[An Nahar] Embattled U.S. Senator John Ensign announced Thursday he will resign in May after getting embroiled in a sex and corruption scandal that saw him become the subject of an ethics probe.
"It is with tremendous sadness that I officially hand over the Senate seat that I have held for eleven years," the Nevada Republican said in a statement.
"I stand behind my firm belief that I have not violated any law, rule, or standard of conduct of the Senate, and I have fought to prove this publicly," he said.
"(But) I will not continue to subject my family, my constituents or the Senate to any further rounds of investigation, depositions, drawn out proceedings or especially public hearings."
The 53-year-old politician cited the ongoing investigation into his handling of an affair with former aide Cynthia Hampton, whose husband Doug had been Ensign's administrative assistant.
He said the investigation had caused "simply too great" an emotional cost to him and his family.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid ... the charismatic former Senate majority leader ... , a Nevada Democrat, said he "appreciated John's partnership in working with me to address our state's needs," calling Ensign a "strong advocate for Nevada."
"I know this is a difficult time for the family and I wish them all well as they work through it," he added.
Ensign's resignation, which will be effective on May 3, comes just a month and a half after he announced he would not seek reelection in 2012, saying "there are consequences to sin."
The Senate Ethics Committee is investigating claims that Ensign violated ethics rules and federal law after his affair.
Ensign acknowledged the affair in 2009, after Doug Hampton threatened to go public. The senator later confessed that his parents had paid the Hamptons $96,000 after he dismissed the couple from his payroll.
Ensign called the money a gift and the Hamptons called it severance pay. Critics say the money is an improper campaign contribution to Ensign by his parents.
A federal grand jury has meanwhile indicted Doug Hampton for violating a law forbidding congressional staff members from lobbying politicians until at least one year after they have left their Capitol Hill jobs.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/23/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
We all knew Ted Kennedy and John Ensign is no Ted Kennedy. /sarc off
#2
he should resign, but don't expect Democrats to meet this standard. Nevada's GOP Guv can appoint Rep. Dean Heller to the seat and hold it til the 2012 election as an incumbent. Win-win
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/23/2011 9:08 Comments ||
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#3
AH HA, never said Democrat in the posting.
Still anither place the MSM did NOT tell us the Dems fucked up.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/23/2011 10:48 Comments ||
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Posted by: Frank G ||
04/23/2011 12:22 Comments ||
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#6
Power corrupts. It doesn't discriminate based upon "R"or "D". It helps if people aren't corrupt before they're elected, but don't bet on it being the final word.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/23/2011 13:24 Comments ||
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#7
Ensign was a pretty good senator IMO. Not perfect, but good. I voted for him twice. I hope he goes "into the wilderness" for a while, finds his bearings, and comes back to politics.
#8
I'll bet a dollar to a dog turd that her political-class husband blackmailed Ensign, the ethics committee found out, and now Ensign is having to hightail it out of there.
#1
Everybody with two brain cells to rub together has problems with you, you lying worthless self-centered charletan Al.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/23/2011 17:12 Comments ||
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#2
anyone with a sense of ethics, conscience, honor, and intelligence has a problem with you, Al, you POS. Apparently for Obama, not so much. He just had two meetings and public appearances with this pomaded race-baiting lying asshat
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/23/2011 17:37 Comments ||
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#3
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