Ohio speaker gone fishing

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More problems for Ohio Republicans

http://www.cleveland.com/politics/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/ispol/1119610754171330.xml&coll=2

With a $51.2 billion budget on the table and lobbyists and law enforcement agents circling the Statehouse like sharks, House Speaker Jon Husted left town with three Columbus lobbyists for a Memorial Day weekend fishing trip to Florida's Gulf Coast.

Husted confirmed that he and his son spent the nights of May 27 and May 28 as guests at the Pine Island home of Joseph Feidner, the father-in- law of Dan McCarthy, chief executive of the Success Group and one of the capital's most influential lobbyists.

...

In an emotional interview, Husted said he did nothing illegal or unethical and said he never talked to McCarthy, Jones or Lashutka about their clients or the budget during the trip.

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Catherine Turcer, legislative director for Ohio Citizen Action, laughed when Husted's remarks were read to her.

"Most of us would like to find a way to affect the budget, and most of us are not able to go on a fishing trip with the speaker of the House," she said. "It is ludicrous to think that all they talked about in the midst of this budget battle is fishing."

Turcer said Husted's trip is particularly brazen because it follows revelations that Toledo coin dealer Tom Noe treated Gov. Bob Taft's top aide to a discount vacation at his Florida home and gave no-interest loans to other aides who worked for Taft.