Ohio House votes to oust its speaker

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio House ousted its Republican speaker as the chamber's top leader in a historic, unanimous and bipartisan vote Thursday after he was charged in a $60 million bribery scheme.

Republican lawmakers Thursday chose former state Supreme Court Justice and current Rep. Bob Cupp to lead the Ohio House, replacing the ousted Rep. Larry Householder.

House members voted in favor of Cupp, a veteran lawmaker from Lima, Ohio, after a private Republican caucus.

Cupp was immediately sworn in by Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judith French. He promised to lead fairly and humbly.

"It is imperative to restore the public's trust in our elected officials," Cupp said. "The duty of the legislative branch of government is to serve to enact laws in the best interest of the people of Ohio."

His colleagues say they believe the soft-spoken Cupp will create in the chamber what Householder could not: unity. In a statement, GOP Gov. Mike DeWine praised Cupp as "a man of integrity who will serve Ohio well" and said he looked forward to working with the new speaker.

Householder is the first Ohio House speaker ever removed by the chamber, according to the Ohio History Connection. He didn't attend the vote on removal from his leadership post and retains his legislative seat for now. Lawmakers rejected a proposal to consider expelling him from the House.

Householder and four associates were identified in a July 21 federal affidavit as reportedly taking part in a pay-to-play scheme involving corporate money secretly funneled to them for personal and political use in exchange for helping to pass House Bill 6 to financially bail out two Ohio nuclear plants.

Householder was one of the driving forces behind the legislation, which included a fee on every electricity bill in the state and directed more than $150 million a year through 2026 to the plants near Cleveland and Toledo.

Householder and his attorney have ignored or declined requests for comment about the allegations against him.

The House session Thursday morning took a matter of minutes, with 90 representatives voting in favor of vacating the office of the speaker. Nine didn't vote, including Householder.

Householder, his longtime adviser Jeffrey Longstreth, former Ohio Republican Party chairman Matt Borges, and lobbyists Neil Clark and Juan Cespedes could each face up to 20 years in prison if they're convicted of helping to pass the bailout and block attempts to overturn it, according to a criminal complaint filed by the FBI.

A federal grand jury formally indicted the five Thursday, charging each with a single count of racketeering.

Information for this article was contributed by Andrew Welsh-Huggins and John Seewer of The Associated Press.

Former Speaker of the House Larry Householder's name plate is seen on the Speaker's dais before members of the Ohio House of Representatives vote to remove Householder as Speaker of the House on Thursday, July 30, 2020 at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. The Ohio House has ousted its Republican speaker as the chamber’s top leader in a historic, unanimous and bipartisan vote after he was charged in an alleged $60 million bribery scheme. (Joshua A. Bickel /The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

Ohio House Speaker Pro Tempore Jim Butler presides over a House session as members of the Ohio House of Representatives vote to remove Rep. Larry Householder as Speaker of the House on Thursday, July 30, 2020 at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. The Ohio House has ousted its Republican speaker as the chamber’s top leader in a historic, unanimous and bipartisan vote after he was charged in an alleged $60 million bribery scheme. (Joshua A. Bickel /The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

A board shows Former Speaker Larry Householder's name before members of the Ohio House of Representatives voted 90-0 to remove Rep. Householder as Speaker of the House on Thursday, July 30, 2020 at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. The Ohio House has ousted its Republican speaker as the chamber’s top leader in a historic, unanimous and bipartisan vote after he was charged in an alleged $60 million bribery scheme. (Joshua A. Bickel/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

A board reads "yes" votes as members of the Ohio House of Representatives vote to remove Rep. Larry Householder as Speaker of the House on Thursday, July 30, 2020 at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. The Ohio House has ousted its Republican speaker as the chamber’s top leader in a historic, unanimous and bipartisan vote after he was charged in an alleged $60 million bribery scheme. (Joshua A. Bickel /The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

Ohio House Speaker Pro Tempore Jim Butler calls session to order as members of the Ohio House of Representatives vote to remove Rep. Larry Householder as Speaker of the House on Thursday, July 30, 2020 at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. The Ohio House has ousted its Republican speaker as the chamber’s top leader in a historic, unanimous and bipartisan vote after he was charged in an alleged $60 million bribery scheme. (Joshua A. Bickel /The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019, file photo, Republican Ohio state Rep. Larry Householder, of District 72, sits at the head of a legislative session as Speaker of the House, in Columbus. The House is prepared to take a vote Thursday, July 30, 2020 that could remove Householder, who is accused in a $60 million federal bribery probe, from his leadership position. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

Ohio State Rep. Bob Cupp answers questions from the media, Thursday, July 30, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. The Ohio House ousted its Republican speaker, Rep. Larry Householder, as the chamber's top leader in a historic, unanimous and bipartisan vote Thursday after he was charged in an alleged $60 million bribery scheme. Householder is the first Ohio House speaker ever removed by the chamber, according to the Ohio History Connection. (AP Photo/Farnoush Amiri)