Maddow Explains Why Senator John Ensign May Be Criminally Charged pt.1

[democracy1st]

Run time: 14:15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8GbnHTBg5M   Posted on YouTube: May 13, 2011 By YouTube Member: MOXNEWSd0tCOM Views on YouTube: 254   Posted on DU: May 13, 2011 By DU Member: democracy1st Views on DU: 2021

 
Maddow Explains Why Senator John Ensign May Be Criminally Charged pt.2

http://youtu.be/o2TEwc8mhFg


John Ensign's Sordid Tale: Ethics Committee Report Alleges Senator Broke Law


As unbelievable as it might be from today's perspective, there was a lot of presidential campaign buzz in May 2009 surrounding a trip Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., was planning to the early caucus state of Iowa.

Today, Ensign is no longer even a senator and, worse still, faces possible criminal charges in the wake of a scathing report issued Thursday by his former colleagues on Capitol Hill. Included are details not only about the former veterinarian's affair with his best friend's wife but his alleged attempts to cover it up. The report reads like a criminal investigation at times with a narrative that recalls a sleazy dime-store novel at other points. Read the full report.

"It is a cautionary tale," Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Ethics Committee, said in announcing the panel's findings on the Senate floor Thursday afternoon, a highly unusual move. "It shows that our actions, all of them, have consequences."

If Ensign, 53, had not resigned earlier this month, Boxer said, he could have faced expulsion from the Senate, the harshest penalty possible. Political observers suggested that Ensign resigned to avoid such a fate.

for full report and pdf:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/john-ensigns-sordid-tale-ethics-committee-report-alleges/story?id=13597106




Tom Coburn Helped Cover Up John Ensign Affair: Senate Ethics Report


WASHINGTON -- Sen. Tom Coburn played a more active role than previously known in the negotiations between ex-Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) and his former aide, Doug Hampton. The extent of the Oklahoma Republican's involvement is made clear in a report released Thursday by the Senate Ethics Committee that accuses the former senator of serious criminal violations.

Ensign resigned from the Senate earlier this month, but had admitted in 2009 to having an affair with Cynthia Hampton -- a past campaign aide and the wife of Doug Hampton. During a two-year inquiry into possible violations by Ensign, the Senate Ethics Committee found that he violated campaign finance laws and obscured justice to cover-up his affair.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/12/tom-coburn-john-ensign_n_861287.html