randazzo $4.3M—both agreeing to and letting the full amount out the door—in December. Not only before he was named to lead the utility commission, but before he even applied.
So how were they so confident that they were willing to pay him that much?
Well, between that first set of texts, and the agreement to send $4.3M Randazzo’s way, came…a dinner.
It took place at the Athletic Club of Columbus on December 18, 2018—the same two-day period as the conversations detailed above. And over the course of that meal, First Energy executives clearly gained great confidence that Randazzo would be selected chair of the PUCO.
Who’d the executives meet with? Who made them so confident that their guy would get the post?
Turns out, those (now indicted) First Energy executives dined with none other than Governor-elect Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov-elect (and now sitting Senator) Jon Husted. The very people who wielded the most control over the PUCO chair selection, and the very people whose campaign they had saved months before with all that dark money.
Based on what happened before (the ask for $4.3M) and after (agreement to it) the dinner, it seems pretty logical what was discussed, doesn’t it?
(DeWine and Husted have long claimed they don’t remember what was discussed at the dinner: “Husted didn’t dispute that the dinner occurred but said he doesn’t remember if they talked about Randazzo’s appointment. DeWine too has said in the past he doesn’t remember what was discussed.” )
This doesn’t pass the smell test, does it?
Common sense makes pretty clear what was discussed.
But we don’t even need that common sense here, because there’s all sorts of evidence that makes it clear that they did discuss the appointment of Randazzo as chair of PUCO.
FIRST, the indictment says it outright: “During the dinner, Randazzo’s name was discussed as a candidate for PUCO Chairman.” Later text messages revealed that “Jones and Dowling learned that Randazzo was the incoming administration’s preferred candidate.”
SECOND, a federal indictment included a copy of the written crib notes of a First Energy executive of what they planned to discuss at the dinner, and advice on how to approach the conversation.
On DeWine: “Explain to him why PUCO and the chair spot specifically is so important to our business and our success.”
And perhaps most interesting, if you’ve watched DeWine bob and weave through scandal as if he’s clueless as to what’s happening under his watch, the following advice was also written on the First Energy note: “explain things like he doesn’t know anything about it—and be surprised when he does. Sometimes, he knows what you’re talking about, sometimes he doesn’t, sometimes he does and pretends he doesn’t.”
On the next page, Jon Husted’s name comes up, and these notes made it clear that “Jon H.” was not as oblivious to details as the Governor tried to appear:
The notes refer to a “2-person PUCO deal” that a lobbyist had already discussed with “boss.”
“…he has discussed with Jon H. and Laurel Dawson & Mike Dawson” (DeWine’s chief of staff and her lobbyist husband—yes, the chief of staff’s husband is also a First Energy lobbyist!)
“Jon is getting some negative feedback (maybe from Sam R.?)”
So while DeWine played dumb, Jon Husted knew going into this dinner key details of ideas being pushed within the First Energy world, as did DeWine’s Chief of Staff and lobbyist husband. And the note-writer thought Husted may even have heard directly back from Randazzo about one of those details.
THIRD, the day after the dinner, in another text exchange, the First Energy CEO texted Randazzo that “When the Gov-elect asked me about attributes I listed integrity, work ethic, creativity, thick skin, circumspection in all public statements. You fit all those.”
FOURTH, Randazzo later testified publicly about who “recruited” him to serve in the PUCO role: “He specified during the confirmation hearing that Husted and Laurel Dawson…were among those who helped recruit him.” (Husted, as Speaker of the Ohio House, had also recruited Randazzo to be on the commission years before (2007) as well.)
Bottom line: at the dinner, DeWine and Husted were to be told that “PUCO and the chair spot specifically is so important to [First Energy’s] business and our success.” DeWine asked about attributes First Energy felt were important. According to the indictment, “Randazzo’s name was discussed as a candidate…,” and First Energy learned that Randazzo “was the incoming administration’s preferred candidate.” When the dinner ended, those same executives arranged to pay Randazzo $4.3M, which they did within two weeks.
So if we’re looking for which public officials allowed for the capture of state government by private interests by this appointment, I think we just found our men. And it happened after contributions so large they arguably saved DeWine’s and Husted’s campaign—and it happened shortly before the $4.3M payment was paid to the future PUCO chair.
Senator Husted and More Details
While we’re talking about Ohio’s newest Senator, there are additional pieces of evidence that underscore Husted as the guy keeping up on the details of things—including stepping up as the go-to, problem-solver when the tainted appointment or related issues encountered obstacles.
On January 18, 2019, First Energy Executives texted one another about another PUCO appointment that they worry will turn into a “high hurdle”:
FE Executive: “‘Jason has a high hurdle and I don’t know if he will be able to clear it."“
FE CEO: “It’s called Jon Husted but hopefully you lowered that hurdle today.”
A text chain a week after that shows that the FE Executive had a call with Husted to keep tabs on the Randazzo appointment. “Had a great conversation with Gov this morning,” Husted had told him.
And on another occasion, Husted came through again. When Randazzo’s nomination hit a rough patch, DeWine and Husted “perform[ed] battlefield triage.”
From beginning to the final appointment, Husted is intimately and intensely involved. He doesn’t come across as a public official as much an insider doing First Energy’s work for them. And this again follows massive dark money boosting Husted, and then the DeWine/Husted campaign, by First Energy.
A Big “Thank You !!”
Later indictments provided even more color to the DeWine-Husted-Randazzo-PUCO deal, and how central this appointment was to all that followed.
According to Energy and Policy, “[e]mails released by the Ohio House in response to a federal subpoena showed that while he was the PUCO chairman, Randazzo used an email account associated with his for-profit Sustainability Funding Alliance of Ohio to communicate with Householder’s senior policy advisor Pat Tully about HB 6 and other energy bills.
The Sustainability Funding Alliance appeared on lists of outside professionals employed by FES filed in the subsidiary’s bankrupt case in 2018, prior to Randazzo’s appointment to PUCO.
“It appears to have purchased Randazzo’s efforts — even while chair of the PUCO — to craft the language of HB6 to FirstEnergy’s benefit,” [the Ohio Attorney General’s] office said of FirstEnergy in a January court filing.”"
Then came a later text chain that will truly sicken you:
Look closely — that’s the CEO of First Energy texting that day’s stock jump to the regulator (Randazzo), and thanking him (“Thank you!!”) for the favorable regulatory action that led to the stock’s uptick. The regulator thanks him back.
By the way, First Energy knew in advance this was going to happen. How? Randazzo had already given another executive a heads up, who texted: “I spoke with Sam today. Told me 2024 issue will be handled next Thursday.”
Where Things Stand
So even though the documentary couldn’t get to all these details, I hope this helps connect the dots for you: the mention of dark money flowing to boost DeWine; the DeWine claim of innocence at the end (while proving the documentary’s point about Citizens United); the fact that Neil Clark committed suicide with a “DeWine for Governor” T-shirt on (not a Householder shirt?); and the sad suicide of Husted’s “recruit,” Randazzo, after he was indicted for his role in all this.
By the way, the Ohio Attorney General is still investigating it all.
As for the feds, it’s unclear what they’re doing with the case now, especially with the Trump takeover of the White House and politicization of the Department of Justice. (With the case ongoing, it’s hard to imagine that officials like Husted would want to do anything to anger the Administration. Hmmm).
But there was an interesting filing last week by one of the indicted First Energy (former) executives asking the feds to provide more details. Specifically…
…this letter says that that the Feds may be suggesting that other officials were also bribed.
To properly defend himself, his lawyer claims, this former executive “is entitled to know whom he allegedly agreed to bribe.”
I’d say Ohio is entitled to know that as well.
And definitely before the next election.
We too have a right to defend ourselves as well.
And who knows?
If any other officials are disclosed, maybe there will be a sequel to “Ohio Confidential.”
Day 150 — April 20, 2025
News broke that Secretary of Defense Hegseth shared, on a non-secure phone, confidential war plans with his wife and childhood best friend—in advance of an attack.
When he was a TV commentator, Hegseth said people who share classified information should be criminally charged.
Ergo…
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