Rep. Weinstein statement on Householder expulsion

State Rep. Casey Weinstein (D-Hudson) today issued a statement on the expulsion from the Ohio House of former Republican Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) for his alleged role in a $60 million public bribery and corruption scheme to pass and prevent a referendum on a billion-dollar corporate bailout in 2019.

“It can sometimes feel as though we are pushing against an immovable object that obstructs progress in Columbus. Today was not one of those days,” said Rep. Weinstein. “The motion to suspend the rules and allow the resolution expelling former Speaker Householder passed with the exact number of votes required, and every vote mattered. I am proud to have played a part in restoring honor and integrity to the Statehouse.”

Householder and several close associates have been indicted for their involvement in what has been described as the largest public bribery scheme in Ohio history. The active criminal case stands as the largest open corruption investigation in any statehouse in the nation.

Democrats introduced a resolution to expel Householder earlier this month. They have also introduced bills to root out Statehouse corruption, including the Ohio Anti-Corruption Act, which would require dark money groups to identify their contributors and disclose their spending, and the Public Corruption Repayment Act, which would require legislators to reimburse the state for compensation received between the time they were indicted for a felony involving public corruption and their conviction.