AT
AT 430
AT 430 HOUSE REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS ARE EXPECTED TO MEET PRIVATELY TOMORROW WHERE THEY
WILL DISCUSS IF THERE'S A
CONSENSUS TO REMOVE LARRY
HOUSEHOLDER AS SPEAKER.
THIS IS THE LATEST DEVELOPMENT
IN THE BIGGEST CORRUPTION
SCANDAL IN OHIO POLITICS.
TONIGHT, CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE
REPORTER BENNETT HAEBERLE SHARES
WHAT HE'S UNCOVERED.
SO FOLLOWING THE DARK MONEY
TRAIL, THESE NUCLEAR POWER
PLANTS ARE STILL OPERATING
THANKS TO A BILL THAT PROVIDED A
BILLION DOLLAR BAILOUT TO THE
ENERGY COMPANY THAT RUNS THEM.
BUT THE FBI SAYS THE BILL WAS
BOUGHT AND PAID FOR THROUGH A 60
MILLION DOLLAR BRIBERY SCHEME.
THAT LINE THE POCKETS OF
LOBBYISTS AND OHIOS MOST
POWERFUL LAWMAKER, SPEAKER HOUSE
ODNR.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE ABOUT THIS?
SCALIA OHIOHEALTH SPEAKER LARRY
HOUSEHOLDER AND FOUR OTHERS HAVE
BEEN CHARGED WITH RACKETEERING,
ACCUSED BY THE FEDS OF FUNNELING
MILLIONS FROM THE ENERGY COMPANY
INTO A FIVE A ONESIE FOR DARK
MONEY GROUP CALLED GENERATION.
NOW THIS 82 PAGE CRIMINAL
COMPLAINT ALLEGES THE 60 MILLION
IN PAYMENTS WERE AKIN TO BAGS OF
CASH MONEY THAT NOT ONLY WAS
USED TO HELP SECURE HOUSEHOLDER
AS HOUSE SPEAKER, BUT WAS
ALLEGEDLY USED TO FINANCE THE
CAMPAIGNS OF OTHER LAWMAKERS AND
ENSURE THAT HOUSE BILL 6 PASSED
.
DO YOU HAVE ANY RESPONSE TO THE
CHARGES TODAY?
LOBBYIST NEIL CLARK DECLINED TO
ANSWER 10 INVESTIGATES QUESTIONS
AS HE LEFT THE FEDERAL
COURTHOUSE AFTER HIS ARREST LAST
WEEK.
BUT IN SECRET FBI RECORDINGS,
CLARK IS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT
GENERATION NOW IS THE SPEAKER'S
SEE FOR THAT HOUSEHOLDER CREATED
HIMSELF.
CLARK IS LATER RECORDED SAYING
THAT WE CALL COMPANY A THE BANK
BECAUSE THEY CAN DO THEY CAN
FUND THESE THINGS FOR 20 YEARS
IF THEY WANT TO.
THEY'VE GOT TOO MUCH MONEY, TOO
MUCH POWER, THOUGH NOT NAMED IN
COURT RECORDS COMPANY A REFERS
TO FIRST ENERGY AND ITS
AFFILIATES, INCLUDING FIRST
ENERGY SOLUTIONS, WHICH OPERATES
THE NUCLEAR PLANTS AND IS NOW
CALLED ENERGY HARBOR.
DURING AN INVESTOR CALL ON
FRIDAY, FIRST ENERGYS CEO CHUCK
JONES TRIED TO DISTANCE HIMSELF
AND THE PARENT COMPANY FROM THE
SCANDAL.
I BELIEVE THAT FIRST ENERGY
ACTED PROPERLY IN THIS MATTER
AND WE INTEND TO COOPERATE FULLY
WITH THE INVESTIGATION.
JOAN SAYS FIRST ENERGYS SPLIT
WITH FIRST ENERGYS SOLUTIONS IN
LATE 2016 AND THAT THE TWO
OPERATE SEPARATELY.
BUT HE DID ACKNOWLEDGE THAT 15
MILLION OF THAT 60 MILLION
REFERENCED BY THE FEDS CAME FROM
HIS COMPANY IN SUPPORT OF HOUSE
BILL 6 AND HE APPEARED TO GROW
FRUSTRATED ASK QUESTIONS.
WERE YOU AWARE OF THE
INVESTIGATION PRIOR TO THE FBI
ANNOUNCEMENT PRESS CONFERENCE
THIS WEEK OR WAS NOT THE FIRST
TIME THAT HE BECAME AWARE OF THE
INVESTIGATION?
I'M NOT GOING TO COMMENT ON THAT
.
ONE WOULD BE REALLY NICE.
WE HAD ABOUT 15 MINUTES LEFT IF
WE COULD ACTUALLY TALK ABOUT THE
GREAT QUARTER THAT WE HAD AT
SOME POINT HERE.
THE CRIMINAL COMPLAINT DETAILS
PAYMENT AFTER PAYMENT TO
GENERATION NOW AND OTHER
PASSTHROUGH GROUPS BEGINNING IN
MARCH OF 2017 AND CONTINUING
THROUGH MARCH OF THIS YEAR.
MAKE NO MISTAKE, THESE
ALLEGATIONS ARE BRIBERY, PURE
AND SIMPLE.
THIS WAS A QUID PRO QUO.
THIS WAS PLAY PAY TO PLAY 10.
INVESTIGATORS ALSO FOUND MONEY
FROM THE ENERGY COMPANY WASN'T
JUST POURING INTO GENERATION.
NOW RECORDS SHOW CONTRIBUTIONS
FROM FIRST ENERGY SOLUTIONS, ITS
POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE AND
ITS EMPLOYEES ALSO FLOWED INTO
HOUSEHOLDERS CAMPAIGN ACCOUNT
AFTER HOUSE BILL 6 BECAME LAW.
WE ALSO FOUND A THIRTEEN
THOUSAND DOLLAR DONATION FROM
THAT BORGES, THE FORMER STATE
GOP PARTY CHAIRMAN AND ONE OF
THE MEN, PROSECUTORS SAY WAS
INVOLVED IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS
THEY'D ALL BECOME BORGES.
HIS ALLEGED ROLE IN THE SCANDAL
,THE FEDS SAY INVOLVED GIVING A
MAN A 15000 DOLLAR BRIBE FOR
INTELLIGENCE ON THE FAILED
BALLOT REFERENDUM AIMED AT
OVERTURNING HOUSE BILL 6.
THAT MAN, THE FBI, ALLEGES
BORGIAS THREATENED TO BLOW UP
HIS HOUSE IF HE SPOKE THEIR
CONVERSATION.
WHAT WE NEED TO DO IN THE
LEGISLATURE IS START TAKING THE
STEPS TO REPAIR THAT VIOLATION
OF TRUST.
LAWMAKERS HAVE INTRODUCED A BILL
TO REPEAL HOUSE BILL SIX AND ARE
CONSIDERING REPLACING
HOUSEHOLDER.
REPRESENTATIVE SHANE WILKINS WAS
ONE OF TWO SPONSORS OF THE
ORIGINAL BILL.
THE FEDS SAY HOUSEHOLDER CAN
PICK LAWMAKERS TO SPONSOR HOUSE
BILL SIX REPRESENT WOLCOTT IN A
STATEMENT ON FRIDAY SAID HE WAS
DISAPPOINTED AND ANGRY AT
HOUSEHOLDER CALLING ON HIM TO
RESIGN.
BUT OVER THE PHONE TOLD ME HE
STILL SUPPORTS THE LANGUAGE AND
PURPOSE OF HB 6.
BIVENS.
I DON'T KNOW.
AND I KNOW THAT WAS GIFFORD.
IF THAT IS TRUE, WHAT YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT IS THAT THERE IS
THIS UNLIMITED SUPPLY OF MONEY
FOR THESE POLITICAL PLAYERS TO
USE AND ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS
GET THIS BILL THROUGH ARE REALLY
SORT OF SHOCKING LEVEL OF
CORRUPTION AND BRIBERY THAT IS
PRETTY UNIQUE IN VANDEWALKER IS
WITH A NONPARTIZAN LAW AND
POLICY INSTITUTE THAT STUDY DARK
MONEY AND ITS INFLUENCE IN
POLITICS.
HE SAYS IN THIS CASE USING
MULTIPLE PASSTHROUGHS BEYOND
GENERATION NOW IS A TACTIC USED
TO COVER THE MONEY TRAIL.
THESE NETWORKS CAN GET VERY
COMPLICATED, BUT ULTIMATELY THE
GOAL IS ALWAYS JUST TO HIDE
WHERE THE MONEY IS COMING AND
THAT SHOULD PROBABLY KEEP PEOPLE
UP AT NIGHT.
THAT'S RIGHT.
YES, IT'S A YOU KNOW, WE THINK
THAT THE ELECTED OFFICIALS WORK
FOR US AND WE DON'T LIKE WHAT
THEY'RE DOING.
WE COULD VOTE THEM OUT.
BUT THIS THIS KIND OF SECRECY
MEANS THAT IT CAN BE VERY HARD
TO KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
NATS CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE
REPORTER BEN HAVILLAND REPORTING
NOW A BILL WAS INTRODUCED TODAY
IN OHIO STATE HOUSE THAT CALLS
FOR TRANSPARENCY AMONG DARK
MONEY GROUPS.
AGAIN, HOUSE REPUBLICAN
LAWMAKERS ARE SET TO MEET
PRIVATELY TOMORROW TO TALK ABOUT
THE POTENTIAL FOR REMOVING
HOUSEHOLDER.
AND ATTORNEY FOR THE SPEAKER
TOLD US TODAY HE COULD NOT
COMMENT ATP CHAIRMAN.
THEY PUT OUT A STATEMENT
DISTANCING THAT COMPANY FROM THE
INVESTIGATION SURROUNDING HOUSE
BILL 6.
IT READS IN PART, I WANT TO BE
CLEAR THAT AS THE INVESTIGATION
OF THE ACTIVITIES SURROUNDING
HOUSE BILL 6 CONTINUES, NONE OF
THE ALLEGED WRONGFUL CONDUCT IN
THE CRIMINAL COMPLAINT INVOLVES
ATP OR ITS SUBSIDIARIES.
WE ENGAGED AND PARTICIPATED IN
THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS
SURROUNDING HB SIX LEGALLY AND
ETHICALLY AND NATS FROM NICHOLAS
AIKEN'S CHAIR OF ATP TO
INVESTIGATE SO FOUND TAX RECORDS
THAT SHOW EMPOWERING OHIOS
ECONOMY NONPROFIT THAT WAS
SOLELY FUNDED BY ADP DID
CONTRIBUTE ONE HUNDRED FIFTY
THOUSAND DOLLARS TO GENERATION.
NOW IN 2017 AND 2018.
THAT'S