Dan Sewell: When political deal-making blurs into mob tactics

By the time the prosecution rested in the high-level Ohio government corruption case being tried in Cincinnati federal court, you almost expected to hear "The Godfather" theme music playing in the background.

Were two of the powerful people in state politics using their influential skills and savvy to get what they wanted politically done, or did they cross the line into intimidation and criminal behavior? A jury will decide at the end of a trial well into its second month in which former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and former state Republican Party chairman Matt Borges are charged with racketeering conspiracy.

The prosecution’s last witness, Republican political operative Tyler Fehrman, testified Borges seemed to be making him an offer he couldn’t refuse when he pressed him to provide insider information on a statewide referendum effort Fehrman was working for that Borges opposed. Borges discussed Fehrman’s debts and need for work and offered that all that could be taken care of − if Fehrman went along.

It left Fehrman "feeling very upset … shaken."

Fehrman went to the FBI, and once the alleged bribery deal unfolded under secret monitoring, Borges warned him repeatedly to keep quiet. If a Columbus reporter came calling about it, Borges told him, "I’m going to blow your house up." That left Fehrman shaken.

"It was all very intimidating," he testified Monday.

Borges’ attorneys countered that a subsequent $15,000 check he paid to Fehrman was his effort to help an old friend having tough times. Fehrman testified he had considered Borges "a mentor and friend" he was in frequent communication with, and that Borges had brought Fehrman a championship cap for his favorite team, the New England Patriots, back from the 2019 Super Bowl.

The charges allege a $61 million pay-to-play scheme for backing Householder’s return to power in the Ohio Statehouse, pushing a $1.3 billion nuclear bailout for Akron-based FirstEnergy Solutions, and opposing a 2019 ballot initiative meant to block the House Bill 6 bailout.

Defense attorneys contended Monday that the prosecution had offered insufficient evidence in their case. Judge Timothy Black ordered the trial to continue, and the defense began its case Monday afternoon.

The trial being covered extensively for the USA Today Network Ohio that includes The Enquirer by reporters Jessie Balmert and Laura Bischoff has produced other mob-echoing moments.

“If you are not loyal, you are disloyal,” lobbyist Neil Clark, who fatally shot himself in the aftermath of being charged in the case, said in a taped comment.

A top Householder political adviser, Jeff Longstreth, agreed that Householder speaker required loyalty.

"He knows all. He sees all," said Longstreth, one of two original defendants who took guilty pleas and testified for the prosecution.

Fehrman described hardball tactics against the anti-House Bill 6 referendum effort. Bill supporters harassed, stalked, assaulted and paid off signature collectors. He was watched in his office at night, he said.

"A lady sat in a darkened SUV and just stared at me," he said.

Householder took the stand in his own defense, contradicting prosecution witnesses. However, in a tough cross-examination, he was heard on tape making threatening-sounding comments and saying: "We like war."

Householder’s defense began with state Rep. Bill Seitz, the veteran Republican legislator from Green Township. Seitz praised House Bill 6 as good for Ohioans’ long-term energy security and a measure to save ratepayers billions over the years.

He offered examples of how Householder wasn’t vindictive, such as making Seitz the House majority leader even though Seitz had backed his rival.

Asked if he had ever seen Householder threaten or coerce legislators to support House Bill 6, Seitz replied "No" both times.

After hours of being vilified by the prosecution, Borges giggled out loud when Seitz suggested that watching public TV broadcasts of Statehouse hearings were a good remedy for insomnia.

Because it’s federal court, there’s no live TV coverage available of the trial, but if you’re interested in  the dirty underbelly of Ohio politics, stay tuned to Cincinnati.com and The Enquirer coverage.

EXTRA POINTS:

The politics of East Palestine

The fiery, toxic train derailment Feb. 3 in eastern Ohio brought quick responses and attention from Republicans Gov. Mike DeWine and U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance and Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, among others. DeWine in particular spent a lot of time making himself available to hear frightened residents’ concerns and to seek answers. Brown and Vance have been working together to push for continued help. Vance, who earlier showed his skills at using a big stick to try to detect contamination in a creek, returned with former President Donald Trump in a Feb. 22 visit in which Trump gifted residents with thousands of bottles of "Trump Water" along with MAGA hats. For unclear reasons, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg seemed to initially pay little attention to the major transportation accident, then play it down as one of many derailments, before finally getting to East Palestine the day after Trump. His lack of quick action or show of empathy might have derailed any hopes he has of being a future Democratic presidential contender.

Donald McDonald

Trump in his visit touted his command of the intricacies of the Dollar Menu and Extra Value Meals. "I know this menu better than you do," he told McDonald’s workers in East Palestine. "I probably know it better than anybody in here."

Noted!

If at first you don’t secede

Georgia U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene made a Presidents’ Day proposal for a "National Divorce" to split the nation into blue and red states. Instead of being rightly ridiculed, some people including Fox News host Sean Hannity gave Greene’s idea a straight-faced airing. Unlike the first − and let’s hope, only − Civil War, there’s not a clear dividing issue such as slavery. While Ohio-born Union Army Gens. Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman no doubt would be rolling over in their graves, Greene’s "divorce" presumably would put Ohio on the red side after recent Republican statewide election successes. Would that mean the Ohio State Buckeyes would start playing in the SEC?

Dan Sewell is a member of The Enquirer board of contributors. Contact him at dsewellrojos@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Dan Sewell: When political deal-making blurs into mob tactics