New HBO documentary digs into Ohio bribery scandal as case study for dark money corruption

A pay-to-play scandal that unfolded at the Ohio Statehouse and sent a top politico to federal prison is the focus of the first in a two-part series, “The Dark Money Game.” The documentaries detail how the Ohio scheme fits into a larger puzzle of political corruption across the nation.

Gibney, whose projects include “The Crime of the Century” and “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,” used Clark’s recorded conversations with undercover FBI agents and excerpts of the book published after Clark’s suicide to explain how the Sicilian superlobbyist justified his role in the state’s largest corruption scandal.

The first part of the series, titled “Ohio Confidential,” details how Akron-based FirstEnergy spent more than $60 million to fuel former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder’s return to political power, pass a $1 billion nuclear bailout and defend that bailout against a ballot initiative to block it.

The conspirators used corporate money funneled through a series of 501(c)(4) nonprofits, which are often called dark money groups because they aren’t legally to disclose their donors.

The film features retired FBI agent Jeff Williams, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Glatfelter, former U.S. Attorney David DeVillers, former Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, political strategist Tyler Fehrman and statehouse reporter Laura A. Bischoff, who offer insights into how the pay-to-play scheme unfolded. Bischoff covered the case for The Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal, Canton Repository and other news outlets in Ohio.

There’s a moment in the documentary that shows how Householder first pitched the nuclear bailout bill to reporters. Bischoff asks if FirstEnergy’s prolific donations played any role in the bill.

“And he looks at her like, ‘Are you crazy?'” Gibney recalled. “When you see somebody lie like that, just lie. Bald-faced lie. You think, wow. It kind of takes your breath away. Because at that moment, he was sitting on the slush fund and knew exactly where the money was coming from. It should tell us all, trust but verify.”