Former aide to Sen. John Ensign indicted by feds (husband of Ensign's mistress)

[RamboLiberal]

Source: USA Today

The husband of Sen. John Ensign's former mistress has been charged with violating federal conflict of interest laws.

The U.S. Justice Department announced today that Douglas Hampton, a former top aide to the GOP senator, has been indicted on seven counts. The charges stem from violations of congressional rules that bar Senate employees from lobbying their ex-colleagues for one year after they stop working for Congress.

Ensign, who recently announced he would not seek another term next year, has been investigated by federal prosecutors and the Senate Ethics Committee for actions stemming from his affair with Hampton's wife, Cynthia. Prosecutors said in December they would not charge Ensign for his role in helping Douglas Hampton obtain lobbying work.

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Douglas Hampton was off Ensign's Senate payroll as of April 30 that year. The indictment, handed down Thursday by a grand jury in the District of Columbia, alleges that Hampton represented an airline and energy company before Ensign's Senate office as the two entities tried to get help from the federal Departments of Transportation and Interior.



Read more: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2011/03/john-ensign-affair-senate-criminal-charges-/1

[hlthe2b]

1. While the stink of retribution is there....

They all seem like absolute cretins...

[xchrom]

2. About fuckin time.

There's more wrong here than this.

Time being first and fore most.

[quakerboy]

3. So... shouldnt the reverse follow?

If its illegal for senate employees to lobby their ex-colleagues, shouldnt it be illegal for senators to accept lobbying from their ex colleagues?

[Octafish]

4. Isn't the husband of Ensign's mistress a whistleblower?

He blew wide open Ensign's affair.

[hayu_lol]

6. At the risk of making a bad pun...

looks like they were all in bed together. Oh, those Repugnants.

[TomCADem]

5. John Ensign Is Up For Re-election in 2012! He Is Openly Corrupt and Unfaithful To His Wife!

If Harry Reid had trouble in 2010 as an incumbent, then what about John Ensign? Or, will the corporate media run interference? I notice that most stories covering the indictment neglect to mention that Ensign is a Republican. Heck, I bet Fox News is "accidentally" listing him as a Democrat if it even is covering this story.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

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[TomCADem]

9. You're right. He just announced on 3/7/11

Prior to that, he was still talking re-election. Not sure whether that was some time ago...

[blackspade]

8. And Ensign walks free.....

Stay classy DOJ!