Related: Ex-Dayton commissioner, ex-state lawmaker arrested; feds say more indictments coming
Speaking with the Dayton Daily News on Wednesday, the governor said, however, that public corruption’s price tag is a loss of confidence in government and in elected officials by the public.
“In our system of government, we depend upon there being a trust and that trust is broken whenever you see someone who is involved in public corruption,” he said.
Related: Dayton Corruption Probe: Read the indictments here
He noted that in his eight year run as Ohio attorney general, his staff prosecuted dozens of public corruption cases.
“There is tens of thousands of public officials out there and a small number of them are involved in corruption. But when they are involved in corruption, it’s very important for us to go after them and carve that cancer out and deal with it,” DeWine said.
Related: DeWine calls for reform of Ohio Parole Board after DDN story
The four indictments made public Tuesday involve four African-American men, each of whom have entered not guilty pleas in federal court. When asked if there are issues of fairness or race, the governor said that investigators follow the facts and evidence.
“I don’t have any evidence that anybody is being targeted because of their race,” he said.
About the Author