COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine has postponed his regular Tuesday coronavirus press briefing, electing to clear the airwaves so federal authorities can address the reported arrest of Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio is scheduled to speak at 2:30 p.m. this afternoon, which would normally put him right in the middle of DeWine's briefing on the ongoing pandemic. Rather than go against each other, the governor has decided to give his remarks on Wednesday at the same time.
FBI agents raided Householder's farm in Glenford this morning, and he and others are currently in custody according to multiple outlets. The U.S. Department of Justice says this is in connection to a $60 million bribery scandal, which The Toledo Blade says is related to the nuclear plant bailout bill that was signed into law a year ago.
DeWine's office has not yet commented on Householder specifically. The two have butted heads in recent months despite both being members of the Republican Party, with the speaker at times openly disagreeing with the governor's actions to combat the spread of COVID-19 while attempting to pass several laws that would've weakened the powers of the Department of Health.
