According to a report from Newark Advocate, Ohio GOP lawmakers have voted to remove recently indicted Republican Larry Householder from his post as speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives.
His colleagues made this choice by a secret ballot vote earlier this week, after reports say that Householder has refused to voluntarily resign from his position.
A joint statement from members of House Republican leadership said:
“The decision by House Republicans … to proceed with removing Larry Householder as Speaker reflects the reality that while he is entitled to his day in court and a presumption of innocence until proven guilty, it has become abundantly clear that he has lost the trust of his colleagues and the public, and is unable to effectively lead this chamber.”
Newark Advocate reporter Benjamin Lanka wrote,
“There was no immediate word on the vote, nor when it would be made official by a formal vote of the full House.
Householder, barred from interacting with potential witnesses in the criminal case against him, did not show up despite some lawmakers’ assurances he would.”
There will still need to be a formal vote from the full House to officially remove Householder, and that has not yet been scheduled.
Householder was recently arrested and faces up to 20 years in prison, along with lobbyist Neil Clark and three other men for their alleged involvement in a $60 million bribery scheme.
Prosecutors say that the endeavor which planned to bailout two nuclear power plants in Ohio was one of the largest public corruption cases in the state’s history.
