SALT LAKE CITY -- House Speaker Greg Hughes has been subpoenaed to testify in the ongoing corruption trial of former Utah Attorney General John Swallow, his attorney confirmed to FOX 13.
"He has been subpoenaed, but whether or not he actually gets called or not remains to be seen," Brett Parkinson, Hughes' attorney, said Saturday.
Hughes, R-Draper, was subpoenaed by Swallow's defense attorneys. He is expected to refute testimony by Marc Jenson who claimed to have seen him at the posh Pelican Hill resort with former Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and Swallow for a "secret meeting" to discuss a deal involving the Utah Transit Authority. Jenson has also claimed Nevada Sen. Harry Reid was there, too.
Hughes has repeatedly insisted he was never there and said he has bank statements and social media posts to prove it. In previous interviews with FOX 13, the House Speaker has demanded that Jenson be charged with perjury.
House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, in an interview with FOX 13's Ben Winslow on Feb. 7. (Image by Pete Deluca III, FOX 13 News)
Jenson, a key witness in the trial, has testified that he paid for trips for Shurtleff, Swallow and others to the California resort as he faced a fraud investigation by the Utah Attorney General's Office. Jenson told the jury he made payments to Shurtleff through an intermediary which he believed was his restitution in the case -- only to be thrown in prison for nonpayment.
It is unknown if the defense will actually call Hughes to the stand, but it will pull him from the Utah State Legislature, which is in session. The House Speaker's testimony may also add more political drama to the high-profile trial that has Capitol Hill insiders watching to see what happens next.
John Swallow talks to his defense attorney Cara Tangaro, left, before the start of the fourth day of Swallow's public corruption trial at the Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 10, 2017. (Courtroom pool image)
Last week, campaign workers and lobbyists who worked on Swallow's election bid for Utah Attorney General were called to testify. Another of the prosecution's key witnesses -- Jeremy Johnson -- has refused to testify and been found in contempt.
Swallow is facing 13 charges accusing him of a pay to play scheme in the Utah Attorney General's Office. He resigned about a year into office in the face of mounting investigations.
