Nevada Senator John Ensign has apologized for having an affair with a member of his campaign staff and says he and his wife sought counseling and have since reconciled. Some, however, are saying the timing of his public announcement is interesting and suggests attempted blackmail may be at issue. Read more about it below, see photos of John and Darlene Ensign below, and a video.




john ensign

John and Darlene Ensign, Blackmailed over Affair?





Senator John Ensign of Nevada has long since been considered one of the young turks of the GOP, a rising fiscal and social conservative star, maybe even a potential presidential candidate. But not anymore. Not after admitting to cheating on his wife Darlene with a former campaign staffer who is married to one of his former legislative aides.

Ensign’s affair with campaign aide, Cindy Hampton, happened over several months last year when he and his wife were separated. When Ensign reconciled with his wife, he gave the aide a severance package, and the two parted ways. Or so he thought.

Some time later, reportedly, Ensign met with the husband of his lover, Doug Hampton, and had what some described as a ‘positive encounter’ although what that means in circumstances like this, I am not quite sure. Supposedly, Doug Hampton, the husband of John Ensign’s Affair, subsequently asked Ensign for a substantial sum of money — at which point John Ensign decided to make his affair public. Was John Ensign blackmailed? Maybe.

The news conference in which he admitted his affair was quickly pulled together and though he did not provide specifics of his affair, Ensign did say the following:

“Last year, I had an affair,” Ensign said. “I violated the vows of my marriage. It is the worst thing I have ever done in my life. If there was ever anything in my life that I could take back, this would be it. I take full responsibility for my actions.”

Yeah well. He also said that he deeply regretted the affair and that he remains committed to his Senate duties. Thankfully his wife Darlene was NOT standing by his side with a pale, strained, frozen face but she did release a statement saying:

“Since we found out last year, we have worked through the situation, and we have come to a reconciliation. This has been difficult on both families. With the help of our family and close friends, our marriage has become stronger.”

Ok. What else do wives of these kind of men usually say? It seems John Ensign has no plans to resign and I’m glad for that because he is a good senator. The potential threat of extortion or even attempted blackmail over John Ensign’s affair? It seems to have been confirmed by several sources though we, at Right Pundits, have no real idea one way or the other. We’ll let some one else sort out all the sordid details of extortion, blackmail and John Ensign’s affair.

Update: John Ensign’s affair with Cindy Hampton, and the sordid details that surround it just get more strange. Now there’s a report that John Ensign’s parents paid Doug and Cindy Hampton $96,000 AFTER being told of the affair by their son. Their reason for doing this? John Ensign’s parents decided to make the gifts “out of concern for the well-being of long-time family friends during a difficult time”. Strange don’t you think? Why would the parents of John Ensign give a $96,000 “gift” to the other woman and her family? After his affair, was John Ensign Blackmailed? Again, we have no way of knowing the truth in this strange tale. But clearly, it’s coming out.




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Ensign Affair: John Ensign Blackmailed Photos





Ensign Affair: John Ensign Blackmailed Video