COLUMBUS - Clermont County lawmaker John Becker has accused a local Republican party leader of offering him a $50,000 bribe in exchange for his endorsement last year.

Becker wrote in his monthly newsletter that he was "willing to testify under oath and under penalty of perjury regarding my first-hand knowledge of a $50,000 bribe offered by a high-ranking Clermont County Republican Party official in exchange for an endorsement in 2019."

"After a moment of shock and disgust, the person offering the bribe was asked if he was wearing an FBI wire," Becker wrote.

Becker told The Enquirer that he was offered the bribe, didn't take it and reported it to the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee. JLEC executive director Tony Bledsoe said he could not discuss any specifics but would have encouraged any lawmaker to report serious allegations of bribery to law enforcement.

Becker would not say who offered the bribe. He did not report the allegations to law enforcement at the time.

Republican Chris Hicks, who is running for another seat on the Clermont County Commission, has long accused Clermont County GOP Chairman Greg Simpson of offering Becker a $50,000 bribe in exchange for Becker's endorsement.

Hicks brought these concerns to the Ohio State Racing Commission, of which Simpson is a member, in July 2019.

Hicks told The Enquirer that Becker previously described the alleged bribery to him.

In early 2019, Simpson was considering a run for Clermont County Commissioner and wanted Becker's endorsement.

At the time, Becker was running for Ohio Senate. But Senate Republicans appointed Dr. Terry Johnson to the seat, so Becker decided to run for Clermont County commissioner instead. The Clermont County GOP has endorsed Becker's primary opponent Bonnie Batchler.

Simpson ultimately decided not to run for commissioner.

Simpson, when contacted by The Enquirer, said he said he knows nothing about the bribe, then said he had to go and hung up.

The allegations came as a surprise to Sam Pschesang, a Milford resident and member of the Republican Party's executive committee in Clermont County. He wondered why Becker didn't come forward earlier.

"Whether John Becker is upset he wasn’t endorsed by the Republican Party, I would say yeah," Pschesang said. "I think some of this is trying to self-promote himself for his commissioner race."