Husted's Tightrope: Bribery Scandal & Senate Race

0:00It's April 19th. You're listening to Canada News today, AI-powered local news. I'm Cory with the story. Ohio Senator John Hustead is fighting to keep his seat this fall, but a $60 million bribery scandal from first energy keeps haunting him after. More than five years. He's testifying as a defense witness in the retrial of two former energy execs set for September 28th in Akron just a week before early. Voting kicks off for the November elections. Meanwhile, a Miss trial back in March means Hustead might hit the stand again, right as he gears up to face Democrat-shared brown who lost his own. Senate seat last year. Senate Republicans top super PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund, is dropping $79 million to back him. That's about a quarter of there. National spend on eight key races. Folks are watching if this trial ties him too close to the mess, especially with calendars showing meetings and calls around the time of a nuclear. Hustead denies any role in pushing that legislation or knowing about crimes, and his

1:04team says he's already testified under oath. New details from text and lobbyist notes point to first energy funneling dark money through nonprofits like Freedom Frontier, which got a $1 million check mark for his campaign back when he ran for governor, execs even skimmed on hidden contributions for fundraisers. With Householder already doing 20 years and the retrial looming over election season, Hustead's walking a tightrope, his clear record under oath might just be the beat he needs to drop on voters.