Serious question - did Ensign pay off the wife he had the affair with

[malaise]

(severance package) thinking this was over and did the husband now demand his severance package?

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/16/1967470.aspx
<snp>
NBC News has confirmed that Ensign told other senators earlier today that the reason he decided to go public about the affair is that his ex-mistress was indeed trying to extort money out of him.

Cillizza also reports that the affair "was with a woman who worked for both Ensign's re-election campaign and his Battle Born leadership political action committee," that it "began in December 2007 and ended in August 2008.

Politico reported, per a Nevada political insider "that Ensign began an affair with a staffer several months after he separated from his wife. When Ensign reconciled with his wife, the source said, he gave the aide a severance package and parted ways. Sometime later, the source said, Ensign met with the husband of the woman involved and had what this source described as a positive encounter. But the source said that the man subsequently asked Ensign for a substantial sum of money -- at which point Ensign decided to make the affair public."
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Apparently Ensign and his spinners have a funny interpretation of adultery. He may well have been separated from his wife but his two staffers were married so that little piece of disinformation about separation is irrelevant.

The husband was part of Ensign's Senate staff - clearly he wanted his severance package.

Now what did he pay the ex-mistress to keep this quiet??

add

[Botany]

1. So what did Ensign say about Bill Clinton?

So he paid off his mistress to keep her quite?

[malaise]

5. Oh we know what he said about Bill Clinton

and we know he's a fugging hypocrite, but do campaign staffers receive severance packages and what was the size of this hush money package?

Now since he paid off one staffer, it seems perfectly reasonable that the husband (Ensign's Senate staffer) would demand his severance package as well.
The problem for Ensign is that paying off the husband would lead to the 'ethics' committee becoming involved.

This may get ugly because he has already admitted to paying off one party.

[Captain Hilts]

8. He thought Clinton should have resigned. nt

[malaise]

9. He thought Craig should have resigned as well

in the middle of his own affair. You have to love these hypocrites.
I heard on GEM$NBC that he was part of the congressional Xtian conservative group that did not allow men to be alone with women other than their wives -Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah hahahahahaha :rofl: :rofl:

sp

[Captain Hilts]

11. Ain't it grand? nt

[Bandit]

2. What is the greatest sin in the Bible anyway

Isn't committing Adultery right up at the top of the list..In fact I believe God calls for Death of any person that commits this sin.

[tanyev]

3. I like how people he considered close friends and trusted enough

to work for him turned around and blackmailed him. Jeez, when you've got Republican friends, who needs enemies?

[malaise]

6. Sex with employees, politics and friendship

are a volatile cocktail mix in every sense of those words.
Ensign already paid hush money to the woman.

[Tanuki]

10. The cuckolded husband was probably pretty steamed that someone HE considered a close friend

turned around and screwed his wife over a period of several months.

[Captain Hilts]

12. Wow! I haven't read 'cuckolded' since I last read Victorian lit. nt

[malaise]

14. I suspect he was more steamed that the mistress was paid off

with that nice severance package but he got nothing.

[marylanddem]

4. I am deeply suspicious of this "extortion" issue

Ensign seems to be putting it out there through off-the-record paraphrases but not publically claiming it? This would help make him seem like the victim of the situation - pretty self-serving.

[malaise]

7. The problem for Ensign is that the severance package

paid to his campaign staffer (the woman) may have been his pay off for silence, but her husband was on his Senate staff.
This will be fun.

[Captain Hilts]

13. It's VERY believable. THAT is why affairs are wrong. Not because of what it means

for your marriage, but for the fact that it opens you to blackmail.

This is why what JFK did was reckless.

This is why Monica L was stoopid - she didn't use it to get a better job.

[sinkingfeeling]

15. Why aren't people saying this is the end to his political career like they did about Edwards?

[malaise]

16. Typical hypocrisy n/t

[NNN0LHI]

17. Where does this severance package money come from?

Please don't tell me its from the taxpayers?

Don

[malaise]

18. Who knows

Nevada Senator John Ensign has confessed to an affair after his mistress' husband approached him about money, according to reports.

Senator John Ensign, married to wife Darlene, has admitted to having an affair last year with a campaign aide when he and his wife were separated. The aide, Cindy Hampton, was married to John's former legislative aide, Doug Hampton.

According to John, the affair lasted several months until John reconciled with his wife, at which time he paid Cynthia a severance package and went his separate way.
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Well he paid her off - probably from his campaign funds. This can't be hidden for long.