CINCINNATI — They may be co-defendants in a federal corruption trial, and even members of the same political party, but former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder made it clear Thursday that he and former Ohio GOP Chairman Matt Borges were not friends, telling jurors Borges was a “country club Republican" while he was “just a country Republican.”

Both men are charged with racketeering conspiracy and face up to 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors said the two were involved in a complicated pay-to-play scheme that funneled millions of dollars from FirstEnergy Solutions through a dark money group known as Generation Now, in exchange for the passage of HB 6, the legislation that would have bailed out the company’s two struggling nuclear power plants.

Householder told Borges’ legal team upon cross-examination Wednesday that their client was never present at the Generation Now offices when he met with FirstEnergy Solutions executives, nor was he involved in phone calls between the two parties.

Householder’s defense team worked to show he did not try to influence others in an effort to get the legislation passed, nor to fight the referendum efforts to overturn it. For instance, Householder discussed conversations he had with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. He said he merely asked for Yost’s advice regarding the referendum, but never asked nor pressured him to declare it a tax, which would have made it ineligible to be put before voters. Upon cross-examination from prosecutors, Householder contended he wasn’t trying to hide any evidence when they asked why he deleted call logs between him and Yost.

He also testified about Jeff Longstreth. Longstreth is the former GOP strategist and adviser to Householder who testified for the prosecution as part of a plea deal. Householder said he asked Longstreth to foot a large part of a lawsuit settlement, saying he didn't have the cash and was afraid it would hurt his chances to become speaker. He said Longstreth also paid for repairs on a home he owned in Florida where his mother had lived. He said he hadn't yet repaid Longsteth for fear the money would look like a bribe, but still intended to settle up after the trial. 

For their part, prosecutors pointed out inconsistencies in Householder’s testimony. They countered his claims that he spent little time with FirstEnergy executives while in Washington, D.C. in January 2017, even though he flew there on the company’s private jet. They suggested he only reimbursed FirstEnergy for the flight after it was reported by The Dayton Daily News, to which he replied "no," that he always intended to pay the $2,600 bill.

The government's lawyers also brought up the World Series game Householder attended later that year, where Householder said he ran into FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones during a rain delay. They presented a text message in which Householder told Longstreth that he was going to the game to meet with Jones. 

Once prosecutors finished questioning Householder, they brought back FBI agent Blane Wetzel, who was the lead investigator in the case. He discussed photos recovered from Householder’s phone. One photograph showed Householder, then-Murray Energy lobbyist Mike Carey, and FirstEnergy senior VP Mike Dowling and others inside a limo. Metadata from the phone showed the photo was taken across the street from The Charlie Palmer Steakhouse where the group had dinner in January 2017, at a time Householder had said he was back in his hotel room.

Borges did not testify. Closing arguments are scheduled for Tuesday, with jury deliberations expected to begin Wednesday. Both Householder and Borges pleaded not guilty.