Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009 | 2:40 p.m.
John Ensign
Nevada Sen. John Ensign says his affair with a friend's wife was different from former President Bill Clinton's affair because Clinton committed a felony when he lied about it to a grand jury.
The Nevada Republican told The Associated Press on Wednesday: "I haven't done anything legally wrong."
Ensign made the remarks before he was introduced to a standing ovation from about 100 people at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon in rural Fernley.
He opened his speech by acknowledging what called a "distraction." He says he made a big mistake, is sorry and intends to work hard to win back the trust of Nevadans.
It was Ensign's first public appearance in the state since acknowledging in June that he had a monthslong extramarital with former campaign aide Cynthia Hampton.
A standing ovation?
A STANDING OVATION???
How this country has spiraled downward....down, and down, and down....
Our poor children. They're watching every moment. God help us.
Everyone gets a new Pontiac, just look under your seats ... no wait that was Oprah.
Bye bye John Ensign. You had daddy try to pay off your mistress and sweep it under the rug. You can do nothing to rebuild our trust. Please resign.
hey johnnie boy ensign...
you poor poor terribly misguided republican clown...
glad to see you finally stopped sucking your thumb in the fetal positon on mommy and daddy's basement floor...
atta boy...
now...
let me get this straight...
you want me to believe that you had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that mommy and daddy wrote checks for almost $100k to the members of the family of the women who you slept with and of the husband who was your best friend and senior staffer...
mommy and daddy did this spontaneously did they...
out of the blue...
you had nothing to do with it...
hee hee hee...
hoo hoo hoo...
haa haa haa...
sorry pal...
i ain't buying it...
at all...
you sir are a pathetic little spoiled punk...
and...
there must be an ethics investigation!!!
So this is what it has come to.
Mr. Ensign thanks for letting us know the benchmark of your ethical behavior.
If is legal it is ok.
Ensign you are a total JOKE to our state. I wish he would read this. You are an embarrasment to our great state.
So THAT makes it OKAY to cheat on your spouse because it's LEGAL. Cool, what an excuse.
You are a scum of the highest regard. A hypocrite. I can't wait till you get voted out, I don't care who replaces you, hell even Palin would be better than you.
I am happy with Senator Ensign, but then again, I'm not married to him.
Never been to Fernley. Or more precicely, RURAL Fernley. Pretty liberal up there? Yep. Bet we're talkin' REAL progressive. Love Love Love that Johnny Ensign kid!
By God, one of our own fellas has a little fall, we pick him up! No need to make a fuss. He's a God fearin' Bible thumpin' Christian! And Anti-TAXES! Yes, we'll stand by our man here in Rural Fernley.
Ensign is a joke. This guy so needs to resign. He's an embarrasment.
Ensign has violated one of God's Ten Commandments by committing adultery. That's between him and God. Politically, he has represented our taxpayer interests and our conservative beliefs with utmost care. He's a lock for 2012 as long as Nevada remains conservative and against leftwing liberalism.
henderson, yes you are married to his decisions. oh wait, blame all the little guy and middle class, those greedy folks.
Is John his real name or is that just what his "girl friends" call him??
Time to go Mr. Ensign
afveteran,
Exactly right! Normal people don't look to their Senators for moral guidance, we hire them to protect the interests and freedoms that we are passionate about.
The first comment said, "Our poor children. They're watching every moment. God help us."
If your children are watching every moment of CNN, or MSNBC, or following Senator Ensign on Twitter, you have really weird kids. I'm guessing if they go to public school or have older siblings, they've been exposed to much worse.
It's your job to guide your kids, not the Senator's.
Personally I'd prefer he not seek re-election, but by the 2012 election this will have been forgotten by most of the electorate (his wife & God are another matter). He just needs to avoid any additional scandals and any public comments that seem "holier than thou", since he now lives in a "glass house", and focus on economic & security issues (to include jobs, education, TARP, healthcare & immigration).
I used to think highly of John, but when the trust is broken with a politicion, how can we ever trust this man again. I feel so sorry for his wife, how can she ever trust him again? And for his fellow Chamber of Commerce who think so much of him, how much did his parents pay them to give Johnny boy a standing ovation. I'd like to see a list of names at this meeting. Birds of a feather...
henderson....
Why am I not surprised with your comments? Typical right-winger you are.....The old "it's OK as long as you don't get caught" approach.
Doesn't say much for the Chamber of Commerce in Fernley does it? Wow!
It's all about money unfortunately!
Hopefully, I won't have to EVER drive through that town again....
Seriously, besides Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich, there has to be other actual public servants around, right? BTW is Shelly Berkley still alive?
Standing ovation . . . good, old Ferntucky.
Ron Paul is religous right racist hompphobic scum.
Ron Paul is a fraud. John Ensign is a sexual predator.
El Lobo,
If you interpreted my post to mean "It's okay as long as you don't get caught." you might be dyslexic. That is not what I said. That is not what I meant. And that is certainly not how I feel.
Unk, Shelley Berkley is still alive and is signed on to the Dream Act 09 bill in Congress. It seems she thinks Illegal immigrants are more important than American citizens.
Nick, your opinion of Ron Paul is quite sad, by your comment with the racist label, you are either showing your extreme ignorance or your born stupidy. Either way I will accept your comment, but by no means do I agree with you.
henderson.....
Here's what you said:
"I am happy with Senator Ensign, but then again, I'm not married to him."
How should I take it? Are you saying that his behavior in his private life has NOTHING to do with his public life?
In other words, morality (moral behavior) has absolutely nothing to do with being a United States Senator? In no way is morallty a requirement for serving ones country as an office holder.....
Do I have that right?
Help Sen. John Ensign!! Call 1-800-GMTRUCK and tell them our Govs. address because he wants a a free delivery "lube job"!! Offer expires Aug. 31st. This will be FUNNY!!!
Great answer Senator Ensign...
Unfortunately,as a Christian your answer comes up way short...You sinned against both God and your wife...and while this was not illegal, it was immoral, unethical and beyond feeble excuses...
Naw, legally it's okay to lie to your wife about committing adultery (as is the act itself).
Clinton should have put in jail. Of course the clown we have in the White House now doesn't have any idea what the word truth means.
Ensign is much super to that other despicable crook that claims to represent Nevada.
Fernley Chamber of Commerce? Wow baby boy John is really in the big leagues. Did mommy and daddy strap him in the car seat and drive him up there?
The cult this creep aligns himself with is now condemned by the Christian Magazine "The World." The Fernley Freaks have be drinking to much of that tainted water. The government is bad, so there should be no more Federal money for treating Fernley water.
Where's the nearest brothel to Fernley? I hear they had a "spike" in business.
There once was a Senator named John
Who Claimed He Did Nothing Wrong
He Professed His Love of Money & God
And When He Was Exposed As A Fraud
He simply said, 'hey what's the big deal?
I Did Nothing That Was Illegal
So He Took Out His Bible to Pray
And Said I'll Live To Run Another Day
Cus Though I am Pond Scum, No Matter What They Say
You Peons Wont Care, Cus At Least I'm Not Gay.
Stay Classy Las Vegas,
MB
That's right, I forgot, it's all Bill Clinton's fault that you:
1-slept with your wife's best friend,
2-hired her husband (also your good friend) to work in your senate office while you were going after his wife
3-had your elderly mommy & daddy pay $100,000 in bribe money to your mistress' family
4-paid your mistress that extra $48,000 (exactly where did that come from again-your campaign account?)
5-look to be investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee for trying to bribe everyone you could find to keep their mouths shut
6-Of course NONE of this is YOUR fault, & what's more you haven't been convicted of anything (yet).
Stand up like a man and resign, Ensign.
There's something very wrong with a man who has to use the poor behavior of another as his only defense.
Unfortuntely, aside from being an adulterer and hypocrite, Sen. Ensign is having problems telling the truth.
The Senate never convicted President Clinton of perjury or obstruction of justice. Therefore, no matter what Sen. Ensign may think, President Clitnon did not commit a felony as a matter of law.
President Clinton was cited for civil contempt by a federal judge, but that's not a felony. He also agreed to give up his law license, but that was in exchange for Ken Starr to end his $70 million investigation. He was actually never charged with anything.
If Sen. Ensign wants to wave legal technicalities as a defense for his adulterous affair, he should at least be technically correct with his facts.
But I guess, why should he start telling the truth now?
The Great State of Nevada? Not right now.
Mr Ensign:
It has yet to be determined if you will face legal consequences as you are under investigation. However, after what you have done to your family, to your state, to the nation and to people who supported and believed in you, you are unfit to serve in the U S Senate. Even though you have been told by the leader of the religious cult that owns the C Steet brothel that your were chose by God to amass wealth and power and that the rules that apply to the common voters don't apply to the chosen, it is a lie. You were chosen by the voters of Nevada to represent the best interest of the state not the best interest of John Ensign.
By you own admission, you are a liar and a cheat, a man who cannot be trusted. Resign and quit embarrassing yourself, your family and the people who sent you to Washington.
A ya Johnny boy ya did! Best to try and save some face,and resign.Hell who knows,maybe you ll start a trend with other rotten polititions?
Again, Senator Ensign will be fine. He is an excellent legislator! I wonder what all these same loser LIBERAL bloggers were saying when there was actually a politician that committed a Felony when he lied about his extramarital affairs to Congress under oath. Will the DEMOCRAT BILL CLINTON please take a bow. Or did we CONVENIENTLY forget this? Senator Ensign didn't lie under oath you clowns! An affair, period.
The real shame about what Clinton did was that he seemed to be the start of the oh-so-obnoxious trend where politicians don't resign anymore.
That being said, the "family values" party just gets a little more well deserved egg on its face.
"He also agreed to give up his law license, but that was in exchange for Ken Starr to end his $70 million investigation. "
Ken Starr was no longer in charge of the investigation when Clinton agreed to a deal where to have his law license suspended for 5 years.
It was the Arksansas Bar that was moving to having Clinton disbarred not Ken Starr.
To this day, Clinton denies lying in court and still hides behind not knowning what the word "is" is.
I nominate Dina Titus, Nevada Senator 2012. Makes me wish Gov. Jim Gibbons endores Sen. Ensign during that time.
Poor John!
He's stuck between a rock and a hard place.
What are you supposed to do when both your new girlfriend and your old buddy embarrass you?
His folks sold the farm to bail him out, but it won't go away, that nagging ethical thing. It keeps raising its hard wagging head.
Vows. Promises. Accountability. Respect. Decency. What's the poor Senator to do?
Let's all go back and read about Monica Lewinski's thong and maybe this will all blow away. Cigar, anyone?
Yes, I am saying that who Senator Ensign sleeps with doesn't impact me or how he represents the issues that I care about.
That is vastly different than saying, "It's okay as long as you don't get caught." Which makes no sense, because he obviously did get caught.
"The real shame about what Clinton did was that he seemed to be the start of the oh-so-obnoxious trend where politicians don't resign anymore.
That being said, the "family values" party just gets a little more well deserved egg on its face"
So, this one guy, what you are saying is that Bill was the first politician to get nailed for marital indiscretion and hang onto his gig, right?
Excuse me sir, but a quick glance at the history book or even just walking around on the planet for more than fifteen years should have clued you in.
Slick Willy from Hope may have been a bad, bad man; but he is hardly the grandfather of political power leading to indiscretion.
Our country's short history book simmers with stories of steamy relationships and political acceptance of it, rejection of it and all blends of other human sentiment about infidelity and power.
But, for sure tryin' to pin 'power lost to lust' on Slick Willy is kinda funny.
Why don'tcha hold off a bit on kickin' him around until we're done using his international rock-star reputation up? Ya never know when ya might need a guy like that on yer side.
hey henderson...
i respect your honesty...
but i have to tell you...
we all knew you were morally bankrupt anyway...
we all knew that it didn't matter if jack the ripper was your senator...
just as long as you got to keep every last penny possible...
we all knew you will do or say anything to keep every last penny possible...
even if you have spread lies and fear monger...
well guess what skippy...
your trip to the pearly gates is going to long and painful and a big disappointment...
because you see skippy...
you ain't gettin in!!!
birdie,
If Senator Ensign had committed murder, I would most definitely not support him.
There is a difference between infedility and murder.
People should be fearful, this government is not skilled enough or experienced enough to competently handle the legislation they are proposing. They can't even run a car rebate program efficiently.
Wasn't it Barney Frank who said not that long ago that Frannie and Freddie were healthy and not in crisis?
This is the same Senator that wanted all the others to resign when they got caught. Calling the kettle black, then reap with what you sow. I don't see him go to his regular church in Las Vegas lately, I wonder why.
He's still big in Rural Fernley. Whew!
That is going to be a big factor in re-election.
Hey nance, you are just a tad obsessed with the Clinton comparison. They were both naughty boys, weren't they? However, this isn't a story about the former prez. Your repeated attempts to rationalize Johnny's behavior by saying what someone else did was worse is childish.
Of course, it's also childish to have to have your mommy & daddy bail you out of a love-triangle-gone-bad by bribing the "aggrieved spouse", and then spinning a tale of epic b.s. that the money was not intended to be anything more than a helping hand for some friends. Now THAT is a WHOPPER!
The fact that he had to go to Fernley to find a sympathetic crowd is telling. He wouldn't have dared make that statement in LV or Reno.
Airwear
Go back and read what I actually said. Feel free to show me all of the politicians who were similarly and publicly caught at their infidelity, earned a lot of public outrage and still stuck it out in office. I'm not saying it didn't happen, just that I am unaware of it. So please, fill me in.
Check out Presidential Indiscretions by Greg Leland; it's refreshingly honest.
Google some of our time honored faves and see. JFK boinks marilyn monroe, tells Jackie. Stays as Pres. until some idiot plugs him with a rifle. Both the Roosevelts proved less than saintly, but withstood public criticism for more public service.
I'm old. Find some youngster to help you with yer history.
Thisoneguy,
Public outrage didn't happen years ago like it does today. John F. Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt are two presidents that spring to mind, both were well known cheaters, but nobody seemed to care back then. I'm sure a little research would dig up many more.
I don't think anyone would say either of the Roosevelts nor JFK brought the level of distraction or dishonor to their office that Clinton did, but I can't speak firsthand to the level of public outrage on any of them except Clinton.
ThisOneGuy,
Sorry to seem so disinterested in your study of presidential resilience or whatever it is. It's hot out here on the playa today. My solar-powered chimney is trying to keep up with the heat gain with cool tubes pulling naturally cooled air into my travel trailer fifty-two miles off the road.
My health is in such a state of decline that I turn down polite offers for housing because I'm way more comfortable as just a bag of bones under a blanket under the stars. This way when there's an accident, I can just toss some sand on it and not have to smell too bad or waste time and face cleaning up.
Never was anything but an a-hole of the dumb and ugly variety that nobody, including present company, could ever even stand to have around.
this way nobody'll ever have to smell me, or see me or hear me or use whatever sense they got to interpret this manifest humanity
Don't tell marlboro man, but when you start coughin' so hard you blow busted bloody burritos into yer boxers, well, you don't really want the pretty girls around or the cameras rollin.
Err... Sorry to hear all of that. Hope it all works out for you. God bless.
really gross airweare
better here than within whiffing distance, h'rson
locals here don't seem to mind me
spiders, mice, jack rabbits, lizards, snakes
John Ensign is no Bill Clinton.
Ralston got face time on Oberman. See, Ensign is getting Nevada some TV time.
CBS TV has a new series: "The Good Wife" about a cheating politician and his bedraggled wife...maybe Hampton can get a bit part?
Mrs Ensign! act fast, the "Cash for Clunkers" program ends Monday!
Hey I get it now! Lying, cheating and thieving does matter if you are a true friend, in a monogamous relationship, a business person / employer, in lower government service or in the military!
But none of these social standards or laws apply to U. S. Senators? Riiiiiight!
What BULL! If any other "employer" had hit on an "employee" they would have been sued for SEXUAL HARASSEMENT - which IS ILLEGAL! Ensign is guilty by definition of the law (due to the employer / employee relationship)! But, wait, Ensign is a U. S. Senator - so, that makes it O.K.?
I hope Doug Hampton sues Ensign big time and wins!
It figures Senator Ensign's first public appearance in Nevada is in rural Northern Nevada. The problem for him is Nevada is changing, and rural Northern Nevada may still have ample say in party candidacy and state public policy out of Carson City, but they no longer have the votes up there, which are now down south.
Johnathan,
Do you have any idea how many workplace relationships develop? Having an affair with a coworker or employee is not illegal.
Even if Ensign were guilty of sexual harrassment, Dooshe Hampton would not be the victim. His wife would have to press those charges, and being that she's a little busy hiding herself from the world, I doubt she would be willing to face the music in court.
After all, she is the dirty, dirty tramp that slept with her best friend's husband. I doubt she would garner much sympathy from the jurors.
Howard Cannon
Pat McCarran
Paul Laxalt
Majority Leader Harry Reid
they'll all live forever in the history books.
this is the time for John Ensign to say "Jeez, Mary and Joseph, the first words (when i die) that the New York Times will right in my obituary is that "THEY ALL LAUGHED AT HIM".
Not laughed "with you" John, "at you"....they all laughed.....that's a terrible terrible thing for a man who has risen to such august heights now isn't it Johnnie?....Hey John, your mother wasn't married to your birth father on March 25, 1958 was she Johnnie Boy? They call that an illegitimate child at the C Street Nazi Cult House...right...but what to the troops ...the boys, serving overseas call that kind of child John ??...do they still use the loker room word that begins with the letter "B" that has been used for centuries. For example, let's use it in a sentence: "Doesn't that cur-bas#@d have a lot of unadulterated gall."
At this point John it's deja vu all over again.....after 50 years years you are illigitimate all over again.
Noblemen in Japan through the millenia when found in a similar pickle always commit harry carey....OK COWBOY....take Mike Slanker and Ryan Irwin down with yah. Pond Scum all of you...lowlife, bad actors.
We are being waterboarde by this guy Ensign.
As if the valley doesnt have enough black eyes in the media (worst schools, worst forclosure, worst health, conmen at MGM CityCenter, Jay Brown and Prive, running out of water) and the litany goes on.
But to have this slow brutal drip drip drip of chines water torture with the viscious vile, reprobate, fith and mental mayhem of the Ensign story come out every single week or evry other week since the middle of June just has to stop.
To paraphrase Walpole, Massachusetts' own Joseph Nye Welch partner at Hale and Dorr before Senator Joseph McCarthy:
"Until this moment, Senator Ensign, I think I have never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness. ...(L)ittle did I dream you could be so reckless and so cruel as to do an injury to the State of Nevad and to this great nation of our's, the United States of America. It is true that , I regret to say, I fear you, John Ensign shall cause Nevadan's of all races and creeds to always bear a scar selfishly and needlessly inflicted by you. If it were in my power to forgive you for your reckless cruelty I would do so. I like to think that I am a gentle man, but your forgiveness will have to come from someone other than me. "
When Mike Slanker, ryan Irwin, Sig Rogich, Michael Steele and Senaturn Tom Coburn tried to go on the attack once more and blame Bill and Hillary Clinton, the people of Nevada and the nation stepped in again and famously rebuked:
" Senator, may we not drop this? We know you say you've done nothing "legally" wrong but please sir,...Let us not assassinate the reputation of the State of Nevada further, Senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"
ya gotta go John
ya gotta go
you've just gotta go.
Rhode Island has openings.
Senator Ensign embarrassed himself and his state morally, but has served well for conservative voters in Nevada. I will vote for him next year.
TONAREN is a nom de plum for Terri Lanni and Bobby Baldwin and Jim Murren.
Hey TONAREN, put down your copy of Ayn Rand and step away from the table ,sir.
tonaren's going to vote for Ensign next year? Hooookay! Ensign's up for reelection in 2012. This is the intelligence of conservative voters folks.
And they wonder why we laugh at them!
"I haven't done anything 'legally wrong'," Senator Ensign said.
He kind'a sounds like Dick Nixon's: "I am not a crook!" Turns out he was!
What will Ensign turn out to be?
QUIZ !!!
Match the girlfriend with the American leader:
Girls:
Lucy Rutherford, Monica Lewinski, Donna Rice, The Doctor's wife, Marilyn Monroe, Mrs. Hampton.
Leaders:
FDR, Bill Clinton, Gary Hart, Jim Gibbons, JFK, Johnnie E.
Submit quiz before recess.
Extra credit!
The girls:
Camilla Parker, Sally Hemmings and Edith Carrow
World Leaders:
Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Prince Charles (UK)
Now, which of these is most like Senator Ensign and why?
Jefferson, because he owned her.
Love in the workplace can not be limited by any legislation - but, SEXUAL HARASSMENT LAWS exist to protect SUBORDINATES from PREDATORY SUPERIORS!
Ensign was the EMPLOYER (Superior) and Hampton was the EMPLOYEE (Subordinate) - it's that simple, by definition!
And, yes, I do know how often lust and love springs up in the workplace (but, thanks for asking such an insulting question)! When I found someone attractive in the workplace that I wanted to pursue an intimate relationship with - I did so by respecting the rules, policies and law of the land! And I never, ever hit on anyone that was in a subordinate position (though their were a few I was attracted to) - because it was not only innappropriate, it was against the rules, policies and against the law!
Nor have I ever cheated when I was in a monogamous relationship! When I'm single, as I am now, I am SO single and free to do as I wish WITH OTHER SINGLE PEOPLE! But, even as a single person, I respect the marriages and relationships of significant others - silly me, call me an old fashioned guy that doesn't want to get shot in the crouch!
I'm not saying Ensign should be crucified - just voted out, because character does really count in public service!
If you want to vote for a lying, cheating, thieving, filandering infidel - go right ahead, that's your right and why we have such a messed up bunch of dysfunctional lunatics elected into public service!
GEEEESHE!
I didn't do anything bad, er wrong, er inaproppriate, er unethical, er indecent, er disrespectful, er, errr...
We pick one hundred out of the 297,928,765 of us and give them a huge voice in speaking for our general common good. What's he doin' there?
If you were his wife, can you believe him?
Best friend?
Lover?
Staff member?
Constituent?
johnathan,
It is not against the law to have a relationship with a subordinate. Please also keep in mind that their affair didn't begin at the workplace, but in Ensign's home.
What he did, what they both did, was absolutely dispicable. However, as a Senator, Ensign is one of the few representatives that I appreciate as far as voting on the issues.
In the end, that's all I really need from a Senator.
Henderson: Sorry, but I respectfully disagree with you once again. John Ensign should do the honorable thing and resign, thus allowing one-term Governor Gibbons to appoint someone of stature, perhaps Dean Heller, to represent Nevada in the U.S. Senate.
Brian Sandoval for Governor in 2010! Let's bring honesty and integrity back to the GOP!
mike,
I totally understand where you're coming from. I don't know who Gibbons would appoint, so until then I'm hanging on to one of the few people representing conservative values here in Nevada.
um, Henderson;
"representing conservative values"?
Really?
I didn't know that adultry, betrayal, bribery, et.al represented "conservative values."
That will be a nice lesson for the children to learn.
Thanks for sharing.
SgtRock writes: "To this day, Clinton denies lying in court and still hides behind not knowning what the word "is" is."
--
Wasn't it Ken Starr and his Independent Council of Pantysniffers who didn't what "is" is? You figure that in all that $70 million they could have bought a dictionary.
Senator Ensign should be a man and resign like Sarah Palin, for the good of the country.