The public corruption trial of former Ohio Speaker of the House Larry Householder, continued in Columbus yesterday, with Householder taking the stand in his own defense.

Householder is accused of taking a $61 million dollar bribe in exchange for passing legislation that gave a $1 billion dollar bailout to FirstEnergy.

During his testimony, Householder continually spoke about how much money he needed to raise to run his political campaign. And legal experts believe Householder's defense is trying to emphasize the narrative that he accepted money only for political reasons, and not as a bribe.

While some were surprised that Householder chose to take the stand, Case Western Reserve University criminal law professor Michael Benza tells News 5 that he believes Householder needed to take the stand saying "If he doesn't testify, the jury is left with the very logical road map that the government has set out showing the money and showing its impact — equaling this was corruption.”