It turns out that disgraced Senator John Ensigns (NV) would have been expelled from the Senate had he not resigned. The details are really appalling-- can't believe that anyone would disagree that this guy is a real scumbag. In a nutshell, here is the sequence of events (Rachel Maddow's coverage follows afterward):
■ The Hamptons and Ensigns are best friends from way back. In fact, Cynthia Hampton is Darlene Ensign's bridesmaid at her wedding to John.
■ John Ensign becomes the sole source of financial support for the Hampton family, including subsidizing the education of their children.
■ In this context, John Ensign pursues Cynthia Hampton (the wife of his best friend), and the affair starts.
■ When Doug Hampton finds out about the affair (Christmas 2007), things start coming apart. John Ensign promises Doug Hampton to leave his wife alone, but he pursues her even harder, driven by what he calls "love."
■ In early 2008, C Street (see here) becomes involved — first, trying to get Ensign to stop the affair, then negotiating on behalf of John Ensign with the Hamptons. Both Tom Coburn and Doug Coe (C Street's leader) are involved.
■ Once the affair ends, Ensign retaliates-- immediately ending all financial support for the Hamptons. Cynthia and Doug Hampton are both fired, all payments for their home are stopped, and school tuition payments for the Hamptons children are withheld. The Hamptons lose their house, and they are ruined financially.
■ To tamp down the brewing storm (and silence Doug Hampton), John Ensign arranges an illegal lobbying job for him, using blackmail and the power of his office to make it happen. These actions become the basis for the DOJ investigation of Ensign.
■ Ensign persuaded his parents to lie about a Hampton payoff in such a way that has also put them at risk of prosecution by the Justice Department.
In the end, everyone involved with this mess has had their lives ruined-- John and Darlene Ensign, John Ensign's parents, Doug and Cynthia Hampton, the Hampton children. But Senator Tom Coburn (member of the infamous, hypocritical C street gang) is still in the Senate-- a man who was complicit in the Ensign scandal (but lied about it), who helped negotiate financial payouts to hide Ensign's extramarital affair-- is still bragging about his support of the "Defense of Marriage" act.
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