Budish responds to allegation he donated to Dann after scandal broke

In an interview with PolitickerOH.com, state Rep. Armond Budish (D-Beachwood) said he returned a $5,000 contribution to former attorney general Marc Dann after Dann contributed that same amount of money to Budish’s campaign this year.

Budish’s claim comes contrary to another report that said Budish simply donated money to Dann five days after the attorney general admitted an affair with his scheduler.

Secretary of State contributions data corroborates Budish’s story: the Dann for Ohio Committee donated $5,000 to the Friends of Armond Budish Committee on Jan. 30, 2008.

Budish said he wasted no time in expunging Dann’s money from his campaign account.

“I returned his contribution the moment that I knew the facts that had been raised in his circumstance,” Budish said.

Furthermore, Budish said that he joined other Democrats in their reaction to revelations that Dann and his lieutenants were being accused of sexual harassment and abuses of power.

“Along with the governor and others, I clearly felt the actions were inappropriate,” Budish said. “I actually believed they rose to the level of impeachable offenses and therefore I returned his check.”

Budish is currently running for leader of Democrats in the state House against state Rep. Ted Celeste (D-Grandview). 

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