The former Ohio House spokesman said he left the Republican Party against Donald Trump

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Cliff Rosenberger, a former Ohio House spokesman who abruptly resigned in 2018 amid an FBI investigation that did not lead to any charges, said Monday he left the Republican Party because of his concerns to GOPs that continue to align with former President Donald Magkatakata.

I’m a conservative, and I’m going to be conservative, Rosenberger said in an interview Monday. But if the Republican Party continues, as they seem to be, going down the path of supporting a man like Donald Trump, I have nothing to do with that. So at this time, I will consider myself an independent.

Cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer contacted Rosenberger after a reader noticed that the state’s voter record listed him as a Democrat. Public records show Rosenberger pulled a Democratic ballot in the May 2020 primary, and Rosenberger said he did it to vote for Joe Biden.

Rosenberger said he might consider voting for a Republican supporter of Trump if there is a legitimate one. He said he ended up voting for Biden, whom he met while working as a White House intern in the former George W. Bushs administration.

I decided to put out a primary Democrat ballot. I will support the man who I think is more aligned with me and who will put the country in a better position, Rosenberger said. I have no doubt about it.

He said he thought Biden was at least attempting to govern in a bipartisan way, as he has in the currently proposed infrastructure bill assisted by Ohio Sen. Rob Portman to negotiate. Rosenberger said he has also heard from other Republicans who have privately responded sympathetically to his posts criticizing Trump on social media.

I can’t tell you how many people have told me Cliff, I believe in the same thing you do, but I have to support the party, Rosenberger said. But I don’t flow that way.

Rosenberger was one of the states most powerful Republicans when he resigned in April 2018 after it became clear the FBI was investigating his travel and spending habits. The FBI raided his home the following month, and a subpoena in the Rosenbergers government office clarified that the feeds were investigating his dealings with lobbyists for the payday lending industry.

But the investigation so far has not led to any charges. The FBI has since filed a lawsuit against one of the Rosenbergers’ successors, Larry Householder, who accused him of accepting bribes in exchange for help pass a bailout bill. The landlord, a Republican, pleaded not guilty. The FBI is also investigating pay-to-play allegations at the Statehouse involving ECOT, the obsolete online charter school, and a proposed bill to legalize sports betting, either of which has not yet directly led on any charge.

Rosenberger declined to comment on the investigation that drove him from office. Rosenbergers’ attorney, David Axelrod, said he last spoke with federal officials about the case about three months ago.

I asked the U.S. Attorneys Office to close the case, and they refused. He had the Sword of Damocles in his head for three years, and it was time for it to end, Axelrod said.

Rosenberger has maintained a low profile since leaving office, although through social media his extensive travels around the world have been recorded in places such as Antarctica and Brazil. She said Monday she enjoys being out of public life, and said she does health care -related consulting work.

He also has no plans to return to politics at any time.

An innocent person has nothing to fear. I’m just going about the fun of spending time with my family and finding new hobbies, he said.

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