Inquiries on Senator Ensign Are Anticipated

[snookums1]

The Justice Department and the Senate Ethics Committee are expected to conduct preliminary inquiries into whether Senator John Ensign violated federal law or ethics rules as part of an effort to conceal an affair with the wife of an aide. The inquiries will most likely examine whether Mr. Ensign, a Nevada Republican, or Douglas Hampton, his one-time administrative assistant, broke the law after Mr. Hampton, immediately upon leaving his Congressional job last year, began to lobby Mr. Ensign’s office. Mr. Hampton, as a senior aide, was subject to a one-year lobbying ban.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/us/politics/03ensign.html?_r=1&hp

[dinojen]

Sure are alot of investigations going on these days... on both sides of the aisles.. some more worse than others... JMOOC..


<snippet>
Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) will not give up his powerful committee chairmanship while he is being investigated for possible ethics violations, a decision supported by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the congressman's lawyer said yesterday.

"Mr. Rangel has not considered, nor has it ever been on the table, that he would step aside from his current position as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee," Lanny Davis said.

Rangel, 78, has faced increasing pressure to vacate his committee post while the House ethics committee conducts inquiries into his financial and tax filings, real estate deals and fundraising for an academic center that bears his name.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/16/AR2008091601938.html


Tax evasion, affairs, real estate deals, secret deals with Freddie and Frannie.. DC is just full of surprises isn't it...:angry:

Oh and can't forget ACORN...

[Brentwood]

He has proven himself unfit for office, imo.

He tried to conceal his affair. Possible misuse of campaign money, etc.

Ensign surely knew about the 1 yr lobbying ban.

“Mr. Ensign could be legally at risk if he knew that Mr. Hampton was violating the one-year ban, or if he actually directed him to do so, as Mr. Hampton has said, ethics lawyers said.”

Ensign acted on hamptons lobby efforts by appealing to officials at the Dept of Interior & the Dept of Transportation to take up issues raised by Mr. Hampton’s lobbying clients. He sure sounds guilty to me.

[crocdog1]

He has my vote if he runs. Of all the folks out there taking bribes, stashing money in the freezer, getting kick backs and pay off, the Senator had a little affair while seperated from his wife. The sad part is that Ensign is really squeaky clean. IMOO

"Squeaky clean," is how the GOP (The Party of the Moral Majority) consider themselves.

That is, if you are a Republican as they are the Party of the Do as I say, not do as I do.

Now, if you are a Democrat or an Independent who disagrees with their faith based moral values and beliefs and you are unfaithful to your spouse (as many Repubs, including Ensign, are today), then you are an abomination, and a very immoral person.

Just My Humble Opinion.

[dinojen]

"Squeaky clean," is how the GOP (The Party of the Moral Majority) consider themselves.

That is, if you are a Republican as they are the Party of the Do as I say, not do as I do.

Now, if you are a Democrat or an Independent who disagrees with their faith based moral values and beliefs and you are unfaithful to your spouse (as many Repubs, including Ensign, are today), then you are an abomination, and a very immoral person.

Just My Humble Opinion.

Funny reading this post the first thing that came to my mind was these words...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiIP_KDQmXs


And I liked Bill Clinton as president.. might of had morals of a sewer rat.. but thought he was a good president... wouldn't want to be married to him though..

So easy to point the finger at whatever political party you have issues with when it's like playing spin the bottle in DC.. plenty of places to point for lying, cheating and dirty play.

Also Just My Humble Opinion:wink:

[crocdog1]

No, I don't disagree with faith based moral values. I do find the "and you are unfaithful to your spouse.........." over the top and for sure don't think the Republicans guys have a lock on "fooling around".:laugh:

I never have seen the Democrats moralize. Have you? However, the GOP is the Party of the Moral Majority. They want all the other "godless" ( see remarks by Elizabeth Dole.) people who are not Republicans to "do as they say, not do as they do."

I, too, am in favor of faith based moral values..However, I do not want other Christians forcing their their faith base values, morals, and convictions on me or the rest of the The American People.

This the agenda of the 25-30 Million base/core neocons and fundamental Christians of the GOP. They want to tell people how to behave, do good and be moral while, at the same time not having the same agenda for their own Party. We are a Nation of different cultures, colors andfaiths.

I keep seeing posts about of Bill Clinton. They tell you he lied and committed immoral acts.

However, when "their own," such as Senator Ensign, Governor Mark Sanford, et al are unfaithful to their wives, excuses are made and lo and behold these people are "squeaky clean."

Same goes when the extreme RW make falsehoods against their fellow man. Example: Saying that Obama is a Nazi, that he is not a native born American citizen, and that he is not a Christian. These are nothing more than baldfaced lies.

Same goes with the big falsehood that Obama's HCP is a death warrant for Senior Citizens.

These extremists also want to teach our children that the world was formed in 6,000 years.

They also do not want our children to be taught sex education. Absolutely unbelievable. They would rather we have a bunch of pregnant teens than to educate them.

Just My Humble Opinion

[snookums1]

Apparently, this time around, the Republicans are not defending Ensign. Certainly different than what has occurred with others. Normally they have a hissyfit if someone dares to point out one of theirs is less than perfect. It sure makes me wonder why.

Jon Kyl Refuses To Defend John Ensign In Midst Of Ethics Scandal

Ensign is finding no support among his long-time friends and colleagues on Capitol Hill. On Friday, Republican leader Mitch McConnell dodged the issue. “I really don’t have any observations to make about the Ensign matter,’’ McConnell told reporters.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/10/04/kyl-ensign-silence/

[dinojen]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh so many ethic violations and so little time...:tonguewag:

Dems have the lead so far...

<snippet>

4 Aug 2009 // As Congress heads into its summer recess, some members have more worries to take home with them than others.

According to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, 17 representatives and senators are known to currently be under investigation for breaking ethical standards. Of those under investigation, 13 are Democratic members and four are Republican members.

Charges range from steering earmarked funds toward associates to tax evasion to receiving preferential mortgage rates.

http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/42038



Just for our reading enjoyment... Oh also found a list of all those currently.. not sure of the exact date of this list.. a few more might of been added like Mr. Ensign.. but he doesn't show on the list yet...:wink:
Pretty cool.. click on the person's name and gives you the details..

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Category:Members_of_Congress_under _investigation


Guess these violations are definately party exclusive are they?

[daniel green]

Senate probe of Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) is heating up, according to a reporter for the Las Vegas Sun.

"Sources confirm that the Senate panel has begun issuing subpoenas for documents, including to key players in the case involving U.S. Sen. John Ensign's scandal. The committee appears to be trying to connect the dots between Doug Hampton's post-Ensign tenure and what role the senator played in getting him jobs that allowed the former chief-of-staff to contact the Senate office and what those contacts involved," Jon Ralston told Political Wire.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/04/ensign-probe-heats-up-sen_n_380450.html