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The Times' Ensign blockbuster
There are so many damaging revelations in the Eric Lipton/Eric Lichtblau's opus about Sen. John Ensign's attempt to silence his former aide Doug Hampton -- the husband of the senator's mistress, Cynthia -- it's hard to know where to start.
Either way, the story of Ensign's attempts to hush the Hampton by setting Doug up in a lucrative lobbying business will have huge ethical and legal implications for both men - and clearly poses a grave new threat to the Nevada Republican's political career.
Some key points:.
-- "[T]he senator arranged for Mr. Hampton to join a political consulting firm and lined up several donors as his lobbying clients, according to interviews, e-mail messages and other records. Mr. Ensign and his staff then repeatedly intervened on the companies’ behalf with federal agencies in Washington, often after urging from Mr. Hampton."
-- "Several legal experts say those activities may have violated an ethics law that bans senior aides from lobbying the Senate for a year after leaving their posts."
--The BIGGIE: "Mr. Hampton said he and Mr. Ensign were aware of the lobbying restriction but chose to ignore it. He recounted how the senator helped him find clients and ticked off several steps Mr. Ensign took to assist them with their agendas in Washington, activities confirmed by federal officials and executives with the businesses."
“The only way the clients could get what John was essentially promising them — which was access — was if I still had a way to work with his office,” Mr. Hampton said. “And John knew that.”
-- "After requests from Mr. Hampton, Mr. Ensign called the secretary of transportation last year to plead the case for a Nevada airline, Allegiant Air, which was under investigation for allegedly overcharging for its online tickets. Earlier this year, he arranged for Mr. Hampton and his clients to meet the new transportation secretary in a successful effort to resolve a dispute with a foreign competitor."
And that's just the first 1,000 words...
Another eye-catching passage: Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), who acted as Ensign's intermediary and adviser in the affair, says he threatened to tell Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kent.) if Ensign didn't stop pursuing Cindy Hampton.
