Ohio Senator Jon Husted hit with ethics complaint after senior staffer worked with lobbying firm

U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, (R-OH) and one of his senior advisors are facing a federal ethics complaint after a financial disclosure revealed the aide pulled double duty last year — pocketing more than $22,000 from a Columbus lobbying firm while working inside the senator’s office.

According to a report from NOTUS, Husted’s senior advisor, Sean Dunn, has worked in the senator’s office since February 2025. In an annual financial disclosure report submitted to the Senate on May 14, Dunn disclosed that he received $22,652 in 2025 from Statehouse Impact Group LLC, a Columbus, Ohio-based lobbying and government affairs firm.

“We draw on our savvy to recognize when a government issue can quickly become a public relations threat,” the group’s website says. “We know when to operate behind the scenes and when to capture the limelight, depending on what is needed.”

On May 29, Ohio attorney Anne Griffin filed a complaint against Husted and Dunn, which was obtained and published by NOTUS. The complaint asks the Senate Select Committee on Ethics to investigate the senator’s office for potentially violating Senate Rule 37. The rule prohibits lawmakers and their staff from pulling outside income from firms that involve a fiduciary duty or lobbying, as it presents a conflict of interest with their public service duties.

“Our office holds our team to the highest ethical standards. Mr. Dunn retired as a longtime, respected statehouse advocate prior to joining the Senate staff, all of which has been publicly reported to the Senate Ethics Committee, and he has remained in regular, open communication with the Committee,” Husted’s spokesperson Olivia Tripodi told Heartland Signal. “Mr. Dunn has been in regular contact with the Ethics Committee to ensure he has reported everything to their satisfaction. As recently as last week, he was told there wasn’t anything additional needed on his part. Our team is grateful for his willingness to capstone his career in public service.”

Husted’s office did not elaborate on the nature of Dunn’s work with Statehouse Impact Group or if it intersected with his duties as a public servant.

NOTUS also spoke with Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, the interim vice president of policy and government affairs at the Project on Government Oversight, a nonpartisan watchdog group.

“If you’re an Ohio lawmaker, an Ohio state legislator, and you are talking to a number of lobbyists, and one of them happens to also work for the former lieutenant governor-slash-current senator, that’s going to add a bunch of additional juice and leverage whatever you’re advocating for,” Hedtler-Gaudette said. “It’s not the kind of practice I would want to see happening on a regular basis.”

In January 2025, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) appointed Husted to fill now Vice President JD Vance’s U.S. Senate seat after Husted served in various roles in the state government since 2001. Recent reporting has revealed Husted’s potential involvement in the First Energy scandal, Ohio’s largest public corruption scandal. In March, Husted testified in a trial where two former First Energy executives faced bribery and corruption charges.

In November, Husted will face former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) in a special election to determine who will finish the final two years of Vance’s Senate term. Husted trailed Brown by eight percentage points in a recent poll conducted by Fox News. Brown reposted NOTUS’s article on X, along with a statement criticizing Husted.

Jon Husted's top advisor in the Senate is an active corporate lobbyist.

It couldn't be more clear: Instead of fighting to make life more affordable for Ohioans, Husted's team is literally working for the corporations that are screwing you over.https://t.co/qkriBZmAQx

— Sherrod Brown (@SherrodBrown) June 11, 2026

In January, NOTUS published an investigation that found the Senate Ethics Committee has failed to issue a single disciplinary action in more than 2,000 complaints it has considered since 2007.