Householder Is Gone

Members of the Ohio House expel Larry Householder, the federally indicted Republican ex-speaker…in a bipartisan vote that invoked their powers to remove a member for the first time in 150 years. The GOP-controlled House voted 75-21 to remove Householder, of Perry County, approving a resolution that stated he was not suited for office because of the indictment. The state Constitution allows expulsion for “disorderly conduct” without defining it. Defiant to the end, Householder reiterated his innocence in a House floor speech before the vote and predicted again he would be acquitted of accusations that he orchestrated a $60 million bribery scheme.