EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIR: Ensign expresses regrets at GOP event - News

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Jun. 24, 2009
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIR: Ensign expresses regrets at GOP event

Fellow Republicans say it's time to move on

By STEVE TETREAULT
STEPHENS WASHINGTON BUREAU

Sen. John Ensign

From left, Sen. John Ensign, his wife, Darlene, and Cindy and Doug Hampton pose for a photo together in 2001 at the women's 20th high school reunion.
Photo courtesy Inside Edition.

WASHINGTON -- Sen. John Ensign apologized to fellow Republican senators Tuesday, saying he was sorry he embarrassed the Senate by having an extramarital affair with a family friend who worked for his political organizations.

Ensign spoke for about two minutes during a scheduled weekly luncheon in the Capitol attended by most of the Senate's 40 Republicans. When he finished, he was applauded.

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The Nevadan was described as being humble and penitent during the closed-door luncheon. He did not go into details of the relationship with Cindy Hampton of Las Vegas and the complications that have grown from it in recent days.

Rather, he acknowledged he made a mistake and expressed contrition that he had brought embarrassment to his family and to the Senate, several senators said when they emerged from the meal.

"He apologized, and we welcomed him back," said Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah.

"He was obviously somber and serious," said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn. "This was not a flippant thing that he did."

A little more than a week ago, Ensign, 51, was in the Senate leadership and was considered a rising star aimed at the top levels of the Republican Party. On Tuesday he entered and departed the luncheon through a back door.

Ensign did not comment and was mostly out of sight during his second day back in the Senate. After acknowledging the affair in a Las Vegas news conference on June 16, he stayed at home the rest of the week.

Ensign resigned as chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, the No. 4 leadership post, last week.

It was not yet clear how far to the back bench the scandal might push Ensign in the Senate.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the party's campaign arm, said he did not know yet what role Ensign might play in helping 2010 GOP candidates in Nevada and elsewhere.

"It is entirely up to him," Cornyn said. In Nevada, he added, "we don't have a candidate yet" to run against Sen. Harry Reid. "When we get a candidate, we will see how it goes."

Senators had no questions for Ensign during lunch. Afterward, several of them did not want to discuss whether the Nevadan should provide more details of the affair with an employee conducted while the woman's husband, Doug Hampton, also worked for Ensign, as his top administrative aide.

Ensign disclosed the extramarital relationship, which occurred from December 2007 to August 2008, after he thought that Doug Hampton, 47, was about to make it public in the national media, his aides have said.

Ensign's office has said Hampton through an attorney was demanding a large sum of money.

The Las Vegas Sun reported Friday that Doug Hampton had penned a June 11 letter to Fox News Channel asking anchorwoman Megyn Kelly for help exposing Ensign. Doug Hampton said he and his wife "were dismissed" from Ensign's employ in April 2008, in the midst of the affair.

Cindy Hampton, 46, was treasurer of Ensign's campaign fund and his personal political action committee, the Battle Born PAC, until the couple left.

Cindy Hampton's salary doubled near the time their relationship started. Ensign's office has said her job was expanded to include handling direct mail and other added accounting responsibilities.

A watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said it was preparing to file a Senate ethics complaint against Ensign today.

The complaint is expected to urge the Senate to determine whether Ensign broke employment law in dealings with the Hamptons.

The complaint also is expected to focus on whether Ensign made any severance payments to Cindy Hampton, which would need to have been reported under election law.

Asked on Tuesday whether Ensign has more to explain, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said: "I think Sen. Ensign will address whatever needs to be said from here on."

Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., said he did not think Ensign has to answer more questions.

"He expressed great regret, and I think it was sincere and people deserve the opportunity to say I am sorry and move on," Martinez said.

Corker said Ensign was applauded for how he has acknowledged his indiscretions.

"From what I have seen in Washington, I think he has been very stand-up about it," Corker said. "Look, he made a mistake, he said he made a mistake, and he is very apologetic for that at every appropriate level.

"Today he did what he needed to do for us," Corker said.

On Tuesday morning, Ensign called Reid, a Reid spokesman said. Details of the call could not be learned. The two spoke several times last week when news of the affair was emerging, the spokesman said.

Reid and Ensign boast a strong friendship. Later in the day, Reid limited his comments about Ensign when asked about him by reporters. He said he still considered Ensign a friend and was hoping the fellow Nevadan would recover.

"I am concerned about his family, and I hope he works his way through this," Reid said.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. Book sold out: Cheating and cover up Tips for dummies by Bring it on Billy and Dizzy Adolf Gillespie with commentary by Garage Rapist Gibbons wrote on wrote on June 24, 2009 07:15 PM: About the best seller: Number1 Wear a baseball cap in Airport Number 2- grow a beard Number 3-hide camping gear in suv Number 4-Hide Suv Get a ho stateside Govenor missing on hiking trip: o Wait he is laid up with his Ho b--ch from Argentina's soup line I think ensign should contact bring it in billy and dizzy for the investigation cover up advice: Bring it bill where abouts: at home with old bag and optional blow up doll Dizzy: Nazi meeting-would need to cover face with a bag or the white hood in closet just to get some Gibbons: hidding in dark garage and calling billy for aid- veto button in unzipped pants Ensign: pay to play with me Sandford: faking a hike trip while missing down in argentina with ho.. unbelievable New Bestseller: Cheating and cover up Tips for dummies by Bring it on Billy and Dizzy Adolf Gillespie with commentary by Garage Rapist Gibbons wrote on June 24, 2009 07:12 PM: Below Book summary Number1 Wear a baseball cap in Airport Number 2- grow a beard Number 3-hide camping gear in suv Number 4-Hide Suv Get a ho stateside Govenor missing on hiking trip: o Wait he is laid up with his Ho b--ch from Argentina's soup line I think ensign should contact bring it in billy and dizzy for the investigation cover up advice: Bring it bill where abouts: at home with old bag and optional blow up doll Dizzy: Nazi meeting-would need to cover face with a bag or the white hood in closet just to get some Gibbons: hidding in dark garage and calling billy for aid- veto button in unzipped pants Ensign: pay to play with me Sandford: faking a hike trip while missing down in argentina with ho New Bestseller: Cheating and cover up Tips for dummies by Bring it on Billy and Dizzy Adolf Gillespie with commentary by Garage Rapist Gibbons wrote on June 24, 2009 07:10 PM: New Bestseller: Cheating and cover up Tips for dummies by Bring it on Billy and Dizzy Adolf Gillespie with commentary by Garage Rapist Gibbons wrote on Book summary Number1 Wear a baseball cap in Airport Number 2- grow a beard Number 3-hide camping gear in suv Number 4-Hide Suv Get a ho stateside Govenor missing on hiking trip: o Wait he is laid up with his Ho b--ch from Argentina's soup line I think ensign should contact bring it in billy and dizzy for the investigation cover up advice: Bring it bill where abouts: at home with old bag and optional blow up doll Dizzy: Nazi meeting-would need to cover face with a bag or the white hood in closet just to get some Gibbons: hidding in dark garage and calling billy for aid- veto button in unzipped pants Ensign: pay to play with me Sandford: faking a hike trip while missing down in argentina with ho Morgan wrote on June 24, 2009 06:25 PM: From the spectacular Cheech & Chong movie: "Bailiff, smack his pee-pee!" Johnathan L. Abbinett wrote on June 24, 2009 05:32 PM: Sarah Palin has a lesbian lover - are there any pictures or video tape evidence to analyze? FAMILY VALUES "NOT" wrote on June 24, 2009 05:15 PM: Sometimes I think I'm living in the Twilight Zone. While the republicans have been preaching to the rest of us on redefining marriage have they been holding secret workshops on redefining "FAMILY VALUES". You have got to be kidding me. Two republican hopefuls for 2012 getting caught with their pants down in a week. Late night hosts must be dancing in their studio isles. The only thing that could happen to make this better is to have Sarah Palin caught on tape with her lesbian lover. I'm guessing Ensign and Sanford would buy that tape. All the family values stuff use to turn me off because they all seemed so closed minded and stuffy but geez I had them figured all wrong. They really are the hip fun loving swingers we all want to be. I wonder if they drop their car keys in a bowl on their way into the republican rah rah meetings? I must re-think which party I want to be a member of. The new national theme for the party should be "Sex, lies and Videotape Part 2" a docudrama on FAMILY VALUES. Think of the amount of money they could raise selling it at all of their churches as an educational tool for raising happy stable families in the 21st century. I get warm and fuzzy just thinking about it. This is the best laugh I've had in a long time. It's to bad they are such hypocritical pathetic con artists. Shame on anyone who holds these pigs up as a moral authority on anything. Save us all from FAMILY VALUES! Johnathan L. Abbinett wrote on June 24, 2009 05:10 PM: I feel deeply sorry for the betrayed spouses and especially more so for the children - I know their pain from my personal experience with a parent that cheated - and what it is to see a family torn apart by divorce - it is so sad, Sad, SAD! Apologies just don't cut it - Ensign and Sanford need to realize that their kids will probably hate them for the rest of their lives! If Ensign and Sanford are lucky they will be forgiven and still loved - but, no one in their families will ever trust a single word that comes out of their mouths ever, ever again! A high price for being selfish and stupid! just disgusted wrote on June 24, 2009 03:47 PM: I e-mailed Ensign and told him EXACTLY what I though of him. I was professional and direct. I urge you to do the same if you're a Nevadan whether you voted for him or not. He needs to hear it. I wish every single Nevadan would e-mail him. As for Mark Sanford, he needs to answer to the people of SC. Their wives and offsprings are the ones who really pay the price for these infidels. Quit wrapping yourself around the pages of the Bible (like Sanford did today with his 'Bible studies and fellowship')repents, anyone remember Jimmy Swaggarts 'I have sinned against you, my Lord...' while his parishioners wept in the background? Vegas Babe wrote on June 24, 2009 03:01 PM: Sen. John Ensign apologized to fellow Republican senators Tuesday. I believe he owes an apology to the entire Senate and to all the people of this country. nvmom wrote on June 24, 2009 02:53 PM: Well I just think it is all so sad. Yes there has been Democrat and Republican slime dogs but over the last 10 or so years the Republicans have won hands down for having the most sexual scandals. It is so dissapointing and why some (me included) changed parties. It is sad when they bring up the Kennedys trist that happened over 30 years ago. They need to focus on figuring out why all these moral watchdogs are really falling hypocrits. I feel bad for the Republican party. Read All Comments