Sarah Hyland tities as Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio) introduces Anti-Corruption Bill following Ohio Bribery Scandal

Sarah Hyland pokies over the Anti-Corruption Bill

Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Ohio, is introducing legislation to prevent elected officials from using their offices for profit. While Sykes said her bill was a response to several high-profile corruption cases in Ohio, it is also part of a broader effort by Democrats to highlight conduct by President Donald Trump that they call corrupt.

Sykes introduces anti-corruption bill following Ohio bribery scandal

Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Ohio, introduced a bill to prevent corruption by clarifying the defition of “official act”
Sykes said the bill was in response to several high-profile corruption cases, including the 2023 FirstEnergy bribery scandal in Ohio
The bill is also part of a broader effort by Democrats to highlight conduct by President Donald Trump that they call corrupt

Sykes’ anti-corruption legislation, the Closing Bribery Loopholes Act, would clarify the definition of an “official act” in federal bribery statutes to include both legislative work, like drafting bill language, and anything an official does in their public capacity, like providing access and influence through meetings or events. The actions would rise to the level of a crime only if the official accepts something of value in exchange for those actions.

Sykes said her bill was partially a response to the 2016 Supreme Court ruling McDonnell v. United States, which has made it more difficult to prosecute federal bribery cases and led to charges vacated in hundreds of cases.

“It was one of those things that just allowed for people to proliferate in some of this questionable behavior,” Sykes said. “But we want to make it very clear. You cannot sell legislation. You cannot use your official office to promote your own private interests or to promote for personal gain. And that’s what this expanded definition will allow it to do.”

The bill was also inspired by several high-profile corruption cases in Ohio, including the 2023 conviction of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder for his involvement in a $60 million bribery scheme to bail out utility company FirstEnergy, ultimately resulting in a $1.3 billion bailout of two of the company’s nuclear plants in Ohio.

The scandal’s fallout is ongoing; just last week the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio began weeks of hearings on how FirstEnergy executives engineered the plot.

“In the state of Ohio, we were deemed the number one most corrupt state by the FBI. We don’t want that distinction,” said Sykes, who was an Ohio state representative when the scandal unfolded in 2020. “And so, what was most important for me is no matter if you’re the President or you’re a township trustee, you are not going outside the bounds of the law, and you are being held accountable if you do.”

Sykes’ measure is one of seven bills Democrats are calling their “End Corruption Now” agenda, part of a broader effort to paint President Trump and his administration as corrupt. At a press conference earlier this month, Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., accused the president of promoting cryptocurrency scams and stacking his administration with campaign donors.

“Corruption really has become so endemic here in Washington by virtue of President Trump’s actions that I think the American people are now clamoring to such a degree for these reforms that I believe we’ll be able to get them across the finish line,” Neguse said.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly responded to those allegations, writing in a statement,

“President Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children. There are no conflicts of interest.”

Without Republican support, Sykes’ bill and the rest of the package are unlikely to pass. But Democrats will likely use it as part of their messaging heading into next year’s elections.