Senator’s Aid After Affair Raises Flags Over Ethics

NY Slimes ^ | October 2, 2009 | By ERIC LICHTBLAU and ERIC LIPTON

[cc2k]

WASHINGTON — Early last year, Senator John Ensign contacted a small circle of political and corporate supporters back home in Nevada — a casino designer, an airline executive, the head of a utility and several political consultants — seeking work for a close friend and top Washington aide, Douglas Hampton.

<snip>

While the affair made national news in June, the role that Mr. Ensign played in assisting Mr. Hampton and helping his clients has not been previously disclosed. Several experts say those activities may have violated an ethics law that bars senior aides from lobbying the Senate for a year after leaving their posts.

In acknowledging the affair, Mr. Ensign cast it as a personal transgression, not a professional one. But an examination of his conduct shows that in trying to clean up the mess from the illicit relationship and distance himself from the Hamptons, he entangled political supporters, staff members and Senate colleagues, some of whom say they now feel he betrayed them.

[cc2k]

Rachel Maddow was gloating over this a bunch tonight.

Note to mods, This appeared on Page A1 today, the front page. Hence the "FrontPage" topic

[nickcarraway]

I can’t dispute Maddow’s gloating. The GOP needs to get this guy to resign ASAP.

[FlingWingFlyer]

The same Aholes bashing Ensign are praising Polanski and Letterman. I’m never going to get used to this commie hopey changey thing.

[ABQHispConservative]

I wonder if this is the intent of these stories. Yeah the guy did something stupid, but I find it very odd that this is coming up just as healthcare is being debated in the Senate.

Calls for resignation seem to play into the hands of the rats, and don’t forget that the rino governor of Nevada seems to be in Reid’s camp (his wife is one of those rinos for Reid).

[nickcarraway]

Well, as soon as this came out I thought Ensign should resign. Same with Sanford. I remember FR from 10 years ago, and why should we think any differently about Ensign and Sanford today?

I can hardly blame the media for calling the GOP hypocritical on this.

[ABQHispConservative]

First of all, I could care less about what the media thinks. Most of them are the media arm of the rat party.

Second of all, I agree with you. They should have resigned. But right now we are engaged in a battle to stop socialism from taking healthcare. For now, we need all hands on deck to fight the rats, libs, socialists and communists from destroying our way of life. But lets not let the rats dictate who our candidates should be.

[cc2k]

I tried to link the print version. But it doesn't look like that worked out. I recommend clicking the print link to get to the full article with no advertisements. It's long. And it goes into a lot of details.

The affair was bad enough. But this is a bunch of stuff after the affair, when Ensign was trying to “clean up the mess,” and find jobs for these people. Seems like he asked his Republican friends to help clean up the mess. He was trying to find another job for the husband, and got him a position with a lobbyist or fundraiser or something. So, in addition to the affair, you now have the appearance of corruption and influence peddling.

Tom Coburn’s name comes up in this, and other lawmakers might be involved as well. This isn’t good for the GOP at all. There might not be anything beyond Ensign, but the Dems could spend a lot of time chasing down the entanglements he created.

With Ensign being from Nevada, I wonder if this is going to have any effect on Reid’s race next year.

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From the desk of cc2k:

Legislative Proposal: Federalism tax credit Term Limits from the Grass Roots The Two Million Frog March (Why 9-12-2009 spells trouble for Republicans and Democrats alike)

[grey_whiskers]

Simply a lame attempt to distract from Letterman and Polanski.

Why was this suddenly emphasized TONIGHT?

Gives the whole game away.

Cheers!

[NRA2BFree]

What is it with politicians in the GOP? It’s always some kind of sex encounter with them. This guy needs to be booted out of the party, immediately!

[montag813]

With “Christian Conservatives” like John Ensign, who need gay activists? That is why Maddow focuses on this guy repeatedly. He just makes her case for gay marriage via the hyocrisy angle.

[JerseyDvl]

Yawn. A Dem Presidential candidate fathered a child during an illicit affair after which he illegally paid her off. As if the crimes aren’t enough, the guy did so with a terminally cancer stricken wife. Until the double standard ends I don’t give a damn about any of the faux outrage in the media and Maddow can go suck a strap-on.

[FreeStateYank]

And yet, all the tax cheats, such as Rangel are sitting pretty.

[Alissa]

I doubt she said a peep, when Clinton got his buddies at Revlon to get a job for Monica. For this to be on the front page is pure hypocrisy on the part of the media.

[Non-Sequitur]

And yet Charlie Rangel and John Conyers can steal what they damn well please.