37 Comments
Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
StumbleWASHINGTON — Early last year, Senator John Ensign contacted a small circle of political and corporate supporters back home in Nevada — a casino designer, an airline executive, the head of a utility and several political consultants — seeking work for a close friend and top Washington aide, Douglas Hampton. The latest on President Obama, the new administration and other news from Washington and around the nation. Join the discussion. “He’s a competent guy, and he’s looking to come back to Nevada. Do you know of anything?” one patron recalled Mr. Ensign asking, according to a New York Times report.
New York Times: Ensign’s aid to mistress’s husband raises ethics flags
(via New York Times) · October 1, 2009 · 2:49 PM
Discussion: 37 comments so far...
Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy. Additionally, we now display comments from trusted commenters by default. Those wishing to become a trusted commenter need to verify their identity or sign in with Facebook Connect to tie their Facebook account to their Las Vegas Sun account. For more on this change, read our story about how it works and why we did it.
Only trusted comments are displayed on this page. Untrusted comments have expired from this story.
Post a comment
Most Popular
- Viewed
- Discussed
- E-mailed
- Police dog shot by officer put down after nine-day fight for life
- Do some people dress for L.V. without checking a mirror, Laura Croft asks
- Smoke to hang over Las Vegas until at least Thursday
- North Las Vegas city manager wants to suspend parts of police, fire contracts
- Photos: Nobu is excited about new restaurant, first hotel at Caesars Palace
Everything Under the Sun
Blogs
The Kats Report
Jeff Tracta, Rich Little, Jonathan Clark and a few words about impressionists
Monti Rock III on the mend; Carla Pellegrino's Bacio marks one year at Trop; Barbara Cook postpones shows
For a moment, the circus halts to honor one of its greats
Ice Ice Billy
Kelly Cup, Southwest Florida demand perfection
The Kats Report
Adele wins 12 awards, Stevie Wonder closes at Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas (3 Comments)
Stirling Club hosts its last dance, but is it really over?
Elsewhere
Vegas train loan shouldn’t be Solyndra victim, chief says
- Locally owned and independent since 1950; Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, best news website in the nation & DuPont Award for broadcast journalism
Why is this non-story being reported in a local rag? Does any one remember that the NYT is a liberal leftwing nutcase isntrument?
Honestly, who cares what the New York Jayson Blair Times thinks?
Drip, Drip, Drip.
Previous posters, just cover your eyes and plug your ears, so you don't have to face the ugly truth. Ensign violated Senate ethics rules, which, believe it or not, is a big deal.
NV energy pays Hampton $5000 a month to "lobby" for a coal fired power plant. NV energy gets a rate increase to help cover the costs of mothballing this non build. Seems like all of us rate payers are now reimbursing the Senators "lack of judgement". WTF is the deal? Pay to play, using the publics dime. Ethics are for the little people. Non story my arse.
The LV Sun can't research its own stories or write its own editorials, so they simply copy them from the NYT. Pathetic.
Hi robert_lv, this section contains an archive of Sun coverage of John Ensign, if that's what you're looking for. I hope that helps. Thanks.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/news/joh...
I hate to defend Ensign, but draft registration was not required of people who graduated high school in 1976.
"Ensign violated Senate ethics rules"
Horse do-do
Name one Senate ethic rule that he violated.
All this markley coming from the left is laughable.
This is the same crowd (including the NY Times and the Sun) that think Clinton did not violate ethics much less the law and still think so.
Bill Clinton committed a felony (obstruction of justice by lying to the committee and the FBI), and got away with it smooth and clean, when he was let off the hook by the House. Ken Starr had the goods on him, but Slick Bill pricked his eyes completely. Do you think the Sun and the NYT printed that 10 years ago? Nope.
And Ensign is bad mouthed by them over a simple indiscretion with a hussy not his wife.
For those that missed out on the volunteer army law, the last man drafted into the army was drafted in 1973 when it became all-volunteer. Of course, the USMC, the USAF, and the USN have always been "voluntary". Sure is a lot of vets on here that aren't vets, and don't know basic military history. Randomrider is right.
There was a young Christian man named John
Who's rising career was now gone
He asked for help from his Dad and his momma
and then blamed all the pinkos
For his career going stinko
And especially the one named Obama
Alas poor Johnny...hair so perfect, zipper so low.
Oh Jesus, why hath thou forsaken him? Eh?
Well? We're waiting!!!
As always, stay classy Las Vegas.
MB
afveteran has no honor because it defends unethical conduct while clumsily trying to divert attention away.
lets see-ensign worried about to many czars, reid trying to get resonable health care costs for nevadans. we sure know where glen beck's ss followers are going.
mschffer has no honor because he gave a big-time pass to Clinton who broke law and did 100x's worse things than Ensign.
I guess hypocrispy is in ample supply on the left.
SgtRock doesn't know me or what I thought about those years. He, like so many conservatives, has fantasies about the world. fed by his cognitive dissonance, that are completely out of touch with reality.
Hey all. Today on "Face to Face with Jon Ralston", we are re-broadcasting part two of our July interview with Doug Hampton. Hear his account of what happened during and after Ensign's affair with Cynthia Hampton. That's at 5:30pm, 6:30pm and 8pm on Las Vegas ONE, Cox Cable Channel 19.
Liberals who defend Slick Bill for his felonies will defend the 911 Arabs who brought the towers down. Mindless fools.
Laid out in it's entirety, the Ensign Affair would make one heck of a novel. Or movie. Or both!
Politics, sex, greed, money, payoffs, privilege,
deception, abuse of power, religion, fanaticism, all in the backdrop of the United States Senate.
And you just can't beat the main plot: having an affair with the wife of your best friend and co-worker, while at THE VERY SAME TIME publicly pronouncing from your bully pulpit that you are a man of family values who is qualified to pass judgement on others doing the exact same thing!
afvetran;
I'll give you a spot in the film version.
You can be one of those AM Radio right-wing nut-job conspiracy theorist morning hosts!
Man you right wingers are just nuts. He set up lobbying gig for Dougy before he would be legally able (1year) to do so. Evoking Clinton is sad in that he did not hush his mistress with money and lobbying jobs. Good luck in your next elections as despite what these posts indicate, there are people who can tell real reporting form the baseless, illogical, blathering that spews from you nut cases.
'Nevada News Filtered Daily'
This news organization seems to be very happy to parade the missdeeds of Senator Ensign and other polititians. Yet the same cannot be said about the other Senator from Nevada.
The Sun has dedicated reporters roll out positive spin storys one after another about The Senior Senator from Nevada. No dirt is allowed...
WHY???
If The Sun were to print negative stories about The Senator it would have a direct impact on the reputation and credibility of Greenspun's Legal Council and Sun Lobbyist Key Reid. Conflict of interest...you decide?
http://www.leg.state.nv.us/Lobbyist/repo...
When other news organizations release stories involving their parent organizations they usually disclose the facts about possible conflicts of interest.
Greenspun and the Sun seem to be unwilling to disclose the interlocking relationships with the Reid family. Therefore the credibility of the information passed along is suspect...
Maybe all articles about The Senator should include a disclaimer!
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2003/jun...
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/sep...
The report is that Doug Hampton was collecting $5000 per month per client representing NV Energy, Allegient Air and November Inc. He was not registered as a lobbyist. I think it significant that the husband of our Senator's bed partner is getting that kind of money. It also seems that $96,000 can be offered by family, but $8.5 million is too much. Miscellaneous other amounts are floating around as well.
For those deflecting the discussion to Clinton, I don't recall that the wad on Monica's blue dress came from intercourse, nor had she been a family friend for decades, nor were corporate lobbying interests ever a topic of discussion.
Ethics aside, the NY Times is pointing out that Nevada voter interests are compromised. The Sun has done the same.
I'm not quite as much "totally Anti-John Ensign" as I once was. Although, I still feel he is totally to blame, and I think he is very "wimpy" to use his "wife's behavior" as an excuse.
But, I read the letter he wrote to Cindy. He spoke of of what his wife (Darlene) had done, but he wasn't specific.
I've seen some comments here on the Las Vegas Sun comment section that talk about Mrs. Ensign's "slutty behavior".
Is John Ensign trying to say that the reason he had the affair with Cindy Hampton is because his wife cheated on him first?
Wow...mschaffer was shocked and offended that Clinton broke the law and did all that other bad stuff.
I guess like with Ensign, he was asking for Clinton to resign or be impeached.
Good for you.
why does it not surprise me that Sig Rogich was named in NYTimes article. Is there ANYTHING in NV politics he doesn't have a finger in? deja vu Sig rescuing Gibbons from the cocktail waitress scandal
Good I'm going to record the Hampton interview. What's ralston doing? having his beard tattooed on at the big tattoo convention?
There's more to this story and where is Cindy Hamptongue? Spending her pay off? at the mall?
Maybe Enswign will be a guest on Letterman?
And, one more thing.
I don't trust her comment that their "marriage is stronger than ever".
It seems to me that she quite possibly is just along for the Fame/Fortune/Power/Prestige.
I don't believe it at all! I think she's just agreed to pull the "Ensign family fat out of the fire".
If there was a Pre-Nuptial agreement, I'll bet it has been altered to her benefit.
If I'm being asked to believe that "they got that OLD SPARK back", and that "God truly is at the center of their marriage", I'll have to go to the bathroom to clean up because my weak bladder can't handle all this "hardy - har - harring".
The Sun and NYT rags have run this non-story for months. It's time to let a simple story fade away.
"let a simple story fade away"? Talk about hypocrisy! You won't let a story well over 10 years old go away. Clinton let an intern get a little too close (mildly put) and he gets raked over the coals for years. "100x's worse things than Ensign"... You've got to be kidding me. Just go back to your delusional world at Fixed News and keep believing your Repugs can do no wrong.
I harbor no great affection for a failed politician who should return to his calling as a veternarian; however, that this is still emanating from the almost defunct downstream media crowd is sickening.
ah, the old " weapons of mass destruction " crowd awaken from their stupor and brag about their coast guard good conduct medal. they have as much courage as dick cheney and his 5 deferments from serving in the military. ensign needs help and the slime machine works to protect him.
This story has evolved from a sleazy sex scandal into a backroom pay to play scam on all NV energy customers. Quick, get this powerplant approved before the new administration takes office. Hire this guy and I will help you push it though. Like the Senator is going to pay any attention to a guy he wants to get rid of. Now we all get to pay higher electricity rates for the trumped up costs of a project that never got off the ground. The ethics of the Senate are now a secondary concern. To me, this sounds more and more like graft. Keep digging LV Sun, seems like a story to me.
ACORN = Democrats and vice versa...
And those on the left are so worried about Ensign's infidelity...
djeco states that "Clinton let an intern get a little too close."
Really? Is that what it was? Just a little too close?
Obviously, djeco was not watching FOX NEWS during Clinton's "Monica got a little too close" incident. Maybe djeco was hung up on the definition of the word "is."
LarryVegas, you obviously didn't comprehend my post too well. Keep trying. BTW, I would never watch Fixed News. Republicans turned an act of infidelity into a costly (yes to taxpayers) three ring circus, when they should have been pulling the planks out of their own eyes. History is revealing what idiots you were.
The liberal Democratic Party is going down in flames over a simple illicit affair between a senator and a bimbo.