Diane Grendell Issues Statement on Householder Arrest

August 5, 2020 by Submitted

State Rep. Diane Grendell made the following statement on her Facebook page regarding the July arrest of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder in connection with a $60 million bribery scheme allegedly involving state officials and associates:

“It is with a heavy heart that I learned of the allegations against my colleague, House Speaker Larry Householder – a husband, a father, and a grandfather. Unlike others, and as a retired Appellate Judge, I choose not to jump to conclusions and instead, will wait for due process to play out. Just like any American who faces charges, he is considered innocent until proven guilty. This principle is of utmost importance to ensure the constitutional right of freedom for all Americans.

“Unfortunately, it is election season and there are some who are trying to soil my good name and reputation by making false allegations that I was somehow involved in the recently publicized matter, even though I was not serving in the Ohio House at that time. The allegations surround activities which took place during the 2017-2018 election season while my predecessor, Sarah LaTourette, was still serving in the House, and I was still serving as elected Appellate Court Judge. However, since I am defending what is now my position as your State Representative in November, some are making false claims against me. For anyone who may be concerned whether you can trust me, please let me assure you that I have never accepted any ‘dark money.’ I have only received funds from identifiable donors and established Republican organizations that report to the Secretary of State. I am 100% transparent with my campaign finances – my campaign finance report is public record and available for viewing online through the Ohio Secretary of State’s website.

“As your State Representative, my interest has always only been in representing the best interests of those in my district, and I have never, nor will I ever, sell my vote. In my eyes as a woman of faith, to do so would be to sell my soul, and it already belongs to a God greater than all of us.

“Regarding HB 6, a rush to repeal the bill will cost Ohio ratepayers billions of dollars, and threaten Ohio’s electric power grid which is now dependent upon HB 6. I received no money from First Energy PAC, and in fact, my husband and son represented Ohio all-electric homeowners at no cost in their lawsuit against First Energy to prevent an increase to their all-electric home rates. With the closure of coal power plants under President Obama, Ohio’s two nuclear power plants are more vital than ever. I voted for HB 6 because I believed, and still do, that it was good for Ohio jobs and energy customers. It reduced the clean energy rate that customers were paying, and reverted those dollars from less-efficient and far less utilized ‘clean energy’ sources like windmills and solar, and put them toward more efficient, sustainable, and widely used clean energy sources like natural gas and nuclear. My “yes” vote was joined by many of my colleagues in the House, a majority of the Senate including Senator John Eklund and Senate President Larry Obhof (both of whom strongly supported HB 6), as well the Governor who signed HB 6 into law. The legislature’s existing bicameral structure ensures the integrity of the legislative process, and the governor’s final signing of the bill provides an additional safeguard – all of which ensures that the passage of HB 6 was a good policy decision and the integrity of HB 6 remains intact.

“I can only speak for myself, but I can unequivocally state that the current charges against my colleague, and the eventual outcome of such, have no bearing on my commitment to serve the best interests of those who live in the district I represent, to the absolute best of my ability.”