November 30, 2009 6:11 PM

John Ensign: I Won't Resign

By
Brian Montopoli
Topics
Congress
(AP)
Embattled Republican Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, who acknowledged an affair with a member of his staff over the summer, said today that he will not resign, in part because doing so would help Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada win reelection.

"For the people who want to beat Harry Reid, you'd have a second Senate race [in 2010] and that takes the focus off Harry Reid," Ensign said on conservative radio station KXNT today, according to Politico. He said splitting Republican resources in the 2012 midterms would hurt "the conservative cause."

Reid is expected to face a tough reelection campaign next year, with a poll last month finding that two different Republicans would defeat him if the election had been held then. The survey found Reid's unfavorable rating to be 50 percent.

Ensign is vowing to serve it out his term, which runs until 2012.

Ensign, who said in 2004 that "marriage is the cornerstone on which our society was founded" and who called fellow Republican Sen. Larry Craig a "disgrace" following Craig's arrest for disorderly conduct in an airport restroom, has acknowledged and apologized for his ninth-month affair with former aide Cindy Hampton. After Cindy Hampton and her husband Doug stopped working for Ensign in April, Ensign's parents gave the couple $96,000.

Doug Hampton said the senator helped him secure jobs in the wake of the affair, and, as Politico notes, he has suggested Ensign "potentially violated federal law by helping arrange a meeting with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for one of Hampton's lobbying clients." The Senate Ethics Committee is looking into the allegation, which Ensign denies.

"Here's exactly what happened — when I was a veterinarian, when I was in the House of Representatives, and in the Senate, current employees, former employees, I've recommended countless numbers over the years, gotten them jobs, the same thing that I did with Doug Hampton. Recommended him, didn't say, 'Hey, hire him.' The same way I've done for many people over the years," Ensign said.

Before the revelations, Ensign had been considered a rising star in the GOP and a potential 2012 Republican presidential candidate.

"I violated the vows of my marriage. It's absolutely the worst thing I've ever done in my life," Ensign said in admitting the affair in June, after the Hamptons indicated they were going public. (Watch at left.)

Ensign said today that there are "a lot of people running for office next year" who "actually want me to be involved with their campaigns," though he did not name them. He said he would seek "to be helpful without being hurtful."

Add a Comment
by offtheback December 1, 2009 1:10 PM EST
hurt "the conservative cause."?!?!?! ***? Cheating on your "vow before god," lieing to the one who trusts you the most not to mention your employers (the good voters of the state of Nevada)and having mommy and daddy try to bail you out. This type of behaviour does not hurt the cause?
Anybody who would vote for this pig again must be bending over begging to get bufu'd. What a looser. Not any different from most who hold office though.
Reply to this comment
by environmental_wacko December 1, 2009 7:16 AM EST
His handlers have too much invested in him. They won't let him resign.
Reply to this comment
by lawyertom1 December 1, 2009 1:39 AM EST
Resign, John, resign. You are a hypocrite and a liar.
Reply to this comment
by BBDenver November 30, 2009 10:45 PM EST
No shame at all, just do it, the Republican way.
Reply to this comment
by formrusmcsgt November 30, 2009 8:19 PM EST
John Ensign: I Won't Resign
--
Hardly surprising considering it's well established public fact that he has no honor.

Why should he suddenly develop a sense of honor?

P.S. I am a Nevada resident and can't wait to see this scumbag booted.
Reply to this comment
by tafhdyd November 30, 2009 8:17 PM EST
Before the revelations, Ensign had been considered a rising star in the GOP and a potential 2012 Republican presidential candidate.

He should be a front runner now. He follows the Republican line perfectly. Preach high moral values and lie, cheat and do the opposite.
Reply to this comment
by Imperious813 November 30, 2009 7:23 PM EST
It's okay if you're a Republican.
Reply to this comment
by stn_sage November 30, 2009 7:12 PM EST
Ob course, this s*c*um*bag isn't going to resign!

He's got one of the easiest jobs in the world! You can lie, cheat, and steal and rarely be held responsible for it. You can be a pervert. You can go to free fundraisers and luncheons instead of doing your work. You don't even have to bother reading the bills you vote on. And, you have the world's greatest public option health care program paid for by the public!

Ensign might be a crook, but he's NOT stupid...he doesn't want to give ALL THAT UP! OB COURSE, NOT!!!
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