Tribune Chronicle/Vindicator Editor Ed Puskas...by R. Michael Semple

Maybe I should have become a politician instead of an ink-stained wretch.

That is the thought that popped into my head when I first heard about the Larry Householder bribery case. But then I think about the downside of spending two decades in prison and I realize I’m not nearly as arrogant as he is.

Householder, the former Ohio House speaker, is in prison after a federal jury found him guilty of RICO conspiracy. In exchange for more than $60 million in bribes from FirstEnergy Corporation, Householder conspired to push a $1 billion taxpayer-funded power plant bailout through the state legislature.

FirstEnergy admitted the millions given to Householder and Generation Now, the former speaker’s dark money non-profit group, were bribes. Some co-conspirators pleaded guilty, but Householder — once considered the most powerful man in Ohio politics — took his chance with a jury. He was convicted on March 9, 2023, after a six-week trial and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Maybe it was worth it, but I doubt it. How many of us would take some big bucks up front knowing that a lengthy prison sentence awaited us? Maybe I’m wrong, but my guess is not many people would take that chance.

But the arrogant and greedy Householder apparently didn’t think he’d ever get caught, but it sounds like the ex-speaker isn’t a fan of prison life. After more than a year and a half inside, Householder is asking the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals to throw out his conviction.

The argument is almost too wild to believe. Citing Supreme Court decisions in cases such as Citizens United vs. FEC and McCutcheon vs. FEC, Householder is arguing that the bribes he accepted were actually campaign contributions and are protected by the First Amendment,

Are you kidding?

Householder’s arrogance knows no bounds. Never mind the fact that trial testimony showed that the former speaker used more than $500,000 for his own personal benefit, including things like credit card debt, property taxes and repairs to a Florida vacation home.

The details of the appeal have been reported by the Brennan Center for Justice, which filed an amicus brief in the case, along with two other entities.

The BCJ reports:

“In an amicus brief, Campaign Legal Center, the Environmental Law & Policy Center, and the Brennan Center point out the flaws in Householder’s argument. First, bribery and public corruption laws do not implicate free speech concerns because they apply only after an individual engages in a specific corrupt exchange with the requisite intent. This type of dollars-for-official-action exchange is the definition of quid pro quo corruption, which has never been protected under the Constitution. Second, the brief explores the long history of corrupt transactions involving public utilities and shows that the government’s ability to prosecute actual instances of corruption is a crucial deterrent. Finally, we explain that most of the payments Householder received do not constitute campaign contributions under Supreme Court precedent because they went to Householder’s personal use or to boost other candidates who would support his grip on the Ohio House speaker’s gavel rather than Householder’s own political campaigns.”

But anyone with an ounce of common sense already knows that Householder’s bid to overturn his conviction is a last-ditch attempt for a disgraced politician to get back his freedom. Householder is 65 years old. If he serves his full sentence, there is a better-than-average chance he will leave prison in a box. And the Ohio taxpayers who had to foot the bill for the FirtEnergy bailout might just be OK with that.

So was it worth it? You’d have to ask the ex-speaker about that. It seems the stark reality he is facing has taken hold.

As for me, no thanks. I’m no fan of politics in general and I have even less regard for crooked politicians.

I’ll never have $60 million unless I win a Mega Millions drawing. The odds of that are longer than the odds of an appeals court buying Householder’s laughable bid to avoid spending the rest of his days behind bars.

Well, I hope they are, anyway.

Ed Puskas is editor of the Tribune Chronicle and Vindicator. Write him at epuskas@tribtoday.com or reach him at 330-841-1786.