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The Early Word: Split Decisions on Health Care Plans
The Caucus —
... Mr. Ensign’s indiscretions were thrust back into the spotlight. (The Las Vegas Sun posts in-depth interviews with Doug Hampton, the husband of Mr. Ensign’s former lover and himself a former aide to the senator.) Mr. Ensign said, after the latest details were revealed, that he had no intention of resigning. As for Governor Sanford, The Washington Post ...
Pressure Grows on Ensign
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire —
Senate leaders generally refused comment on Sen. John Ensign's (R-NV) admission that he paid nearly $100,000 to the family of his mistress but the Las Vegas Sun says GOP support for the embattled senator was dwindling.
One Nevada GOP consultant told Roll Call that the math on the figures released "does not appear to add up and expressed concern that there were additional, still-undisclosed payments. "
Said the consultant: "Watching the money trail is going to be important... The sense is it's still not over."
As for whether Ensign will be forced to resign, "the key players to watch in Nevada Republican circles will be Gov. Jim Gibbons, Lt. ...
Hampton: Religious Buddies Drove Ensign To FedEx To Mail Letter To Cindy
TPMMuckraker —
... 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 been able to bring himself to watch it. ...
More Ensign: Maddow Talks To Hampton Interviewer, And Expert On Christian Fellowship Group
TPMMuckraker —
Last night, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow had two important interviews on the John Ensign story that are worth checking out.
The first was with Jon Ralston, who himself interviewed Doug Hampton over the last few days. The second interview, perhaps even more interesting, was with Jeff Sharlet, whose 2008 book on The Family -- the secretive Christian fellowship group that looks to have helped Ensign cover up the affair -- we've cited several times in recent weeks. Among other things, Sharlet describes for Maddow how the group operates as a kind of closed ...
Did Santorum Tip Off Ensign?
TPMMuckraker —
A great nugget we missed from the portion of Doug Hampton's interview that aired last night...
Ever since the appearance last month of the famous letter Hampton wrote to Fox News -- asking for the network's assistance in exposing John Ensign's "relentless pursuit" of Hampton's wife Cindy -- there has been intense speculation that someone at Fox tipped off Ensign to the fact that Hampton was preparing to go public, prompting the Nevada senator to pre-emptively admit to the affair. And in the interview with Jon Ralston which aired last night, Hampton ...
John Ensign Scandal Escalates: "It's Not Good"
The Huffington Post | Full News Feed —
... is Doug. And you all need to go do the investigation now on that side of it and quit asking us and ask what's the motivation here."
-- And Coburn, naturally blamed the media for all of this: "You've got two families that are back together and you guys are going to help tear them apart. What do you think their kids are thinking about what you're writing right now? You're helping tear apart two families that are back together -- you need to quit."
-- But now, Republicans are starting to sour on Ensign, big time:
Republican Sen. John ...
Friday's Mini-Report
Political Animal —
... on Robert Groves' nomination to head the Census Bureau? * And finally, Sen. John Cornyn (R) of Texas was asked for a reaction to John Ensign's sex scandal. " It's not good ," Cornyn said, winning the Understatement of the Day Award. Asked if Ensign can recover, Cornyn added, "I just don't know the answer to that." Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.— ...
The Ensign Affair: Why is Hampton Embarrassing “the Family”?
Firedoglake —
... : Doug Hampton's efforts to get "the Family" to get John Ensign to stop sleeping with Hampton's wife (see Hampton's full interview here). ...
Senate Guru: How Has John Ensign Not Resigned in Disgrace Yet?
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com —
... There are, of course, several problems with this. First is the optics that this $96,000 (which came in eight $12,000 increments) is very clearly hush money, not a gift. Second is the fact that portions of this money has been described previously not as a gift but as severance payments, which opens up a major legal can of worms for Ensign: ...
