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July 9, 2009 4:01 PM

Ensign's Parents Gave Mistress $96K

Posted by Stephanie Condon
(CBS)
Sen. John Ensign's parents gave his mistress and her family nearly $100,000 in gifts, the senator's lawyer said Thursday.

The Nevada Republican's parents gave the gifts to Cindy Hampton, Doug Hampton and their two children in April 2008 after learning about the affair, Ensign's attorney Paul Coggins said in a statement.

The gifts came in the form of $12,000 checks from each parent to each member of the Hampton family, totaling $96,000 -- small enough amounts to make them exempt from IRS reporting requirements and exempt from gift taxes.

Coggins said in the statement the gifts were made "out of concern for the well-being of long-time family friends during a difficult time" and were "consistent with a pattern of generosity by the Ensign family to the Hamptons and others."

None of the gifts came from campaign or official funds, Coggins said, nor were they related to any campaign or official duties. He said Ensign has complied with all applicable laws and Senate ethics rules.

The statement was released after the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington today asked the Justice Department to investigate Ensign's payments to Hampton.
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John Ensign
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by toldyouso29 July 10, 2009 2:03 AM EDT
The gifts came in the form of $12,000 checks from each parent to each member of the Hampton family, totaling $96,000 -- small enough amounts to make them exempt from IRS reporting requirements and exempt from gift taxes."

several things wrong with this--unless the laws have really changed. The IRS is well aware of people trying to 'beat the system' and therefore they installed these caveats for the 12K/year amounts:

1. Recipients can only receive 12K TOTAL in payments in a given tax year. Such amounts still must be reported to the IRS though they would be exempt from taxes.

2. To be eligible, recipients must be over 18 years of age and the disbursements must be disclosed at tax time.

If any money was given to kids underage, this must be tallied with the amount to the parents and as such, if the parents are already at their limit---then the amount over must be disclosed and taxed


3. If money was funneled to Ensign's parents and then back to the Hamptons, this paper trail will be investigated--if so, it may be prosecutable

4. If this money was from their personal monies, still the amounts over 1 year will be scrutinized also, since Ensign is indicated stress placed on him and his family to pay up or face consequences, the idea of extortion and/or blackmail must be explored.

5. The relationship of Ensign's parents to the Hamptons must be explored. If it turns out that the Hamptons had only a cursory relationship or NO relationship with Ensign's parents then they were simply a front from which payoffs were made and the real source of the money as well as the reason it was given must be examined.

This is far from over and it looks like several laws were broken. Personal lawyers are known for denying all guilt or culpability--that does not make it so--after all, the lawyer does not get in trouble for his lies or position--it is his client who will either benefit or suffer from the lies the lawyer tells.
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by toldyouso29 July 10, 2009 2:32 AM EDT
Forgot to add--that the recipients can only receive a max of 12K from any one entity in a tax year and the recipient MUST report the money as income--also mom and dad must also report the gift and the source of where the money came from--heaven help them if they were just a funnel for the money to travel from the campaign, through their private accounts then to the Hamptons--if their personal fortunes do not reflect the 96K drop or if an unusual amount of money all of a sudden appeared for them to pass on to the Hamptons, mom, dad and son may be in really BIG trouble--and not just politically. Oh the tangled webs we weave....
by GreedyOilPuppets July 10, 2009 1:19 AM EDT
As yet another example of the sheer hypocrisy of Republicans, this one ranks right up there. I would like to share an observation that illustrates just how far they have fallen. My family and I live in Jacksonville, NC, home of Camp Lejeune and the finest fighting men and women on the planet, the Marines. During dinner at a favorite watering hole the other night, we happened to be there for the weekly meeting of the county Republican party, in the patio next to us. It was attended ENTIRELY by whites, and not ONE of them was under the age of 50.
This group numbered less than 20 people, and what's even more striking, NOT ONE YOUNG MARINE. In the heart of Marine country.
If they can't pull a crowd here, they haven't got a chance of appealing to anyone meaningful except other old, bigoted hypocrites like themselves.
The party used to stand for a few reasonable beliefs, but they decided to pander to bigots masquerading as christians; The results of that are a stain on the history of the greatest nation on Earth, the country I love and served in uniform proudly, just like my father and his before him.
So keep up the good work! Dig that hypocrite's grave deep and wide, and keep jumping in 'til you are all a bad memory and the rest of us can get on with fixing the world you broke.
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by babooph July 10, 2009 12:53 AM EDT
100k bribe?The massive tax cuts for these rich make the bribe just a part of their tax rip off-no real pain at all for them-does anyone want to bet on how the senator voted on the tax cuts for the rich under Bush & Reagan??[you know the ones the US propaganda system sold as "TAX REFORM".]
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by babooph July 10, 2009 12:38 AM EDT
How did the US propaganda system EVER sell these "family values" creeps as MORAL-down to little Bush & his torture & war on Islam CRUSADE!!!
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by stevex47 July 9, 2009 11:04 PM EDT
Ya, vote republican. That's a real good idea.
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by bajajohn1 July 10, 2009 12:25 AM EDT
Dem Repigs worship Satan?!!! Say it ain't so, Joe.
by wtcmedic911 July 9, 2009 10:18 PM EDT
So many republicans acting like liberal dems. vote them out, kick them to the street and in the nads! enough of RINO's!!!
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by 45ford July 9, 2009 9:22 PM EDT
$96,000 from Ensign's parents in addition to the $25,000 Ensign himself paid them. All told that's $121,000 in hush money. So much for it staying hushed and an expensive lesson too. Oh wait, he's a senator so for him that's just a coin in a bucket.
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by bajajohn1 July 9, 2009 8:31 PM EDT
Prostitution is legal in Nevada. But, who is the Prostitude in this story?
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by mejordelahistoria July 9, 2009 8:29 PM EDT
I wonder how much did jesus pay for his prostitutes.
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by Sloughfoot July 9, 2009 8:18 PM EDT
She didn't come cheap.
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