Politico saying that Ensign was threatened with Blackmail,

[Perky]

Nevada Republican Sen. John Ensign said Tuesday evening he is “truly sorry” about an affair he had last year with a campaign staffer, going public with an embarrassing admission about his marital infidelity.


The news certainly damages any hope Ensign has of running for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012 – he had fueled speculation about a presidential run with a recent visit to Iowa — and it may also hinder what has been a steady rise in Senate GOP leadership.


Political insiders in the Senate and in Nevada told POLITICO that Ensign began an affair with a staffer several months after he separated from his wife. When Ensign reconciled with his wife, the sources said, he gave the aide a severance package and parted ways.


Sometime later, a Nevada source said, Ensign met with the husband of the woman involved and had what this source described as a positive encounter. Sources said that the man subsequently asked Ensign for a substantial sum of money – at which point Ensign decided to make the affair public. In his Las Vegas press conference, Ensign declined to give specifics about the woman involved but did say she and “her husband were close friends and both of them worked for me.”


At the Tuesday press conference, a contrite Ensign admitted his affair, said his wife sought counseling after the episode, but added that he and his wife have reconciled. Ensign took no questions.


In the statement, the senator said: "I deeply regret and am very sorry for my actions." He added that he remained committed to his Senate duties.


“Last year I had an affair. I violated the vows of my marriage. It is the worst thing I have ever done in my life,” Ensign said. “If there was ever anything in my life that I could take back, this would be it. I take full responsibility for my actions.”


Ensign informed fellow Nevadan Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, about his situation earlier today.

"I don't know the details. I talked with him today,” Reid told POLITICO. “Of course, he's my friend. This is a private, family matter. I just hope that Darlene and he work things out."


Reid said he didn’t offer any advice on how to handle the situation. "I didn't give him any advice. I just told him he's my friend. I'm pulling for him. Anything I can do to help, let me know.”





Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/23813.html#ixzz0Idn6rDhp&C

[Ian David]

1. "Ensign met with the husband of the woman involved and had... a positive encounter."

Did they have dinner at T.G.I. Friday first?

[Hieronymus]

14. Still positive although the husband asked for money? I see.

[Ian David]

2. "I violated the vows of my marriage. It is the worst thing I have ever done in my life,”

No.

No, it's not.

He's a Republican.

He does much worse every single fucking day.

[Adelante]

3. I don't see this as anything

Unless I'm missing something, of course. But he was separated and had an affair, right? By 2012, if that's all there is, this will be forgotten.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

4. That's his hope, obviously.

[Adelante]

6. Yeah, get it out early and behind you

It can work.

[CitizenPatriot]

8. "He has no credibility left," he added.

Ensign on Clinton's affair.

WOnder if he'll apologize for that?

I agree with you-- he might be able to put this behind him, but it irks me that he was so arrogant and part of the witch hunt against Clinton years ago.

[Cha]

10. Hypocricy should come back

to bite this first class hypocrite in the ass.

[CitizenPatriot]

11. YES!!!!!

he's against gay marriage rights because...it dishonors his marriage or some shit (gag). I'm all for hoisting him on his own petard.

[Cha]

13. ensign has dishonored his wife..he better

keep his nose in his own affairs from now on.

[CitizenPatriot]

15. snap! all Republicans should STFU about marriage. clearly not their forte. nt

[Adelante]

18. This is looking a lot better this morning

In addition to serving as Ensign’s campaign and Battle Born PAC treasurer, Cynthia Hampton was Chris Ward the embezzler’s assistant treasurer at the NRCC. Chris Ward, treasurer of the RNCC, had been treasurer of Ensign's Battle Born PAC.

But current and former aides to the Nevada Republican say the woman was 46-year-old Cynthia Hampton, a campaign staffer whose husband was a top aide in Ensign’s Senate office.

“It was known in inner circle that they were involved,” a former aide told POLITICO.

Hampton served as the treasurer for Ensign’s reelection campaign and for his leadership fund, Battle Born PAC. According to people familiar with the matter, Ensign’s affair with Hampton took place between December 2007 and August 2008. FEC records show that she ended her affiliation with the two committees in early 2008.

Hampton is married to Douglas Hampton, who, according to Senate records, served as Ensign’s administrative assistant in his personal office from November 2006 to May 2008 — around the same time Cynthia Hampton left Ensign’s committees.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090616/pl_politico/23813

Sen. John Ensign had to correct a campaign finance report after auditors turned up several lapses that are being blamed on Christopher Ward, his former treasurer who is at the center of a Republican embezzlement scandal.

Like a number of other Republicans, Ensign hurriedly commissioned an audit of his Battle Born Political Action Committee earlier this year when Ward emerged as a suspect in an accounting fraud involving the National Republican Congressional Committee, one of the party’s chief fundraising arms.

Besides working for the committee, Ward also handled the books for Ensign’s PAC and more than 80 GOP campaign organizations in recent years.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2008/03/nrcc_suspects_several_hundred.html

http://www.lvrj.com/news/19968144.html


A nice financial scandal tie-in, as the cherry on top. :)

[CitizenPatriot]

19. you can't make this stuff up!

how delish! "battle porn! embezzlement by the GOHP" you say?

Grand Old Hypocrisy Party and their "family values". Gosh dern.

Thanks for passing this on!!

[moobu2]

5. There’s probably something else to this story he’s not telling.

He’s a republican so I wouldn’t trust much of what he say’s.

[marshall]

7. That's why they court martial for adultery in the military

They are too open to blackmail, same as the State dept. and other officials.

[AlCzervik]

9. Holy Farkin Shyte, how did i miss this story? GTFO he had an affair? Is this new

like today, like brand new school supplies new?

[sgolder]

12. "A positive encounter" with the husband....who blackmailed him?

Must look up the meaning of positive again.

[Cha]

16. It was confusing..

"a positive encounter with the staffer".."until he started talking about blackmail"?

[Binka]

17. I Believe The True "Staffer" Was The Senator

The other one was the husband of the "stuffee."

[rocktivity]

20. Even attempts at blackmail are felonies

and Ensign was required have reported it. He's trying to make it look like he confessed to prevent a scandal when it was really to stop a blackmailer? You stop the blackmailer by calling the cops!

:headbang:
rocktivity