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Ensign: I'll Cooperate With Ethics Probe Into Help For Mistress's Husband

Zachary Roth | October 5, 2009, 11:18AM

Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)

Barbara Boxer, Doug Hampton, John Ensign, Lobbyists, Senate Ethics Committee, Sex

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Disgraced Nevada senator John Ensign won't fight the ethics investigation into his dealings with a former staffer, in the aftermath of an affair between Ensign and the staffer's wife.

"Sen. Ensign will cooperate with any official inquiry," a spokeswoman for the senator told TPMmuckraker via email.

The existence of the Senate Ethics committee probe was revealed yesterday by Sen. Barbara Boxer, who chairs the committee. Appearing on CNN, Boxer said there's a "preliminary investigation going on, and added" "We will look at all aspects of this case as we do whenever there's a case before us and try to get to the bottom of it as quickly as we can in fairness to all."

The New York Times reported last week that, after his affair with Cindy Hampton was discovered, Ensign, a Republican, actively set up her husband Doug, a former aide, as a Nevada-based lobbyist, and helped him sign up clients. Doug Hampton then contacted Ensign's office on behalf of several of his clients, after which Ensign took action benefiting those clients. According to Hampton, both he and Ensign were aware that these contacts could well violate laws against lobbying one's former boss, but persisted nonetheless.

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13 comments

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Cay

October 5, 2009 11:39 AM

I hope we're not giving kudos to this guy for cooperating.

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soupson52

October 5, 2009 12:21 PM in reply to Cay

Or appears to cooperate.

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Doctor Divine

October 5, 2009 1:16 PM in reply to Cay

HA HA HA HA

John Ensign, 'arguing' for anything good, decent and
pure (which would assist 'everyday people') ??? PULEEEZE !
As a Physician with his own Clinic in Las Vegas

I'M likely in a better position to know what John
Ensign is capable of (and is NOT) than those who aren't
his constituents (a dubious honor, TRUST ME).

The man has lived off of his casino mogul father his
entire life. He ran years back against Harry Reid
and was DEMOLISHED. John is an empty suit / hair cut
with

ZERO heart, compassion or feeling for anyone other
than his own (i.e. "C" Street House) sad, phony
clique of men, the guys who have in common = being
left behind in the department of intellect as well as
below the waist.

Ensign will NOT win another election in NV; years back,
Linda Ronstadt had an unpleasant experience at the
(then) ALADDIN hotel/casino (Taken over by Planet
Hollywood) due to criticizing "the shrub" on stage.

AT that time, many on political sites jumped to the
conclusion that there are "too many Repubs in Vegas".

If ever that was true, it surely is NOT now. Nevada
went for Obama, re-elected Shelley Berkley, newly
elected (one of the brightest women on the planet, do
not let her 'accent' fool you, LOL) Dina Titus. Las Vegan
are DEMOCRATIC to the core.

I DO encourage everyone to write Ensign (or as we call him
here, John INSANE) at his dot gov address, and SLAM his
ignorant behind about hypocrisy, infidelity, misappropriating
government funds to pay a Mistress and her offspring, and
in general, being a DUMB A*S that you wouldn't want to trust
with your ANIMALS (yes, John is a veterinarian ... funny,
since he behaves like the hind quarters of a horse).

Take care and be well, everyone on TPM ~ Doctor Alex in
the (Thank Heaven, finally) 70 degree Neon Desert of LV

cc: 2

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Msinformed

October 5, 2009 11:41 AM

What I have been wondering about is why didn't Ensign's parents give a "gift" to the third Hampton child? Was it the teenager that was left out? Curiouser and curiouser....

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Walter Mitty

October 5, 2009 11:49 AM

I think Ensign knows he's finished, but is going to try and stretch this out so his eventual replacement won't have to run in the 2010 election cycle.

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PQuincy

October 5, 2009 12:04 PM

Remember, Ensign is not only a Washington politician, but a Republican one at that. It is therefore wise to check with a translator before reporting what he said.

In Washingtonese Republican: "cooperate, v.i.": Signifies an intent to deploy every conceivable, and some inconceivable obstacle to providing information.

In Washingtonese Republican: "N. N. will..." commonly used phrase: The lawyers of N.N. will ensure that the named individual makes no statements on the record, refuses to release any information, while also appearing regularly on Fox News to decry the witch-hunt against their client.

In Washingtonese Republican: "official inquiry," n.: Questions coming from Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, and similar sources. No action on the part of socialists born in Kenya, or on the part of extremist conspirators against the American people (s.v.: Democrat Party) could ever constitute an 'official inquiry.'

Once translated, Senator Ensign's statement is perfectly clear to the lay reader from outside Washington!

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Shrubbit

October 5, 2009 12:12 PM

The amazing thing is that he stuck around long enough to participate on the SFC's HCR Death Panel. The fact that THAT GUY had a vote on the main health reform bill for all of America is DISGUSTING and scary.

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GTFOOH

October 5, 2009 12:30 PM

Wonder if he got those directions from C Street!

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Jeopardude

October 5, 2009 12:37 PM

Have you checked out this article?

Coburn, R-Muskogee, told The Oklahoman and other media outlets in July that he had not been involved in any negotiations between Hampton and Ensign regarding restitution payments.

Coburn reiterated that point Friday, saying he had not been negotiating but had only been communicating to Ensign what the attorney said.

"I never negotiated anything,” Coburn said in an interview Friday. "I didn’t play even a mediator. All I played was communicator.”

Gotta love the semantic slipperiness of the good doctor. The middleman was just relaying messages, but since he was just "communicating" he really wasn't involved in the negotiations. I hope the deserved ridicule for this weaseliness comes raining down.

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714Day

October 5, 2009 1:02 PM

How edifying that a bent politician may co-operate with an investigation into his shenanigans! Ensign is a hero because he announces that he intends to do what anybody ought to do? What a phenomenal putz.

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DaddyD

October 5, 2009 1:58 PM

Cooperate. Like Sara Palin promised to do? Seen that movie before.

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Leftflank

October 5, 2009 6:09 PM

I don't believe he knows what an ethics probe actually is & may be a little confused. They said "probe", he said "let's do it". It's not like he had to pay for the last round of probing. He probes, trust fund pays then he cooperates again & so on & so on.

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