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Emails put Senator Ensign in more hot water

Page Last Updated: Thursday March 11, 2010 7:36am PST

More trouble is brewing for Republican Senator John Ensign after he admitted to having an affair last year.

Published reports say previously undisclosed emails are shedding new light on Ensign’s efforts to help a former aide get a new job.

According to The New York Times, Ensign encouraged a Las Vegas development firm he had previously worked with on several energy projects to hire Doug Hampton for lobbying work.

Ensign admitted to having an affair with Hampton’s wife Cynthia, also a former campaign staffer.

Furthermore, the report also says the emails are the first written evidence from Ensign that he tried to get Hampton hired by another company.

This contradicts Ensign’s previous claims that he was unaware that the work would involve Congressional lobbying.

Federal law prohibits former staffers from lobbying for one year after leaving their job.

The FBI and the Senate Ethics Committee are currently investigating this situation; both federal agencies will decide whether Senator Ensign conspired to find lobbying work for Hampton despite restrictions against the action.

Investigators are also looking into a $96,000 payment Ensign’s parents gave to Doug and Cynthia Hampton.

Earlier this year, the Justice Department began interviewing former aides to Senator Ensign as part of the criminal investigation.

The case is ongoing.

Rebecca Fisher, Communications Director for Senator John Ensign, released this statement in response to the article in The New York Times:

"Any allegation or inference that Senator Ensign's motivation for doing his job as a Senator was anything but for the good of his state is completely false and misleading. He did everything necessary to ensure there was no impropriety whatsoever in this matter. He not only returned the donation, but also informed the company that his office could not be of assistance in any capacity due to the connection of a fundraiser and legislative requests made by an employee of the company. Public records clearly show that Senator Ensign did not take any legislative action at the behest of this company.

"No one is more anxious for this investigation to be completed and for the facts to come out than Senator Ensign. He is hopeful that politics will stay out of the investigation so that he can continue to focus on his job as Nevada's Senator."

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