Ohio Senator Jon Husted voted against requiring federal officers at protests to show their agency and identifier, against requiring a governor's consent before National Guard troops patrol a state, and against body cameras for immigration agents. He voted to confirm the Homeland Security secretaries whose agencies claimed authority to monitor protester networks, including U.S. citizens, and searched a congresswoman's home.
Husted also voted to confirm the Justice Department leaders who indicted the President's critics, among them, with a deciding vote, Todd Blanche, and Jeanine Pirro, whose office investigated six Democratic lawmakers over a video. In Ohio, immigration agents' tear gas and pepper spray hit children leaving a shopping center in Columbus, ProPublica found.
Jon Husted's Confirmation Votes and Votes on Federal Agents and Protesters
- Husted Voted to Confirm the Homeland Security Secretaries Whose Agencies Monitored Protesters and Searched a Congresswoman's Home. Husted voted to confirm Kristi Noem in January 2025 and Markwayne Mullin in March 2026 to lead the Department of Homeland Security. ICE leadership claimed authority to use all available tools to monitor and investigate anti-ICE protester networks, including U.S. citizens, Brookings reported. Under Mullin, Homeland Security Investigations agents executed a court-approved search warrant at Omar's home, 22 days before the election, after Mullin said his department was investigating issues surrounding Representative Ilhan Omar.
- Husted Voted to Confirm the Justice Department Leaders Who Prosecuted Trump's Critics. Husted voted to confirm Pam Bondi as attorney general on February 4, 2025, and Todd Blanche as deputy attorney general on March 5, 2025 and as attorney general on August 8, 2026, when the 50-49 vote needed his yes. Under them the department indicted James Comey and Letitia James, and a judge dismissed both cases because the prosecutor had been unlawfully appointed. Protect Democracy found that "Most of those cases have failed".
- Husted Voted to Confirm the Prosecutor Who Investigated Six Democratic Lawmakers Over a Video. On August 2, 2025, Husted voted to confirm Jeanine Pirro as U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C. Her office investigated Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin and five other Democratic lawmakers over a video telling troops they may refuse unlawful orders, and after a grand jury on Tuesday declined to indict Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin in February 2026, Pirro dropped the investigation.
- Husted Voted Against Barring Federal Officers at Protests From Hiding Their Identities in October 2025. On October 9, 2025, Husted voted no on Senator Jeff Merkley's amendment requiring federal officers doing crowd control to show their agency and identifier and providing that they may not tape over or otherwise obscure or conceal the identifying information. It failed 47-50. In an arrest a federal judge later ruled unlawful in Iowa, "No identification was made" by the ICE agents, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported.
- Husted Voted Against Requiring a Governor's Consent Before Guard Troops Patrol a State in October 2025. On October 9, 2025, Husted voted against Senator Chris Van Hollen's amendment requiring the consent of the chief executive officer of a state for certain full-time National Guard duty there, and against Senator Tammy Duckworth's amendment limiting support by the armed forces to civilian law enforcement without notice to Congress. Both failed. National Guard troops have patrolled Washington, D.C. since August 2025, at a peak of about 5,000, the Associated Press reported.
- Husted Voted Against Body Cameras for Immigration Agents in June 2026. On June 5, 2026, Husted voted no on an amendment to buy body-worn cameras for immigration officers and make the footage available to the people filmed. It failed 46-53. Alex Pretti was fatally shot while filming an immigration operation in Minneapolis in January 2026.
What the Agencies Under Officials Jon Husted Confirmed Did in Ohio
- Children hit by chemicals. ProPublica identified 79 children harmed by tear gas or pepper spray used by immigration agents, including children leaving a shopping center in Columbus, Ohio, under the Homeland Security leadership Husted confirmed.
- Voter-registration group searched. FBI agents have searched the office of an Ohio group that supports voter registration efforts, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative in Cleveland, seizing documents and computer files on June 11, 2026, the Associated Press reported.
Frequently Asked Questions About Jon Husted on Civil liberties
What is Jon Husted's record on civil liberties under Trump?
Jon Husted voted against identification requirements, body cameras and a governor's-consent rule for federal forces, and voted to confirm the Homeland Security and Justice Department leaders who monitored protesters, searched a congresswoman's home and indicted the President's critics in cases that mostly failed. In Ohio, children in Columbus were among those hit by tear gas or pepper spray from immigration agents.
Did Jon Husted vote to require federal agents to show identification?
No. Jon Husted voted on October 9, 2025 against Senator Merkley's amendment requiring federal officers doing crowd control to display their agency and an identifier, which failed 47-50. The amendment would also have barred officers from taping over or concealing that information.
How did Jon Husted vote on limits to National Guard deployments in states?
Jon Husted voted against requiring a governor's consent before certain full-time National Guard duty in a state, which failed 47-50, and against limiting military support to civilian law enforcement without notice to Congress, which failed 46-52. Both votes came on October 9, 2025, two months after Guard troops began patrolling Washington.
Last updated: 2026-10-25