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Rick Santorum speaks to the media after the GOP presidential debate sponsored by CNN on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011, at the Venetian.
By Anjeanette Damon (contact) 
Monday, Jan. 9, 2012 | 2 a.m.
Doug Hampton is a former senior aide to Sen. John Ensign and is married to the woman with whom the senator admitted to having an affair.
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Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum betrayed his professed family values when he tipped off his friend, former Sen. John Ensign, that a story about his extramarital affair was about to break, said Doug Hampton, husband of the woman with whom Ensign had been having the affair.
“If Santorum was true to his values, why didn’t he ask Ensign to step down and why hasn’t he been more forthright on his reasons for doing what he did?” Hampton said in an interview with the Sun on Friday. “If you are a family-values guy, a straight-shooter, there is no reason for you not to address poignantly, truthfully and honestly your position and what you did. End of discussion.”
Hampton, who was one of Ensign’s top aides at the time, said he asked Santorum in June 2009 for help in ending the affair Ensign was having with his wife.
Instead of offering help, Santorum forwarded to Ensign an email Hampton had written to Fox News to publicize the affair in a last-ditch effort to put an end to it.
Santorum’s move allowed Ensign to acknowledge the affair and issue a public apology before the media could break the story.
“I begged Rick to talk to me first,” Hampton said in his first public interview since Santorum’s surge in the GOP presidential primary race. “I told him, ‘You don’t understand what I’ve done to try and help this man understand what he has done. You’re a good friend, maybe you could go talk to him.’ ”
The incident has become more and more galling to Hampton as Santorum has become a front-runner in the presidential race. Coming within eight votes of winning Iowa, Santorum has established himself as a religious conservative with traditional family values.
“What are you going to do if you are elected president and one of your cabinet members does this?” Hampton asked. “What are you going to do?”
The scandal surrounding Ensign’s affair spurred investigations by the Justice Department and the Senate Ethics Committee, which probed whether Ensign helped Hampton find lobbying jobs in violation of the one-year ban on Senate staffers becoming lobbyists.
Ensign resigned as the Ethics Committee investigation into the affair intensified and has not been charged in the matter.
Hampton, meanwhile, has been indicted and is facing a trial sometime this spring on charges of violating the lobbying ban.
Santorum’s senior adviser John Brabender said Santorum did “what anybody would do” when confronted with Hampton’s email.
“Put yourself in that role,” Brabender said. “Somebody you barely know sends you a letter about someone who you would consider a close friend. You would read it and think these seem like serious allegations and I should share this with my friend. I think that’s pretty typical behavior.”
But Hampton said Santorum’s family values should have dictated his response, rather than a knee-jerk reaction to protect a friend.
“If he really was a family-values guy, he would’ve stepped up and said, ‘We are godly men, we stand by our wives, you can’t continue to serve as a senator,’ ” Hampton said.
Tomorrow, the electorate in New Hampshire will go for Romney in a landslide. The race there is for second place. Santorum will probably limp on to South Carolina, where he will be trounced. He will probably drop out before Florida, and then case closed.
"If he really was a family-values guy, he would've stepped up and said, 'We are godly men, we stand by our wives, you can't continue to serve as a senator,' " Hampton said.
Yes, that sounds like something one of those pathetic scoundrels might say. Hahahahahaha!
The slime continues. Really, this is the best and the brightest? God bless our Idiocracy!
"...Santorum has established himself as a religious conservative with traditional family values. . . . . "If he really was a family-values guy, he would've stepped up and said, 'We are godly men, we stand by our wives, you can't continue to serve as a senator,' " Hampton said."
The Republican carnival is fun to watch as most of the candidates fall all over themselves pandering to the "religious" far right. The truth came out in Santorum's recent New Hampshire meet with college students who nailed him on gay marriage. Apparently traditional family values is to be dictated by whatever the loudest christians say they are. I reject that absolutely and will resist it always.
"After coming into contact with a religious man I always feel I must wash my hands." -- Friedrich Nietzsche, 1888 "Ecce Homo - Why I Am a Destiny"
I'm pretty sure that justice will happen regarding unresolved questions regarding this Nevada Senate scandal.
Santorum is just a temporary flavor of the week for the Tea/Republicans. I have seen many instances of people who attended his speeches that don't care for his nutball ideas. He will disappear quickly. All indications show alot of people don't want to even see him in charge of hot dog stand. Not only because of this Ensign crony debacle, but also because of stupidity of uncalled for homophobic statements, "man on dog" comments, and stating emphatically he wants to bomb Iran...for little to no reason. It is a certified fact any sane politician will not succeed with talk like that. Only a nut case rambles like Santorum does. Anyways, he is wayyyy too creepy for Americans to vote into office as President Of the Untied States of America.
I predict Hampton won't appear in a court to face charges in the spring. He'll turn over evidence for immunity so that Federal officials will prosecute Ensign for corruption and other criminal charges. All indications show that Hampton performed criminal acts, but the willfull intent is slight. There appears a moral obligation here where people want heads to roll, but not his. There is no doubt about the fact that he is the person wronged here. I hope it does happen where they drag that slimeball Ensign into court. He has escaped any sort of justice about this whole thing for FARRRRR too long. He needs to face the music. Period. There must be vengeance for what he did. Besides the fact he embarassed Nevada as well as the nation.
In addition to the above, I make another prediction. The Nevada voters out here are still angry with a sour taste in their mouths about that whole Ensign debacle. And because of that, the appointee filling that post will be crushed in the next election. Heller, though not at fault for any of this, will face the voter vengeance. In short, the Tea/Republicans have lost all rights to this Senate Seat. Berkley will take it by a landslide. We can't afford to offer the Tea/Republicans another opportunity to screw it up. They blew it. They need to sit on the sidelines and reflect their greedy, selfish nature.
So, justice may not occur as quick, but it is inevitable.
"Only a nut case rambles like Santorum does."
ColinFromLasVegas -- "a nut case who would say anything to get elected" would be more accurate. The worst part is he and many, many others actually believe what he said in New Hampshire. Now that he's outed, let's see where it goes.
"Makes you feel ashamed to live in a land where justice is a game." -- Bob Dylan "Hurricane"
Thanks for the correction, KillerB. Agree.
Doug Hampton should have resolved this with his wife..one on one. Involving Santorum as a "peacemaker" was asinine. It's your marriage. If your wife has decided to get involved with another man you have one choice and one choice only in my book. Divorce. You'll never trust this woman again. Pleading with Santorum to tell Ensign to end the relationship? Please. Man up and do your own dirty work. She embarrassed you to no end...and you want her back? Pathetic.
KillerB: Thanks for the Nietzsche quote! One of my favorites, and oh-so true!
I don't like any of these guys, but this fool's attacks are stupid. It shouldn't even be a story. To me, this is just another example of the Sun jumping at any chance to slam the Republicans. I would applaud them if they did the same to the Democrats, but they're just another partisan media company.
Hadn't Doug Hampton ever heard the "If you lie with dogs..." adage?
He should have spent more time talking with his wife. Does he not see that she is just as guilty as Ensign?
Stovall, she was not the Senator...........
"Husband cuckolded by Ensign." Wow! Enough said. That headline is too funny. He ripped Santorum? The straight shooter?
You guys had a lot of fun with this article didn't you?
Since Dougie Hampton lost his man card I could care less what he has to say, unless he's going to kick Ensign and his wife's butt. Dude you were made to look like a weak a$$ punk. I really don't know it's going to take before you can carry a man card again. Just go away and try to become a man again. You are the poster boy on how not to be a man.
could santorum be one of those phony christians?
christians in name only?
republicans seem to be good for that !
It will definitely be an interesting year to watch the politicians. It has already started with the debates, and will contiue as the frontrunners continue to grasp at anything they can sling at each other in their race to become the next POTUS.
The Congressional seats will also face scrutiny - like here in Nevada where Heller is going to be running for Ensign's chair.
I read that Mr. Family Values' wife had an abortion.
PGelsman: Yes, she did, but that's supposed to be "different."
Seems to me that Hampton went about this the wrong way.
First: Get a lawyer and file for divorce on infidelity grounds.
Second: Tell wifey that you want everything except the shirt on her back or her Senator friend will see the media spotlight turned on him.
Third: Accept the $500,000 cash payment from wifey, given to her by some un-named mysterious benefactor.
Fourth: Finalize the divorce quietly.
Fifth: Move to Florida and date often.
Ornelas---
No, Mrs. Hampton was not the Senator. But, she is just as guilty of adultery as (former) Senator Ensign.
You can not keep it quiet and you should not try, if you do you become an accessory. The truth will come out and confession is part of the catholic religion. Part of confession is admitting that you have sinned and ask for God to forgive you. Being part of a cover up is a huge mistake. The forgiveness of those hurt by your transgression is up to them. Republican voters , unlike democrats, condemn infidelity and do not endorse it by re-electing adulterers usually. Democrat cheaters are portrayed as great lovers.
I'am a Democrat
The alpha-conservatives and alpha-libs... Most are as phony as the day is long! They select a particular ideology like Paris Hilton selects her shoes for the nightclub. The classic menu will offer war, abortion, gay marriage, global warming, healthcare, border fence, immigration as the main course...and a few appetizers like bullet trains, tenure and minimum wage.
The IDENTITIFICATION with these issues creates the "image" of the candidate and establishes their BRAND! The issues are serious of course - but people like Santorum figure out early in their political careers they can use them as a platform and vehicle.
The scary reality is, there is a majority of sheep in America who fall for this with rabid fan-like dedication like soccer fans in Europe.
Santorum would be like electing that former catering hall DJ from Fox News, Sean Hannity for President.
CUCKOLD??
Wow Anjeanette found a dictionary that's older than the king of quotes cheat sheets!
Santorum's campaign appears to be toast outside of the midwest.