COLUMBUS, Ohio — Governor Mike DeWine says after taking time to process House Speaker Larry Householder’s arrest, he has a different take on the future of the House of Representatives and the direction it should head in.
Governor DeWine started his press conference Thursday with a reversal of his stance he had just Wednesday when it comes to House Bill 6, the bill at the center of the investigation into the House Speaker’s alleged bribery scheme. DeWine called for the bill to be “repealed and replaced.”
The governor still believes in the policy associated with House Bill 6 — the need for carbon free energy and the fact that it has created 1500 jobs. He reiterated his support for the two plants in Perry and Ottawa Counties.
“No matter how good the bill is, the process in which this bill was passed is simply not acceptable. That process, I believe, is forever tainted,” said DeWine.
DeWine wants House lawmakers to revisit the issue and says it is time for them to move on from Larry Householder as Speaker.
“The people’s business must be done and so I’d urge my friends in my legislature to very vigorously look at that,” DeWine said.
The Governor was also asked about whether or not the state of Ohio should allow “dark money,” or political spending by nonprofits that does not have to be disclosed, considering the speaker’s scandal.
“I’m for as much disclosure as the United States Supreme Court decisions will allow. The Supreme Court’s decisions have, has been pretty broad in this area and linking this to First Amendment protection and until they overrule a case, that is where we are,” says DeWine.
DeWine reiterated that no member of his administration has been contacted by the FBI or the Justice Department.
