Department of Justice could take Sen. John Ensign case

Politico ^ | 10/14/09 | JOHN BRESNAHAN & MANU RAJU

[OldDeckHand]

Sen. John Ensign has admitted to having an affair with a staffer, admitted that he helped find a job for the staffer’s husband and admitted that his parents paid the staffer’s family nearly $100,000.

But the worst may still be to come.

The Justice Department is expected to decide within weeks whether to pursue a criminal probe into the relationship between Ensign (R-Nev.) and the staffer’s husband, and two prominent Washington defense attorneys say prosecutors are likely to find Ensign’s case irresistible.

“I don’t see how they cannot look at this case,” Stan Brand, a Washington attorney who specializes in ethics laws, said of the Justice Department. “From the department’s standpoint, you have a motive, a huge motive — and that is to take care of this personal problem he had. From their perspective, they have this entire scheme cooked up to buy the silence of somebody who could damage [Ensign] personally and politically. That’s not a case without jury appeal.”

Another D.C. defense lawyer — a former Justice Department prosecutor who spoke on the condition that he not be identified by name — said prosecutors would likely consider whether Ensign “aided and abetted” Doug Hampton, the husband of the woman with whom he had an affair, in violating the one-year ban on lobbying by former staffers or in failing to register as a lobbyist.

“This may be a hard one for them to take a p

[OldDeckHand]

Isn't it funny that the DOJ finds this case irresistible, but doesn't find anything interesting in the saga of Charlie Rangle and his alleged tax evasion, property fraud and possible perjury surrounding ?

[BAW]

but doesn't find anything interesting in the saga of Charlie Rangle and his alleged tax evasion,

Silly us . . justice for all? Not under Obama.

[marstegreg]

Two words.....Black Panthers.

I’m still waiting on that one!

[GoCards]

I know, can someone explain what the hell is going on. Ensign and no Rangel???? Where are the Republicans, where are they? God I am sick of all of this.

[SJSAMPLE]

Not to mention members of the New Black Panther Party videotaped in an act of voter intimidation.

[MissesBush]

It’s all about the Dems hoping to grab up another Senate seat. Not only Rangel that you mentioned, but the Senate Ethics Committee giving a pass to Chris Dodd and Kent Conrad’s sweetheart deals with Countrywide...these are far more disturbing violations of ethics and law than anything Ensign is accused of. But of course Dodd and Conrad have seats that aren’t entirely safe so they need to be protected. Our country is under the grip of a massive tyranny coming from one party rule. God help us.

[EricT.]

If this is true, then Senator Ensign is a scumbag.

And so is Rangle.

[kenmcg]

Of course!! Bam’s Justice Dept? will go after a Pubbie Senator. But they’ll look the other way when it comes to Rangel, Dodd and the rest of crooked RATS in the Congress.Not to mention the tax evaders who are close to the Bam man.

[rushmom]

You know that it is a fact of life that there is a double standard. Republicans must be as Caesar’s wife or face ruination. That being the case, it would be helpful if Republicans would not misbehave; or if they can’t control themselves, stay out of politics. Meanwhile democrats will continue to have a free ride.

[mynameisjohngalt]

From what the situation appears, he is a scumbag. Is Rangel? Of course. The Dems having Rangel should not lead to the support of our own loser. There are good solid conservatives out there who don’t have the baggage. Let’s give one a chance.

[mgstarr]

The DOJ is a political prosecution department. Always has been.

The "justice" in it's name is a misnomer.

[Cicero]

Yes, there’s a double standard. Only Republicans get investigated.

But Ensign was a jerk. What was he thinking of? He knows the rules, written and unwritten. If he wanted to mess around with other people’s wives in return for giving them jobs, he should have been a Democrat.

[Dahoser]

That being the case, it would be helpful if Republicans would not misbehave; or if they can’t control themselves, stay out of politics.

It would really be helpful if Republican so-called elites would stop going after Sarah Palin and instead go go after the RATS every time they pull this garbage.

[Spok]

Ensign is a Republican. His prosecution, and his persecution, will be continuous, rigorous, and matched only by the amount of coverage it gets in the MSM.

[Condor51]

Noooooo problem.

All Sen Ensign has to do is hold a press conference and announce that in going through an extensive genealogical search he's found that he's .0056% Black, .0054% Hispanic, and .003457% Native American, and that one great-grandfather was a card carrying Communist.

Not only will Eric Holder drop any investigation, the DoJ will throw a party for him. Barry may even make him a Czar.