Ohio House Votes To Remove Republican Speaker Charged With Bribery

The Ohio House of Representatives, held by a GOP majority, voted to remove Larry Householder from his leadership post following his arrest.
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The Ohio House of Representatives voted unanimously Thursday to remove Republican Larry Householder as speaker of the GOP-controlled chamber following his arrest in a bribery case last week.

Householder and four others were arrested July 21 in connection with a $60 million federal bribery scheme involving state officials and associates. Authorities say Householder and others enriched themselves by endorsing a bailout of more than $1 billion for a coal and nuclear power company in the state.

On Thursday, minutes before the Ohio House voted to strip Householder of power, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio announced that a grand jury had indicted the former speaker and the others who had been charged.

Householder has resisted calls to resign from his House seat.

The speaker plays a key role in determining which legislation is taken up by House lawmakers and outlining the legislative session. Householder had previously served as House speaker from 2001 to 2004.

Both Democratic and Republican leaders in Ohio, including Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, called for Householder to resign after the charges were announced.

On Tuesday, Ohio Republicans met privately to discuss removing Householder from the speakership and concluded they had enough support to do so. After the meeting, a statement from Householder’s leadership team said he is “entitled to his day in court and a presumption of innocence,” but acknowledged it had “become abundantly clear that he has lost the trust of his colleagues and the public, and is unable to effectively lead this chamber.”

A number of Ohio Republicans are reportedly already jockeying for the speaker’s job.

Ohio Republican Larry Householder, the former state House speaker, was removed from his position after being accused of bribery.
Ohio Republican Larry Householder, the former state House speaker, was removed from his position after being accused of bribery.
Associated Press

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