Ensign loses another senior aide

Thursday, July 23, 2009 | 3:11 p.m.

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Sen. John Ensign lost his second senior aide in as many days, as Tory Mazzola, Ensign's communications director, is moving over to the National Republican Congressional Committee. The moves were first reported by Sun columnist Jon Ralston.

Ensign is enduring political difficulties, following revelations that he had an affair with Cynthia Hampton, a woman on his campaign staff, whose husband Doug Hampton was also former senior aide.

Also, the senator acknowledged that his parents, who are very wealthy after selling shares in casino companies, had paid the Hamptons nearly $100,000 in gifts.

John Lopez, Ensign's chief of staff and a longtime loyal lieutenant, is also leaving.

The exodus is fueling speculation about turmoil in the office, and the possibility of more damaging revelations to come.

Ensign announced former staffers will return to replace the outgoing staffers. Aaron Cohen, a former health care adviser, is the new chief of staff. Rebecca Fisher, a former communications director for Ensign, takes over for Mazzola.

Discussion: 12 comments so far…

By Judy

7/23/09 at 3:24 p.m.

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So is Ensign doing both Mazzola and Lopez and their wives?
By late49er

7/23/09 at 3:32 p.m.

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Imagine the pets to.
By BobbyG

7/23/09 at 4:43 p.m.

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Bribery investigation. That's all I want to read about.
By benighse

7/23/09 at 6:47 p.m.

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First he lost his rod, now he's losing his staff.
By skerlahdee

7/23/09 at 7:44 p.m.

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He needs to hire people who know how to deal with tough sledding, or this is going to get out of control.
By afveteran

7/23/09 at 7:56 p.m.

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I look at it this way: rats always abandon a sinking ship. I still see Ensign surviving until 2012 and trouncing his liberal democrat opponent as the leftwingers implode in the next 3 years. This healthcare fiasco led by Pelosi and Reid has Obama making outrageous statements on everything from the stimulus package to a simple arrest of a black man in his own home due to racial profiling.
By Cradle_Of_Liberty

7/23/09 at 8:07 p.m.

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This just could not have happened to a nicer guy.

It's a tough spot for us Nevadan's to be in, but this could not have happened to a nicer guy.

I can just see all those hundreds of summer tourists, beautiful American families, mommy and daddy from Keokuk with the kids walking down the long cool corridors of the Russell Senate Office Building and poking their heads into Johnny "Rotten" Ensign's office to inquire; "Pardon me, Is this Clown Alley ?!"....

Can't we all just get along and chip in a few bucks apiece to get The Senator a pair of BIG RED FLOPPY SHOES.....

Is Johnny really going to have a tattoo of a large cylindrical marital aid inked on his forhead.....SO THE WHOLE WORLD CAN SEE HIM COMING for the rest of his life.......OH GOD.....thank goodness you are a CHOSED ONE..........again....this could not have happened to a nicer guy. Bottom line: AMERICA IS LAUGHING AT US NEVADAN'S because of this selfish vapid pr*%k....Mazzola got sick of the Ron Ziegler role, telling the world the boss is doing just fine....tough beans for the chief of staff, Lopez....chief of what ???, Slanker's slutty patronage pigs??...this weasal could have spilled the beans on this vile vile vile creatures reprobate activities ages ago..NOT......let him come home and live with the homeless jobless veterans living under the freeway in Oscar's downtown....Johnny come marching home again, the Gold Strike needs a swamper on graveyard. BOZO THE CLOWN
By Birdiedreamin

7/23/09 at 8:43 p.m.

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do you think mommy and daddy broke out the check book for these aides to try to get them to stay???
hee hee hee...
what a pathetic sad sack johnnie boy ensign is...
and this clown was one of the bright bulbs in the poor poor terribly misguided republican party...
hee hee hee...
hoo hoo hoo...
haa haa haa...
By mred

7/23/09 at 8:49 p.m.

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2012 Anti Ensign ad: Pictures of newspaper headlines regarding Ensign scandal. Cut to picture of cult house. Cut to picture of men dressed in monks rodes lighting candles in dark room. Cut to black and white images of Nazi storm troopers marching.

Music: soundtrack of the "Oman" movie.

Voice over: "Hasn't Nevada had enough of John Ensign? If Embarrassing Nevada with his infidelity isn't enough, he even embraced a cult that approves of Hitler's methods." It's time for John Ensign to go.
By crackedbeak

7/23/09 at 8:50 p.m.

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Ironic that a song by Queen sums it up so nicely

Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
There are plenty of ways you can hurt a man
And bring him to the ground
You can beat him
You can cheat him
You can treat him bad and leave him
When hes down
But Im ready, yes Im ready for you
Im standing on my own two feet
How long can you stand the heat
Another one bites the dust
By leftiebob

7/24/09 at 5:24 a.m.

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Will someone please interview these staff members to find out WHY they are leaving.
By mred

7/25/09 at 3:47 p.m.

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For "Family" reasons.