Don't you just love it when politicians blame other people for their problems? 

Case in point; Nevada Republican Senator John Ensign, who astonishingly is blaming CREW for his troubles (pdf).  Remember, this is the senator who slept with a campaign staffer married to his chief of staff, fired them both, and then had his parents pay them off.  He then helped the cuckolded husband set up shop lobbying the senator's own office.

Yet somehow, in Senator Ensign's twilight zone of a world, CREW is the source of his problems?  The junior senator from Nevada needs a reality check, not a check for his legal defense.

Senator Ensign's letter makes two things clear; Senator Ensign must resign, and CREW's mission to bring responsibility and ethics to Washington is gaining momentum.  With Congressional elections just around the corner, we need your help to keep the pressure on.

"Fair or not, the terms "crook" and "politician" have become synonymous in the minds of many today. Yet leaders of both parties seem to be declaring mission accomplished when it comes to cleaning up Washington."
- Executive Director Melanie Sloan, NY Times 8/14/10

We've got a lot of work to do.  A donation to CREW sends a message to those in Congress that if politicians won't police themselves, the American public will.

Click here to donate to CREW today.

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Sometimes it’s just easier to let other people’s words do the talking for us. Case and point, Jon Ralston’s column in this Sunday’s Las Vegas Sun.

“John Ensign is a man of many talents, not the least of which are his skill at twisting the truth and of putting on a false front to the world.”

Wow! The truth hurts doesn’t in John?

In case you missed it, Senator Ensign took leave of his senses (again) this past week, and decided it would be a good idea to blame CREW (.pdf) for his problems. Can you believe it? He sleeps with a campaign staffer, who happens to be married to his Chief of Staff, fires them both, has his parents pay them off, and then helps the jilted husband set up a lobbying shop to lobby the Senator’s own office. Yet, somehow the mess he’s in is CREW’s fault? It sure sounds like Senator Ensign needs a mirror more than he needs cash from his constituents.

Needless to say, Nevadans saw right through it—and Ralston took him to the woodshed for it.

Someday soon, we hope Senator Ensign will send another letter to Nevadans, actually taking responsibility for his actions, and explaining to them why he is walking away from his office, but it doesn’t look like today will be that day- as Ralston pointed out:

“Of all the myriad character traits Ensign possesses — skillful liar, world-class hypocrite, brilliant poseur — resignation would require him to have the one thing he so clearly lacks: A conscience.”

So until then we’ll keep up the good fight- and continue to hold Senator Ensign’s feet to the fire, as we do with every other equally corrupt member, no matter what political party they belong to.

The week is already off to an exciting start--- and it’s only Monday.

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Our Friday afternoon has gotten a little more interesting. We’ve received word that embattled Nevada Senator John Ensign (R-NV) is not only blaming CREW for his troubles, but calling us out in a letter soliciting funds for his legal defense (.pdf). We're flattered, but by still failing to take responsibility for his actions Senator Ensign is only proving our point.

As we reported when the senator first set up his Legal Expense Trust Fund, "This isn't the only financial avenue available to members of Congress who want to pay their legal fees with other people's money. They can also use their campaign accounts and many do.”

Claiming he's been accused of things he "absolutely did not do" the senator has vowed to fight on. So will we. Whether calling for Charlie Rangel's resignation or spotlighting David Vitter’s deplorable behavior, CREW will keep on challenging elected officials who continue to place their own interests above those of the country.

Who says Friday the 13th brings only bad news? Thanks to the junior senator from Nevada, today more than ever, we know that CREW is definitely on the right track!

Thanks John!

View all our related documents here.

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The House Ethics Committee is preparing for major ethics trials of two senior members of the Congress, but the Senate Ethics Committee is still sitting quietly as Sen. John Ensign's transgressions loom over his tenure in the Senate.

CREW's executive director, Melanie Sloan, said today:

While the House is confronting the ethics problems of two of its members, the Senate appears to be slow-walking the case against Sen. Ensign. Sen. Ensign abused his position to conduct an affair with campaign staffer Cynthia Hampton, who was married to his then-chief of staff, Doug Hampton, fired them both, paid her severance that he improperly failed to report to the Federal Election Commission, and conspired to help Mr. Hampton set up a lobbying business in violation of federal law. Nevertheless, Sen. Ensign remains in the Senate, collecting a $174,000 pay check from American taxpayers.

So what exactly is the Ethics Committee waiting for? Since Sen. Ensign has refused to do the right thing by resigning, the Senate Ethics Committee should convene a public hearing so Americans can learn all the details of Sen. Ensign’s misdeeds and decide for themselves whether he is fit for office.

Click here to learn more about CREW's actions against Sen. Ensign.

There was a new development over the weekend in the ongoing scandal involving Nevada Senator John Ensign. One of Ensign's colleagues, Tom Coburn, is cooperating with the DOJ investigation:

Sen. Tom Coburn is providing information to the Justice Department for its investigation into whether Nevada Sen. John Ensign broke the law in an attempt to keep an affair with a staff member secret, Coburn's office said Saturday.

Coburn discussed his role as counselor to the Republican Ensign in 2008 when Ensign was having an affair with Cynthia Hampton, a former campaign staffer. At the time, Coburn, R-Okla., had advised Ensign to end the affair and was seeking to mediate a dispute with Hampton's husband, Doug.

Politico reported that the "information" includes emails between the Senators.

There's a Senate Ethics Committee of Ensign underway, too. No doubt, this story is far from over.

The Hill has a scoop on the depositions in the ethics investigation of Senator John Ensign. And, it sure sounds like the Ensign office knew that the effort to obtain lobbying jobs for Douglas Hampton violated the one-year lobbying ban:

In depositions to the Senate Ethics Committee, staffers for Sen. John Ensign have said the Nevada Republican and his senior aides knew  a one-year lobbying ban was being broken when they helped a former staffer set up a short-lived career on K Street, according to two sources close to the investigation.

The article offers a bit more information:

The staffers told Senate Ethics investigators that several aides in the office openly discussed Douglas Hampton’s lobbying job and the one-year revolving-door ban it appeared to violate, the sources said.

At least one Ensign aide told the panel that Ensign and Hampton were so bold about the lobbying job that the pair ate lunch together at least once in the Senate dining room, the sources said.

Douglas Hampton previously has claimed that Ensign helped him with the lobbying job.

 

In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Senator John Ensign compared himself and his serious ethical problems to a pro athlete facing scrutiny because of "personal problems." But, there's a big difference. Ensign isn't a professional athlete. He's a United States Senator and even the moribund Senate Ethics Committee is investigating him. The Department of Justice is too -- for possible criminal violations. Ensign's analogy is delusional:

"Put it this way. Let's say you are a professional athlete and you had some personal problems, whatever those were," Ensign said. "Well that night, the game's there. You have to go do your best for your team. They are paying you; you are a professional."

But as Ensign goes about public life under a dark cloud, congressional watchdogs and criminal defense lawyers knowledgeable about government ethics say his future appears bleak.

The Nevada Republican faces a fast-moving Senate Ethics Committee investigation, which could lead to sanctions and even his expulsion from Congress, and a more ominous Justice Department investigation, which could land him in prison.

Senate and federal investigators are trying to determine whether Ensign broke ethics rules and criminal laws in an attempt to cover up his affair with Cindy Hampton, the wife of Doug Hampton, the senator's former longtime friend and administrative assistant in Washington.

Lawyers say his one big bargaining chip in both investigations may be giving up the office.

CREW's Melanie Sloan explained the realities of Ensign's situation, of which the Senator still seems woefully unaware:

"I think it's over for him. I think he'll be gone," said Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor and now executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "I think it's just a matter of time before this realization catches up with the senator."

The group, also known as CREW, filed official complaints that sparked both investigations and an inquiry by the Federal Election Commission.

Joining a long line of elected officials facing serious ethical scandals, Nevada's John Ensign has established a legal defense fund. The "Ensign Legal Expense Trust Fund" will allow the Senator to collect funds specifically for the legal bills associated with his current ethics and criminal investigations: 

Facing multiple ethics investigations on allegations of wrongdoing stemming from an extramarital affair, Sen. John Ensign has established a defense fund and will solicit donations to pay mounting legal bills.

Paperwork setting up the Ensign Legal Expense Trust Fund was filed Friday afternoon in the U.S. Senate, after being reviewed by the Senate Ethics Committee.

In the trust documents, Ensign said the funds raised would pay expenses in connection with ongoing investigations being conducted by the Ethics Committee and the Department of Justice.

The authorities are looking into allegations that Ensign, R-Nev., violated Senate rules and federal law in his admitted extramarital relationship, and in his dealings afterward with the woman and her husband.

Ensign, as a Senator, can accept contributions of up to $10,000 per year from individuals. (House members are limited to $5,000/year.) All contributions must be disclosed. Basically, Ensign can use this account to solicit money from others to pay for lawyers. What a deal, huh?

This isn't the only financial avenue available to members of Congress who want to pay their legal fees with other people's money. They can also use their campaign accounts and many do. 

So, members of Congress who get themselves into trouble for ethical or illegal activities can have donors, including lobbyists, to pay their legal bills.

Last week, CREW filed complaints with the House and Senate Ethics Committees against members of Congress who resided at the now infamous C Street house operated by the Fellowship:

CREW’s complaints name Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Jim DeMint (R-SC), and John Ensign (R-NV), as well as Representatives Mike Doyle (D-PA), Heath Shuler (D-NC), Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Zach Wamp (R-TN) as members of Congress who received improper gifts from C Street Center, Inc., the entity that runs the house and is affiliated with the Fellowship, a shadowy religious organization

Senator Ensign is facing other investigations stemming the fallout from an affair he had with a woman who worked for him -- as did her husband.

A scathing article about Ensign in the Las Vegas Sun includes the complaint filed by CREW against the C Street house. It's just one of a litany of ethical and possibly illegal transgressions by the junior Senator from Nevada:

Ensign’s residence at the C Street house has led to yet more trouble, as Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has filed a complaint against Ensign and his housemates — eight senators and representatives, in all — accusing them of paying below-market rent at the house, therefore violating the congressional gift ban.

Jeff Sharlet, whose book “The Family” details the history and influence of the group, said that despite its mostly conservative membership, its theology is far from rigorous or conservative. “They want the juice of piety without thinking it through,” Sharlet said.

“It’s not that you’re allowed to do anything. It’s that what you do is not the criteria for leadership. What matters is not that Ensign is a swell guy. It’s that he’s chosen,” Sharlet said.

Although The Family is a secretive group, determining who is chosen seems relatively uncomplicated: Powerful elected and business leaders are in.

We want the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate Ensign for the C Street house and his other transgressions. But, it looks like federal law enforcement authorities may get to him first:

Ensign’s days as a member of elite Washington appear to be numbered, however.

With the FBI investigating, “it’s every man for himself,” a Republican operative said.

Are federal law enforcement authorities building a case against Senator John Ensign (R-NV) for "structuring"? The federal statute for "structuring" is 31 U.S.C. § 5324. (We don't hear about this crime very often, but it was also mentioned as a possible charge against Eliot Spitzer during his scandal.)

Las Vegas Sun columnist Jon Ralston is hearing from his sources that an indictment may be in the works against Ensign for the crime of structuring: 

Structuring is a broad term that refers to the crime of creating financial transactions to evade reporting requirements — for example, a $96,000 payment to your mistress laundered through a trust controlled by your parents and calling it a “gift” instead of what it obviously was: a severance payment that had to be reported.

That the feds are looking at structuring as a possible crime will not surprise many old hands who have watched the sordid Ensign saga play out, morphing from a fairly grotesque he-slept-with-his-best-friend’s-wife-who-was-also-his-wife’s-best-friend story to a fantastically creepy tale of a senator trying to keep the cuckolded husband quiet by any means necessary, including, perhaps, structuring transactions with businesses in exchange for campaign contributions.

Maybe Ensign won’t be indicted. Maybe he will resign in exchange for not being indicted. Maybe he will serve out his term or even be re-elected. Would that be any more incredible than anything else we have seen?

Nothing would surprise us. Well, one thing would: If the Senate Ethics Committee actually took some action in the complaint against Ensign. We know the Senate Ethics Committee is investigating the Ensign case, but we're not holding our breath that there will be a punishment. Congress doesn't have a great track record of policing itself. A federal indictment is probably more likely.