A report uncovered this weekend by NBC News showed that in 2019, police came to now-Democratic candidate for governor Amy Acton’s home for what’s described as a “domestic dispute”, with no injuries or charges filed. Acton, then the Ohio Department of Health director, is disputing much of the story.
When asked by reporters about the story Monday, Gov. Mike DeWine had some limited comments. He said he wishes Acton had informed him of whatever happened during the incident then.
"First of all, I don't know what happened. I was not there," DeWine said. "The only thing that I have said is that I wish she had reported that to us—just the police coming to a house, whatever the facts are. But I have no idea what the facts are."
DeWine followed up by repeating something he's said before when asked about his former health director, who Republicans have targeted for shutdown orders during the pandemic.
“I’m going to say what I have have always said: Amy Acton, I thought, did a good job as director," DeWine said. "I'm the one who appointed her. The fact is she worked for me, as all the members of the cabinet do. And decisions that were made were made by the governor. So if there is a member of the cabinet who issues an order, that was at my direction."
In January, DeWine endorsed Acton’s likely Republican opponent Vivek Ramaswamy, who’d been endorsed by other party leaders months before.
