Ohio bribery scandal featured in new ‘HBO’ documentary

An Ohio political scandal is being broadcast across not just the rest of the nation, but the world as well.

“Ohio Confidential,” a new documentary from HBO and director Alex Gibney, premiered on HBO earlier this week.

The new documentary focuses on the scandal involving Charles Jones and Michael Dowling, former FirstEnergy executives who allegedly participated in a massive political bribery scheme. The two executives allegedly paid more than $59 million to a non-profit controlled by former Ohio House representative Larry Househoulder.

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According to federal prosecutors, the money was used to help Householder become speaker of the house, a role he used to pass and uphold a $6 billion bailout bill for FirstEnergy.

The documentary will examine the scandal in the context of the 2010 Supreme Court case Citizens United v. FEC, which allows unlimited spending from undisclosed donors as a form of free speech.

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