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CREW ASKS DOJ FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO ENSIGN SEVERANCE PAYMENT TO FORMER MISTRESS | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
CREW ASKS DOJ FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO ENSIGN SEVERANCE PAYMENT TO FORMER MISTRESS | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
John Ensign 9 Jul 2009 // Washington, D.C. - Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), called on Attorney General Eric Holder to order a criminal investigation into payments made by Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) to his former mistress, Cynthia Hampton, when he fired her from ...
Ensign Still Bringing Dirty Laundry Home To Be Washed
tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com — It looks like John Ensign's sexual dignity -- which hasn't been high lately -- has plunged to new depths. His lawyer has just released a remarkable statement saying that Ensign's parents paid the Hamptons $96,000 after he told them about the affair. ... (more) Ensign Still Bringing Dirty Laundry Home To Be Washed
GOP support for Ensign dwindles as new details of affair emerge
lasvegassun.com — Sen. John Ensign appeared to be losing support among his Republican base Thursday as the lawmaker disclosed that his parents, who made millions in the casino industry, paid the family of his affair partner $96,000 around the time she and her husband ... (more) GOP support for Ensign dwindles as new details of affair ...
Hampton: Religious Buddies Drove Ensign To FedEx To Mail Letter To Cindy
tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com — We're probably not going out on a limb by saying that Doug Hampton's entire televised interview about John Ensign's affair with Hampton's wife Cindy, and the fallout from it, had to have been pretty embarrassing for the Nevada senator, if he's even ... (more) Hampton: Religious Buddies Drove Ensign To FedEx To Mail ...
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Coburn On Hampton Claims: "Ask What's the Motivation Here"
TPMMuckraker — ... Meanwhile, the good-government group Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington (CREW) has called on the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation into Hampton's allegation that Ensign paid Cindy Hampton a severance package of over $25,000 when she left his political committee during the affair. That would be an in-kind contribution to the committee -- a felony violation of campaign-finance law if Ensign was not reimbursed. CREW had ...

Ensign Still Bringing Dirty Laundry Home To Be Washed
TPMMuckraker — ... The statement is a response to Doug Hampton's claim that Ensign paid a severance package of over $25,000 to Cindy Hampton when she left his political committee -- which would be a felony violation of campaign finance law if he wasn't reimbursed. A good government group called today for a criminal probe into the matter. ...

Ensign Votes Yes For a Personal Stimulus From His Parents
Buzz Tok — ... On Wednesday, Doug Hampton who is the husband of the woman that Ensign had the affair with, told a Las Vegas Sun television station that Ensign had paid more than $25,000 to his wife Cindy in severances.  If this is true, it should have been reported as a campaign contribution to Ensign's Political Action Committee since she was an employee of his campaign staff.  A Washington watchdog group - Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), has asked the Justice Department to open an investigation into the alleged $25,000 payment to Cindy Hampton. ...

Sunday Talk - Money Can't Buy You Love
Daily Kos — Severance package for your mistress: $25,000 Hush money for her family (paid by your parents): $96,000 FedEx shipping charges + gas money for your religious buddies: Unknown ... Your recent trip to Iowa: Priceless ...

Hampton Didn't Disclose Payment From Ensign's Parents As Gift
TPMMuckraker — ... as such? The danger for Ensign here, as the Sun makes clear, is that Hampton's failure to disclose the payments could mean they'll be seen as severance paid by Ensign, not as gifts. And if they're severance, then Ensign could have criminally violated campaign-finance law by not having himself reimbursed by the political committee for which Cindy Hampton worked. With calls for investigations by the Senate Ethics committee, the FEC, and even the Justice Department, this could get even more interesting... ...

CREW: DOJ Integrity Unit "Punted" On Ensign Complaint
TPMMuckraker — ... The Justice Department has responded to a formal complaint filed by a good-government group over the John Ensign matter by saying in a ...

Senate Guru: How Has John Ensign Not Resigned in Disgrace Yet?
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com — ... The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington questioned whether the payments from the Ensigns to the Hamptons were really "gifts" or actually severance, as Doug Hampton referred to the money in his interview with Ralston. ...

Senate Guru: Does John Ensign Think David Vitter Should Resign?
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com — ... John Ensign is arguing that President Clinton should have resigned because his marital infidelity broke the law, while Ensign's own infidelity didn't (which is arguable if you follow the $96,000 in hush money that the Ensign family sent to the family of his mistress). ...

Will Ensign Escape Criminal Probe?
TPMMuckraker — ... directed his staff to maintain contact with Doug Hampton -- the former aide whose wife Ensign had an affair with -- after the senator had set Hampton up as a lobbyist. In at least one case, Ensign took action on behalf of Hampton's clients after Hampton had lobbied his office. Those revelations led to calls for a DOJ-led criminal investigation. ...

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wonkette.com 7/11/2009 — It was bad enough for sex person John Ensign when his mistress’ husband (his friend Doug Hampton!) claimed that Ensign paid Cindy Hampton $25,000 in severance when she left his PAC, because this may have been a campaign finance violation of ...
Sen. Coburn to Sen. Ensign: Pay Up!
talkingpointsmemo.com 7/9/2009 — Looks like Sen. John Ensign is in for a rough couple of days. His former staffer and buddy -- the one whose wife Ensign had an affair with -- has done a two-part interview for a local TV show scheduled to run tonight and tomorrow night. The Las Vegas ...
Ensign to stay in Senate, seek reelection
lasvegassun.com 7/14/2009 — Republican Sen. John Ensign said Monday that not only does he have no intention of resigning in light of his affair and his parents’ payout to the woman’s family, he plans to seek reelection when his term is up in 2012.
Ensign Votes Yes For a Personal Stimulus From His Parents
buzztok.com 7/10/2009 — The parents of Nevada Republican Senator John Ensign gave $96,000 to his mistress and her family as a gift. According to a statement from Ensign's attorney, the money was given "out of concern for the well-being of long-time family friends during a difficult time." Gifts under ...
Hampton speaks publicly, says Ensign paid severance
lasvegassun.com 7/8/2009 — J. Patrick Coolican ( contact ) Published Wednesday, July 8, 2009 | 11:05 a.m. Updated 14 minutes ago Doug Hampton spoke publicly for the first time today about the affair his wife had with Sen. John Ensign, saying the Nevada Republican continued his ...
Ensign: The Updated Timeline
tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com 7/10/2009 — We've already published one timeline on the Ensign saga, but we figured that, what with the new revelations of recent days, it was worth compiling an updated one. So without further ado... • Nov 2006: Ensign is easily reelected to the U.S. ...
Doug Hampton Breaks Silence On Wife's Affair With Ensign
tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com 7/8/2009 — Doug Hampton has spoken publicly for the first time about his wife Cindy's affair with Sen. John Ensign. And it's good... The highlights from Hampton's interview with Las Vegas Sun political columnist Jon Ralston: - Hampton said that Ensign paid ...
Ensign admits payment to Hamptons
firstread.msnbc.msn.com 7/9/2009 — From NBC's Mark MurrayEarlier today, we mentioned how the John Ensign story was getting stranger. Now an attorney for the 51-year-old Nevada senator has admitted that his parents paid Cindy Hampton (the campaign staffer he had his ...
Ensign Says He'll Seek Re-Election
tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com 7/14/2009 — Despite admitting to having an affair and having his parents pay off his mistress, Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) yesterday said he plans to stay in office -- and run for re-election in 2012. Ensign told the Las Vegas Sun he's been getting emails and ...
Steele: Sanford, Ensign affairs 'old news, old school'CNN Political Ticker 7/9/2009
Michael Steele called the recent extramarital affairs of Mark Sanford and John Ensign 'old news, old school.' WASHINGTON (CNN) — Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele dismissed recent extramarital affairs by two ...
Coburn: 'I will never reveal' what I told EnsignCNN Political Ticker 7/9/2009
WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sen. Tom Coburn — who confronted fellow Sen. John Ensign in an effort to convince him to end an extramarital affair — denied allegations Thursday he'd suggested Ensign pay off the husband of the woman he was having ...
Michael Jackson resolution isn't needed, Pelosi says (McClatchy Newspapers)Yahoo! News: Politics News 7/9/2009
McClatchy Newspapers - WASHINGTON — Amid the great debates of the day over health care, global warming and economic recovery, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that there will be no pause in the action to honor Michael Jackson.
Statement: Senator's parents 'made gifts' to mistress's familyCNN Political Ticker 7/9/2009
A statement from a lawyer for Sen. John Ensign said that the senator's parents made payments totalling $96,000 to the family of Ensign's former mistress. WASHINGTON (CNN) – The parents of Sen. John Ensign gave a total of $96,000 to ...
Sen. Ensign’s Parents Gave $96,000 to Hampton FamilyWSJ.com: Washington Wire 7/9/2009
Susan Davis reports on Congress. An attorney for Nevada Republican Sen. John Ensign revealed Thursday that the senator’s parents paid $96,000 to a woman the senator admitted he had an extramarital affair with in 2008. The disclosure comes ...