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00:00:38One of the two bills
00:00:38that came out
00:00:40of the special session
00:00:40could face a legal challenge.
00:00:43Months after marijuana
00:00:44became legal in Ohio,
00:00:44sales are set to start soon.
00:00:48And a former speaker gets a
00:00:48welcomed letter from the FBI.
00:00:52That's this
00:00:52weekend. The state of Ohio.
00:01:13Welcome to the state of Ohio.
00:01:14I'm Karen Kasler.
00:01:16The special legislative
00:01:16session
00:01:17the last week of May ended
00:01:17with the two bills
00:01:20that governor
00:01:20Mike DeWine wanted.
00:01:21State lawmakers to pass.
00:01:23He signed them into law
00:01:23last weekend.
00:01:25But a legal challenge
00:01:25seems likely for one.
00:01:28The ban
00:01:28on foreign contributions
00:01:30and the ballot issue
00:01:30campaigns in Ohio.
00:01:33DeWine said this week
00:01:33he thinks the law was needed,
00:01:35even though contributions
00:01:35by foreign nationals
00:01:38to candidates or campaigns
00:01:38is illegal under federal law.
00:01:42The goal here
00:01:42is pretty simple to state,
00:01:44and that goal is to make sure
00:01:44that, people
00:01:48who are not citizens
00:01:48of the United States,
00:01:51are not able
00:01:51to send millions of dollars
00:01:54into Ohio to affect,
00:01:55one way or the other,
00:01:55a ballot initiative.
00:01:58I think if
00:01:58you ask the average Ohio and,
00:02:00virtually everybody would say,
00:02:00that's a great idea.
00:02:04We don't think
00:02:04that non-citizens
00:02:06should be able
00:02:06to influence our ballot
00:02:08by putting a bunch of money
00:02:08here.
00:02:11whether it will be effective,
00:02:11I don't think anybody knows
00:02:14because we don't know
00:02:14what course we'll do.
00:02:16you know,
00:02:17and any kind of
00:02:18controversial bill
00:02:18that's passed or even
00:02:20partially controversial,
00:02:20ends up in court.
00:02:23Some Republicans,
00:02:23including the bill's sponsor,
00:02:25representative
00:02:25Bill Seitz, raised concerns
00:02:27about an amendment
00:02:27to the bill,
00:02:29including permanent,
00:02:29lawful residents of the U.S.,
00:02:32also known as green card
00:02:32holders, in the ban
00:02:35because that could conflict
00:02:35with federal law.
00:02:37DeWine suggested
00:02:37that is appropriate.
00:02:40You could have a billionaire
00:02:41who a green card holder,
00:02:41and that doesn't happen.
00:02:45And, you know,
00:02:45you would want to make sure
00:02:46that those individuals
00:02:46are included as well.
00:02:49I don't think anybody's
00:02:49worried
00:02:50about average
00:02:50green card holder,
00:02:52but we are worried about
00:02:52somebody who got no money to
00:02:56to tilt the scales
00:02:56in an election,
00:02:59in the state of Ohio.
00:03:01Who can't vote?
00:03:02but they can come in here
00:03:02and they only live here,
00:03:04but they can come in here
00:03:04and dump a bunch of money at.
00:03:07The understanding
00:03:08from publicans on the floor,
00:03:08because it was that, federal
00:03:11law says
00:03:11green card holders and.
00:03:15Well, that's
00:03:16why there's an old judge
00:03:16once told me a long time ago,
00:03:18that's why,
00:03:20we have courts and, so we'll
00:03:20see what the courts know.
00:03:23There was no emergency clause
00:03:23for either the foreign money
00:03:26ban or the change
00:03:26in the candidate
00:03:28certification deadline
00:03:28from 90 days to 65 days
00:03:32to ensure President
00:03:32Biden is on the fall ballot.
00:03:36Recreational marijuana
00:03:36has been legal in Ohio
00:03:38since December after voters
00:03:38passed issue two.
00:03:41But while it's no longer
00:03:41against state
00:03:43law to possess, grow
00:03:43or use marijuana,
00:03:46there's no place in Ohio
00:03:46to buy it legally.
00:03:49That's about to change.
00:03:50With sales at existing medical
00:03:50marijuana dispensaries
00:03:53set to begin
00:03:53in the next few weeks
00:03:55and other sites later on.
00:03:57But there are still
00:03:57a lot of questions
00:03:58about what the rules
00:03:58are surrounding legal pot.
00:04:01I talked with Tom Herron,
00:04:01the spokesperson
00:04:03for the issue two campaign,
00:04:05who is now representing
00:04:05the adult
00:04:07use cannabis industry in Ohio.
00:04:09The timeline that the state
00:04:09has is using is such
00:04:12that the applications,
00:04:12aren't necessarily due
00:04:15for the new dispensaries,
00:04:15what we call the ten
00:04:18B licenses,
00:04:18until Friday of next week.
00:04:22the application
00:04:22period opens this Friday.
00:04:26And so this Friday,
00:04:26every existing medical license
00:04:28holder will be able to apply
00:04:30to convert their existing
00:04:30medical license to dual years,
00:04:35as well as to begin
00:04:35the application process
00:04:38for these new dispensary
00:04:38licenses
00:04:40that will be popping up
00:04:42throughout the state of Ohio
00:04:42over the next year or so.
00:04:46as far as when will sales
00:04:46begin?
00:04:49It sort of depends
00:04:49on how quickly the division
00:04:52of cannabis control processes,
00:04:52processes these applications
00:04:57and how quickly the license
00:04:57holders themselves are able
00:05:00to begin
00:05:00selling to Ohio adults.
00:05:04You know, some licensees
00:05:05may want to take
00:05:05some more time
00:05:07to do modifications
00:05:07at their site
00:05:09or to make some changes.
00:05:11Others will be ready
00:05:11closer to the
00:05:15the first day that they're
00:05:15able to to start selling.
00:05:18So it'll be a little bit
00:05:18of a rolling process.
00:05:20What will be the difference
00:05:20between
00:05:22medical marijuana sales
00:05:22as they are right now,
00:05:24and what recreational sales
00:05:24will be like?
00:05:26Besides, there won't be a need
00:05:26for people
00:05:28to get that medical marijuana
00:05:28card.
00:05:31Yeah,
00:05:31for the first several months,
00:05:33there's not going to be much
00:05:33of a difference.
00:05:35Like, frankly,
00:05:36the products will be sold
00:05:36in dispensaries to adults
00:05:39will be
00:05:39the same types of products
00:05:41that are sold
00:05:41under the existing medical
00:05:43marijuana program.
00:05:45The dispensaries themselves
00:05:45will continue to look like
00:05:48medical marijuana
00:05:48dispensaries.
00:05:51The processes and procedures
00:05:51that these dispensaries use
00:05:55will be a lot
00:05:56like the processes
00:05:56and procedures that they use
00:05:59within the medical program.
00:06:01A lot of the regulatory
00:06:01framework will still match
00:06:04a lot, from the medical
00:06:04marijuana program.
00:06:08So for the first several
00:06:08months,
00:06:10it's really going to be,
00:06:11you know, existing
00:06:11medical dispensaries
00:06:14selling the same types
00:06:14of medical marijuana products.
00:06:17It'll just be that every adult
00:06:17who's older than 21
00:06:21will have
00:06:21the ability to buy them.
00:06:24Obviously, you brought
00:06:26issue two to voters,
00:06:26so you're probably
00:06:30some experience
00:06:30in figuring out
00:06:31what the interest
00:06:31is going to be like.
00:06:33What will
00:06:33what do you expect to see?
00:06:36Look,
00:06:36as we said for a long time,
00:06:39I think Ohioans are excited
00:06:39about the opportunity
00:06:42to no longer
00:06:42have to buy cannabis products
00:06:45from an illicit market
00:06:45drug dealer.
00:06:47I think they're excited
00:06:48about not having to drive
00:06:48to Michigan
00:06:50and generate tax revenue
00:06:50in that state up north.
00:06:54I think there's a lot of
00:06:54interest for medical patients
00:06:58that we're not able to access
00:06:58the medical marijuana program
00:07:02for one reason or another.
00:07:03Now that barrier will come
00:07:03down.
00:07:05So, you know,
00:07:05we expect that there will be
00:07:09a lot of interest,
00:07:09but I don't think you're going
00:07:12to have a lot of brand
00:07:12new cannabis consumers, right?
00:07:15This is going to be
00:07:16transitioning folks
00:07:16from the illicit market,
00:07:19transitioning folks
00:07:19from buying in in Michigan.
00:07:23who now we're bringing into
00:07:25a regulated, taxed,
00:07:25tested a don't use program.
00:07:31So while we saw lines
00:07:31when when medical marijuana
00:07:34started sales in Ohio,
00:07:37do you expect to see lines
00:07:37with recreational
00:07:39marijuana sales
00:07:39when those sales begin?
00:07:41I think there might be lines
00:07:41at some dispensaries
00:07:44throughout the state.
00:07:45To the extent there are lines,
00:07:45I don't expect
00:07:47that to be a long lived
00:07:47phenomenon. Right.
00:07:49As more
00:07:49and more of these dispensaries
00:07:52begin converting from medical
00:07:52only to dual use.
00:07:55The choices that consumers
00:07:55have will continue to grow,
00:07:58and supply will continue
00:07:58to ramp up to ensure
00:08:02that the regulated program
00:08:02is meeting consumer demand.
00:08:06The rules
00:08:06for recreational marijuana
00:08:08are, as they were
00:08:08in issue two.
00:08:10There's no specific
00:08:10ban on public smoking.
00:08:12Homegirl is permitted for up
00:08:12to 12 plants per household.
00:08:15There's a 10% tax
00:08:15with that money
00:08:17going to social equity
00:08:17and jobs programs, education,
00:08:20treatment for addiction
00:08:20and also administrative costs.
00:08:23But all of that could change.
00:08:24The Senate passed a bill
00:08:26that would raise the tax
00:08:27and change
00:08:27where those cut home, grow
00:08:29to six plants and ban
00:08:29public smoking.
00:08:31Are you concerned about
00:08:32changes that the legislature
00:08:34might make versus
00:08:34what voters approved?
00:08:36Are you working with lawmakers
00:08:36on some of those changes?
00:08:39Well,
00:08:39to be clear, the language
00:08:41in the existing statute
00:08:43does include a ban on public
00:08:43consumption of marijuana.
00:08:47So that
00:08:47is that's already done.
00:08:50right now we're focused on is,
00:08:53working with the division
00:08:53to roll out the adult use
00:08:56program, in accordance
00:08:56with the initiated statute.
00:08:59And the division
00:09:01has, quite frankly, moved
00:09:01heaven and earth
00:09:03to get us to this point.
00:09:04I mean, we're ahead
00:09:04of schedule from the deadlines
00:09:07that were, laid out
00:09:07within the initiated statute.
00:09:11The staff at the division
00:09:11has been working tirelessly
00:09:14to ensure that we can provide
00:09:14a quick alternative
00:09:17to the unregulated market
00:09:17to Ohio consumers. So,
00:09:23that's
00:09:23where the focus is, right?
00:09:25It's on rolling out
00:09:25what the voters passed in
00:09:27the divisions
00:09:27did a really good job of that
00:09:27over the last several months.
00:09:31Are you concerned
00:09:31at all, though,
00:09:32about changing that midstream,
00:09:32so to speak, that
00:09:35the rules that maybe Ohioans
00:09:35will see now might change?
00:09:39Are you concerned about that
00:09:39at all?
00:09:40Well,
00:09:40I think what people will find
00:09:43is the rules continue
00:09:43to be developed, is that the
00:09:47current statute
00:09:48gives broad
00:09:48rulemaking authority
00:09:49to the Division
00:09:49of Cannabis Control,
00:09:52and they're using
00:09:52that authority
00:09:53right there,
00:09:53using that authority
00:09:55to ensure that there are rules
00:09:56about packaging,
00:09:56about labeling,
00:09:58about not marketing to children, about, yo
00:10:03procedures and safety rules
00:10:05and operational requirements
00:10:05and security requirements.
00:10:08So all of these adult
00:10:08use locations.
00:10:10So I think what you'll see
00:10:10is, like we saw
00:10:12when the medical program
00:10:12rolled out,
00:10:15people had a lot of questions
00:10:15until they saw
00:10:17how the regulators
00:10:17were going to regulate,
00:10:20the program itself.
00:10:22Around 50 cities
00:10:22and townships have banned
00:10:24marijuana businesses,
00:10:24including many suburbs
00:10:27around Cleveland
00:10:27and Cincinnati.
00:10:28Does that concern you at all?
00:10:31You know, it is concerning
00:10:31because what that means is
00:10:34that those cities
00:10:34will not have the opportunity
00:10:36to take advantage
00:10:36of the new tax revenue
00:10:39that will be generated
00:10:39under the adult use program
00:10:42means that people who live in
00:10:42those communities,
00:10:45will still use adult
00:10:45use cannabis products.
00:10:49They just will have to go to
00:10:49another town
00:10:51and generate tax revenue
00:10:51in that town
00:10:53when they make
00:10:53their purchases.
00:10:55You know, the date
00:10:55has been pretty clear.
00:10:57when a legal, regulated
00:11:00cannabis business opens
00:11:00in a community, you know,
00:11:03property values go up, tax
00:11:03revenue gets generated,
00:11:07areas
00:11:07around that cannabis business
00:11:11generate
00:11:11more economic development
00:11:13because these facilities
00:11:13are under 24 over seven.
00:11:16Video surveillance.
00:11:16They're well-lit.
00:11:18They're secure facilities.
00:11:19These are the exact types
00:11:19of businesses
00:11:22that other businesses
00:11:22want to be around,
00:11:24because they're safer than in
00:11:24in some other areas.
00:11:29And, you know,
00:11:29we did see
00:11:29a similar phenomenon
00:11:31when the medical program
00:11:31began.
00:11:33A lot of communities
00:11:33passed these moratoriums.
00:11:36But then as subsequent
00:11:36licensing rounds happened,
00:11:39they looked around
00:11:39the state and said, oh,
00:11:42it actually
00:11:42hasn't been a problem at all
00:11:44in those other communities.
00:11:45So we should rescind
00:11:45our moratorium.
00:11:47And we should be open to
00:11:47welcoming.
00:11:49You know, at the time,
00:11:50medical marijuana dispensaries
00:11:50to their communities.
00:11:53I think the same phenomenon
00:11:53will happen within the adult
00:11:56use program.
00:11:57One substance
00:11:57that's been legal
00:11:58all along is delta eight,
00:11:58or intoxicating hemp,
00:12:02which is not affected by laws
00:12:02on marijuana
00:12:04and which governor
00:12:05Mike DeWine has asked
00:12:05lawmakers three times to ban
00:12:08so far,
00:12:09no bills have been proposed
00:12:09by state lawmakers to do that.
00:12:13But a federal ban on Delta
00:12:14eight has been included
00:12:14in the 2024 farm bill.
00:12:18Cliff Rosenberger,
00:12:18whose resignation in 2018
00:12:21opened up a revolving door
00:12:21of Republican Ohio House
00:12:23speakers, has been told
00:12:23by the FBI
00:12:26that he is no longer
00:12:26a target of investigation.
00:12:29Rosenberger,
00:12:29who became the state's
00:12:30youngest ever House
00:12:30speaker in 2015,
00:12:33stepped down as word leaked
00:12:35that the feds were looking
00:12:35into his connections
00:12:37to the payday
00:12:37lending industry.
00:12:39I talked with Rosenberger
00:12:39lawyer David Axelrod,
00:12:42who's a former assistant U.S.
00:12:43attorney and former
00:12:44special prosecutor
00:12:44for the state of Ohio.
00:12:46So tell me about this letter.
00:12:48What exactly did the letter
00:12:48to this former speaker say?
00:12:51And is there any reason
00:12:51to read
00:12:53any more into it than what was
00:12:53actually in that letter?
00:12:56Well, what the letter says is
00:12:56that he's no longer
00:12:59the subject
00:12:59or target of an investigation.
00:13:01That's important
00:13:01because a target is somebody
00:13:05under the Department
00:13:05of Justice manual.
00:13:06A target
00:13:06is somebody that more or less
00:13:06this is not
00:13:08a precise definition,
00:13:08but more or less
00:13:10the government has decided
00:13:10they want to prosecute
00:13:13and they're building
00:13:13their case.
00:13:14They send that
00:13:14sort of a letter
00:13:16to a prospective defendant
00:13:16so that he doesn't
00:13:19inadvertently waive his
00:13:19or her constitutional rights,
00:13:22not knowing that he's
00:13:22a target, a subject, though,
00:13:25and that's really
00:13:25what's most important here.
00:13:26The subject is a very broad
00:13:26term.
00:13:29A subject is technically,
00:13:31according to the Department
00:13:32of Justice manual,
00:13:32the subject is anyone
00:13:34who's involved in the events
00:13:34under investigation.
00:13:37Now, here,
00:13:39you know, Speaker Rosenberger
00:13:39was clearly involved in
00:13:43House Bill 123 payday
00:13:43lending reform,
00:13:46which was the subject
00:13:46of the investigation.
00:13:48But by excluding him
00:13:48as a subject,
00:13:50that means he's he's
00:13:50nothing but a witness.
00:13:53I mean, ultimately,
00:13:54it means that
00:13:54this means they have closed
00:13:56their investigation
00:13:56after six long years.
00:13:58You know, this investigation
00:13:59seems
00:13:59as if it's gone on forever.
00:14:02we calculated the other day,
00:14:02and since this investigation
00:14:05started, since Speaker
00:14:05Rosenberger resigned,
00:14:07there have been four House
00:14:07speakers
00:14:10and three United States
00:14:10attorneys.
00:14:12Think about it there.
00:14:13There was,
00:14:15Ryan Smith,
00:14:15Larry Householder, Bob
00:14:18camp, and now Jason Stevens
00:14:18in the US Attorney's office.
00:14:21There was was, Ben Glassman,
00:14:25David de Villiers,
00:14:25and now there's Ken Parker.
00:14:28All of that happened
00:14:28during the during
00:14:29the period
00:14:29of this investigation.
00:14:31And a clear answer closure
00:14:31letter is very rare.
00:14:35It is.
00:14:36I'm aware of 3
00:14:36or 4 that they have issued
00:14:39in this district
00:14:39in the last 20 years or so.
00:14:42The first of those
00:14:42was to Larry Householder.
00:14:44I was just going to say
00:14:44one of those
00:14:45was to Larry Householder,
00:14:45and I want to get to that.
00:14:48but first I want to ask you,
00:14:48Speaker Rosenberger
00:14:51put out a statement
00:14:51saying, quote,
00:14:52it feels so good to finally
00:14:52be vindicated of all charges.
00:14:55Do you see this
00:14:55as a vindication,
00:14:57or is there a difference
00:14:58between vindication
00:14:59and just the closing
00:14:59of an investigation?
00:15:02Well, technically,
00:15:04it's just the
00:15:04closing of an investigation.
00:15:06As a practical matter,
00:15:06it's indication
00:15:09we've been making
00:15:09presentations
00:15:11to the US Attorney's office
00:15:12and arguing with the US
00:15:12Attorney's office
00:15:13and been scrutinized by the US
00:15:13Attorney's office for years.
00:15:16Multiple presentations,
00:15:16sworn statements
00:15:19by people who were involved
00:15:19in the investigation.
00:15:21We had sworn statements from,
00:15:21for example, Kirk Sharing,
00:15:24who managed House
00:15:25Bill 123 payday lending reform
00:15:27through the House and
00:15:27through its eventual passage.
00:15:29And he said
00:15:30that Speaker Rosenberger did
00:15:30absolutely nothing to impede
00:15:32the end of the legislation
00:15:32and actually supported it.
00:15:35We had a declaration, sworn
00:15:35declaration from Bill Seitz,
00:15:38who was then House majority
00:15:38majority floor leader.
00:15:41I think that said essentially
00:15:41the same thing.
00:15:44He had been involved in it.
00:15:45So we've submitted
00:15:45all sorts of evidence
00:15:47and other information
00:15:47and documents
00:15:49to the US Attorney's office,
00:15:49made PowerPoint
00:15:51presentations and been
00:15:51scrutinized to the nth degree.
00:15:54We've been under
00:15:54the microscope and,
00:15:57as it as
00:15:57you might gather from the fact
00:15:59that they issue these letters
00:15:59so rarely,
00:16:01they're very,
00:16:01very careful about doing it.
00:16:03And I don't believe
00:16:04they would issue a letter
00:16:04to somebody
00:16:05against whom they had
00:16:05any significant evidence.
00:16:07You mentioned a former speaker
00:16:07householder.
00:16:09Why do you think
00:16:11former Speaker Rosenberger
00:16:11was a target in this case?
00:16:14You've connected it
00:16:14to Larry Householder.
00:16:16Well, we actually filed
00:16:16a motion directly to this.
00:16:18We weren't
00:16:19successful with the motion,
00:16:19but the motion restricted
00:16:22very sharply.
00:16:22The evidence
00:16:22that we could introduce.
00:16:24We were only allowed
00:16:25to introduce evidence
00:16:25from the householder trial
00:16:27and not other kinds
00:16:27of evidence that we had found.
00:16:29So ultimately, it was denied.
00:16:30But what we spelled out in
00:16:30that motion
00:16:32was that it was important
00:16:32to get rid of Speaker
00:16:35Rosenberger, because
00:16:36First Energy had requested
00:16:36a bailout from him,
00:16:39and he had said, no,
00:16:39not going to do it.
00:16:41Bad policy.
00:16:42So he was in their way.
00:16:44They needed to get rid of him
00:16:44to make room for Larry
00:16:46Householder to become speaker.
00:16:46So they could do that.
00:16:49The House Bill six
00:16:52$61 million scheme.
00:16:55Now, you mentioned to that
00:16:55Larry Householder was
00:16:59one of those who's received
00:16:59a closing letter,
00:17:02and now here he is
00:17:02in federal prison.
00:17:05But that was a different case
00:17:05that the FBI was looking
00:17:08at in 2006.
00:17:09It was about a pay to play
00:17:09scandal involving vendors
00:17:13and kickbacks
00:17:13and that sort of thing,
00:17:15that there were no charges
00:17:15filed in.
00:17:16Yeah, it was that it was
00:17:16a very different scheme.
00:17:18But I guess the whole idea
00:17:18that a closing letter doesn't
00:17:22absolve you
00:17:23of every
00:17:23potential investigation,
00:17:25it just says the one
00:17:25that we're looking at right
00:17:27now, you are no longer
00:17:27the subject or target of.
00:17:30Well that's true.
00:17:32the House Bill six,
00:17:34scheme didn't exist
00:17:35when they issued
00:17:35that closing letter,
00:17:36so it couldn't absorb
00:17:36into the closing letter.
00:17:39He's different
00:17:39from Speaker Rosenberger
00:17:40because he came back.
00:17:42Speaker Rosenberger
00:17:42has never been suspected
00:17:44of wrongdoing of any kind
00:17:45other than the unfounded
00:17:45suspicions.
00:17:48for which he was set up
00:17:49in connection
00:17:49with payday lending reform.
00:17:51And he has been,
00:17:52in my judgment,
00:17:52absolved of that completely.
00:17:54And those suspicions,
00:17:54it was, alleged connection
00:17:59between former Speaker
00:17:59Rosenberger
00:18:01and payday lenders
00:18:01and some international travel.
00:18:04Tell me what the circumstances
00:18:04were surrounding this.
00:18:07Well, the allegation was that
00:18:07he agreed to slow,
00:18:09slow walk or kill payday
00:18:09lending reform in exchange
00:18:12for payday lenders
00:18:12funding a trip to London
00:18:16for him and other legislators
00:18:16to to attend a conference
00:18:19on the leadership style
00:18:19of Winston Churchill
00:18:21and really learn
00:18:21how Churchill handled
00:18:23certain kinds of problems
00:18:24and so that they could inform
00:18:24what they do
00:18:26with what he did.
00:18:28Well, the trip
00:18:29actually was funded by
00:18:29Go Pack by a Republican PAC,
00:18:33and it was funded in a way
00:18:33that's fairly commonplace
00:18:36and is absolutely legitimate.
00:18:37Speaker Rosenberger ran
00:18:37the ethical traps on that.
00:18:39And all of these travel.
00:18:39We have a whole series of,
00:18:43opinions from the joint
00:18:43legislative Ethics Committee
00:18:45that say that spell out
00:18:45what he's allowed to do
00:18:48and what he's not allowed to
00:18:48do, and
00:18:49the trip was perfectly lawful.
00:18:51It was in part
00:18:51funded by a payday lender,
00:18:54but it was funded by
00:18:54many other companies as well.
00:18:56So it was not just payday
00:18:56lenders giving him money.
00:18:58And it was a
00:18:58it was what, to most people
00:19:01might seem
00:19:01like a lot of money,
00:19:02but in the
00:19:03in the scheme of this
00:19:03kind of thing
00:19:04was a very small
00:19:04amount of money.
00:19:06It was a stipend of $2,500
00:19:06and a couple of nights
00:19:09in a hotel.
00:19:10and he actually took
00:19:10another legislator with him
00:19:13at his own expense.
00:19:14In other words,
00:19:14the stipend was not enough
00:19:16to cover air travel
00:19:16for both of them.
00:19:17So Speaker Rosenberger paid
00:19:17the additional eight $800.
00:19:20I think it was out
00:19:20of his own pocket.
00:19:22And you've made the point
00:19:22that this was not
00:19:24the only travel
00:19:24that Rosenberger did,
00:19:26because he was in office
00:19:26at a time.
00:19:29That was he was the youngest
00:19:29speaker in Ohio history.
00:19:32He was the first
00:19:33speaker of Asian descent
00:19:33in Ohio history, that he was
00:19:36moving around a lot.
00:19:37He was not only the young,
00:19:38the youngest speaker
00:19:38in Ohio history.
00:19:40He was at the time
00:19:41and maybe still the youngest
00:19:41speaker in the in the country.
00:19:45I believe he was 33
00:19:45when he became speaker.
00:19:49So he was a very young man.
00:19:50He was very much in demand
00:19:51for the reasons
00:19:51that you identified.
00:19:53He was an officer of various
00:19:53various legislative groups,
00:19:55and he had to go
00:19:55to their meetings.
00:19:56He was on the executive
00:19:56boards of several.
00:19:59So the travel was not
00:19:59something that he invented.
00:20:01The travel was thing was to go
00:20:01places that he was invited.
00:20:04And, you know, organizations
00:20:04have meetings in.
00:20:08They don't
00:20:08they don't go to cold
00:20:09and wet places
00:20:09to have meetings.
00:20:10They go to nice places.
00:20:11And so as a result,
00:20:11he wound up
00:20:14going to nice places
00:20:14to discharge his duties
00:20:16as speaker.
00:20:16The other thing to keep
00:20:17in mind
00:20:17is that Ohio is a big state,
00:20:17and there's a lot of money
00:20:20that makes up the Ohio
00:20:20economy.
00:20:23And it's important
00:20:23for for Ohio to be out there
00:20:25and gathering support
00:20:26and talking to businesses
00:20:26about coming to Ohio
00:20:29and doing
00:20:29those sorts of things.
00:20:30So there's there's a lot of
00:20:30value that in many other ways,
00:20:34legislative
00:20:34travel is valuable.
00:20:36And so what is the former
00:20:36speaker doing now and how does
00:20:39he look back on this after
00:20:39six years since he resigned?
00:20:44all the things that happened,
00:20:45there was an FBI search
00:20:45of his office
00:20:47and a whole detailed list
00:20:49of all the things
00:20:49that were taken
00:20:51and all the things
00:20:51that, happened
00:20:53to bring us to this point.
00:20:55Well, I can't really say
00:20:55how he looks back on it.
00:20:57I mean, he's been doing
00:20:57some independent consulting,
00:20:59but that's the problem.
00:21:01He hasn't
00:21:01been able to get a job in his
00:21:03in his area, in politics
00:21:03because of the
00:21:06the investigation
00:21:06hanging over his head.
00:21:08There was one incident
00:21:08that he told me about
00:21:10where he interviewed
00:21:10for a job in Washington
00:21:12and was explicitly
00:21:12asked about the investigation.
00:21:15His answer was, it's over.
00:21:16And they said,
00:21:16you have to give us
00:21:17a piece of paper
00:21:17to show us that it's over.
00:21:19And there was no piece
00:21:19of paper until this letter.
00:21:21So he's been prevented
00:21:21from essentially
00:21:24pursuing his profession
00:21:24for six years.
00:21:27And that's why you made the,
00:21:30request to be for him to be
00:21:32acknowledged under the federal
00:21:32Crime Victims Rights Act.
00:21:36Oh, that's correct.
00:21:37I mean, that's
00:21:37a little different.
00:21:39The Crime Victims
00:21:39Rights Act required us to show
00:21:41that he was a victim
00:21:41of criminal activity.
00:21:43The criminal activity in
00:21:43this case
00:21:45would have been the House Bill
00:21:45six conspiracy.
00:21:47And the effort
00:21:47to get rid of him
00:21:49to make room
00:21:49for Larry Householder.
00:21:51So we we made that motion.
00:21:53As I said,
00:21:53we were not successful
00:21:55because we were prevented
00:21:56by the statute
00:21:56and by the case law
00:21:58from putting
00:21:58in all of our evidence.
00:22:00So I think that if one looks
00:22:00at all of our evidence,
00:22:03one would reach
00:22:03the conclusion,
00:22:04really, it's inevitable,
00:22:05the inevitable conclusion that
00:22:05he didn't do anything wrong.
00:22:08And I think that's why
00:22:08we got the closing letter.
00:22:10Rosenberg's official portrait
00:22:12as speaker was unveiled
00:22:12at the state House in April
00:22:15and is now outside the chamber
00:22:15where he used to preside.
00:22:18Spoke about it in the past
00:22:22ten years.
00:22:25And this week,
00:22:25some state lawmakers
00:22:27and community members
00:22:27kicked off
00:22:28celebrations of June
00:22:28as the month of freedom.
00:22:32It is a reminder
00:22:32of the resilience,
00:22:34the strength
00:22:34and unwavering spirit
00:22:37of African-Americans
00:22:37who endured and overcame,
00:22:42the horror
00:22:44at the vicious and malicious
00:22:47brutality of slavery
00:22:50and a time for reflection
00:22:50on the progress we have made
00:22:55and the challenges
00:22:55that still lie ahead,
00:22:58and our ongoing pursuit
00:22:58of equality and justice.
00:23:03You see, Juneteenth
00:23:03is not merely a date.
00:23:05It is a powerful symbol
00:23:07of our collective struggle
00:23:07and our triumph.
00:23:10It reminds us of the
00:23:11resilience, unyielding hope,
00:23:11and the wavering spirit
00:23:15of those
00:23:15who fought for their freedom
00:23:17and dignity
00:23:17against insurmountable odds.
00:23:20As we celebrate today, we also
00:23:20remember the long journey
00:23:23that followed
00:23:24six months later, the 13th
00:23:24amendment was ratified,
00:23:28ensuring that all enslaved
00:23:28people in America
00:23:31were declared free.
00:23:33Juneteenth on June 19th
00:23:33honors.
00:23:35The day in 1865,
00:23:37when the Emancipation
00:23:37Proclamation
00:23:39was finally enforced in Texas,
00:23:41two and a half years after
00:23:41President Abraham Lincoln
00:23:44announced
00:23:44it would go into effect,
00:23:46and after all other states
00:23:46had ended slavery.
00:23:49And that is it for this week,
00:23:49for my colleagues
00:23:50at the Statehouse News
00:23:50Bureau of Ohio
00:23:52Public Radio and Television.
00:23:52Thanks for watching.
00:23:54Please
00:23:54check out our website at State
00:23:56News Talk
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Note : Transcripts are compiled from uncorrected captions