Paper: GOP senator likely to be indicted

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Source: The Raw Story

Nevada Republican Sen. John Ensign is likely to be indicted for a $96,000 payment he made to the husband of the aide with whom he had an affair, a leading Nevada political reporter says.

John Ralston of the Las Vegas Sun reports that prosecutors looking into the scandal surrounding Ensign's affair with former aide Cynthia Hampton are focusing on the payment made by Ensign's parents to the Hamptons. Critics have charged that Ensign used his parents to pay off the cuckolded husband, Doug Hampton.

But prosecutors believe the money may have been a form of "structuring," an illegal activity where transactions are reclassified to avoid reporting rules. While Ensign's defenders sat the payment to the Hamptons was a "gift," federal prosecutors believe it may have been a severance payment to Ensign's aide, in which case it broke the law surrounding reporting of severance payments.

Two former federal prosecutors in the past two weeks have said there is enough evidence to indict Ensign. “Just based on what the senator has said himself and what Mr. (Doug) Hampton has said … under the federal standard of probable cause, there’s enough to indict the senator now,” ex-prosecutor Stan Hunterton, a well-respected local attorney, said March 19 on “Face to Face.” Then, Thursday on the program, Melanie Sloan, the former federal prosecutor who now heads a D.C. watchdog group that has filed several complaints against Ensign, said, “I completely think” Hunterton is right.



Read more: http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0405/paper-gop-senator-indicted/

[lordcommander]

1. ....

:popcorn:

[Tansy_Gold]

2. Couldn't happen to a nicer POS.

I hate thoroughly despise these sanctimonious mofos. It's about time one of them was brought down and brought down hard.


Tansy Gold

[valerief]

26. +10000

[Joanne98]

3. YAY

[Oceansaway]

4. Rachel should love this !...n/t

[aquart]

5. Believe it when I see it.

Still waiting for Tom DeLay to go to jail.

[No Elephants]

22. DeLay and Abramahoff's "bribees," plus Ralph Reed.

Abramahoff supposedly got off so easy because he was going to finger so many in Congress. What the hell ever happened with that?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

53. Guess:

That information is being used to "persuade" recalcitrant politicians.

[Juche]

49. Same here

The justice system doesn't work when wealthy or powerful people do illegal things. I'll believe it when it happens.

[bushalert]

6. Good news, great news!!!

[ClarkUSA]

7. That mean he'll have to resign, right? Why is the MSM not jumping on this?

I'll bet if this were a Democrat, we'd be hearing it out the wazoo.

[goclark]

16. Media is not jumping on him because they are in bed together

[AllyCat]

56. They are really busy reporting on Tiger Woods right now, ok?

[opihimoimoi]

8. Another GOPiac FAIL...First Foley, Craig, Stanford, Vitter, etc and now ENSIGN TOO...

Allen Macaca doomed himself

Rudy is a no go

Hucky is too fundie

Palin is too dumb

Bachmann is Crazy

Mitt is too weak

Keyes is not viable

Ensign further erodes the GOP BASE and fence sitters into the Dem Camp...

[DesertFlower]

9. good. nt

[BeyondGeography]

10. Nevada...what a fucked up state

He could still run and win.

[tonysam]

24. Yep.

I can't wait to get the hell out of there.

[newspeak]

37. I'm in Nevada

and, yeah you're right. I mean look at our Governor. Some questionable business dealings, conflict of interest, then the alleged attack on the waitress (which I believe did happen). I doubt that the victim would file a suit against him, otherwise being he has so many connections and friends who are more than willing to cover, I mean stand behind him. Now all that was before the election for our governor--the people still voted for him. They didn't vote for Dina Titus because ya'll know she has an accent. She cannot be from Nevada.

It's just like some young repuke ran against my former world events highschool teacher. Now she is a senior citizen who is very publicly aware and intelligent--has lived in my town for well over forty-five years. You know what the repuke attacked her on? She wasn't from Nevada--A woman that has lived in this state longer than his fekkin age won because some of the people in this state are that stupid.

[laughingliberal]

46. Me too. And we couldn't be more effed up, here. nt

[HughMoran]

11. Finally!

This clown just did not know when to quit. I hope this forces him to resign.

[grantcart]

12. Wow. Federal Prosecutions lead to conviction 99% of the time

If he is indicted he is toast.

[MidwestTransplant]

13. C U L T U R E of C O R R U P T I O N

[kestrel91316]

14. Teeheehee............some personal satisfaction here, lol.....

[happygoluckytoyou]

15. IN A RELATED STORY teabaggers move protest from searchlight to john ensign's house!!!

[Hubert Flottz]

17. I'll believe it when I see him in chains.

[bjobotts]

40. Free Don Siegleman and open up an investigation into a stolen election in AL.

[bjobotts]

41. They led this former governor away in shackles under a gag order.

[bjobotts]

42. Something dems would never do to the likes of Ensign or Stevens despite obvious guilt

[bjobotts]

43. That's when I stopped believing in a D of Justice. Time they proved themselves unlike Bushies

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Dappleganger]

19. It's about fucking time. nt

[tburnsten]

20. What a surprise

I wonder if they could indict the three of them (personally I'd let the aide skate) on prostitution related charges too?

[No Elephants]

21. "Severance payment?" LOL Try blackmail payment or hush money.

[Bette Noir]

25. How about sexual harrassment?

It's against the law to fire a person because you got tired of sleeping with him/her/it. Sure, the woman's husband in this case is a lowlife creep, but that seems to be the type she goes for.

As in most political scandals, it's not the crime, it's the cover up.

[Zambero]

23. Never mind that Senator behind the curtain!

Silence! You are to focus on Harry Reid instead. I repeat, Defeat Harry Reid!!!

:sarcasm:

[bluescribbler]

27. I can't wait

:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:

[Bozita]

28. Didn't Sen. Coburn have a hand in the fashioning of the $96,000 *gift*?

Indict him too.

[Politicalboi]

36. I think your right

Wouldn't that be something. LOL! I hope this brings the C Street boys club into the light too. Pillow talk. LOL!

[beac]

29. Hold on while I try and squeeze out a tear of pity.

.....
.......
........

Nope.

All I got is :bounce: :applause: and :woohoo:. About time that POS paid the piper.

[Hawaii Hiker]

52. Double WOO-HOO

:woohoo: :woohoo:

And throw in Mr. Green Bounce Guy for good measure, :bounce:

Topped off with a couple more legendary woo-woo mans, :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[Kingofalldems]

30. Yeah....Yeah!!

[rury]

31. Poetic Justice

eom

[Vidar]

32. More of them there Republican family values. Yes sirree!

[cascadiance]

33. I often wonder how much Bogden's appt by Obama was related to the Ensign scandal...

As many here noted, Dan Bogden was one of the set of U.S. Attorneys that was fired by Bush that as an earlier scandal without a lot of substantive reasons given for it. I'd heard that it wasn't because he was the rebellious type, and that he definitely was a big Ashcroft and Cheney fan and staunch Republican. Inside info was that there was another big Bush cronie that they were at some point going to give this job to which they didn't when the scandal broke sooner. Snd of course it was John Ensign that had originally recommended Bogden for this spot to Bush earlier.

Since Obama took office, a big splash wss made that Obama was reappointing Bogden to the office, after Reid recommended him. Now my sources indicated there was some surprise and frustration from some in that office who'd expected and hoped that a Democrat would get nominated instead. They felt that this was some big gesture to help Reid get reelected who's facing a tough election battle.

I was wondering though if there was some "deal-making" going on with the Republicans in an attempt to get favors back from them by appointing an attorney not so apt to go after Ensign, knowing that he was likely going to be a subject of a big probe. Was told that this was likely that this was not the case, as it would be more of a federal than a state matter, but I recalled how Carl Lamm was getting in trouble for going after politicians like Duke Cunningham when I was in San Diego area.

[sellitman]

34. Fox Noise will show him next the caption: Ensign Democrat from....

Betcha

[BlueCaliDem]

48. LOL! I wouldn't put it past them, but why isn't this being picked up

by the media? All I hear and read is "Bad poll numbers, Obama!" "Bad poll numbers, Democrats!", "American people favor Republicans!" Blah, blah, blah.

You can bet that had Ensign been a Democrat, the headlines would be SCREAMING.

[defendandprotect]

35. There's that wonderful word again -- "cuckold" ... !!!

[abelenkpe]

38. sweet! nt

[Historic NY]

39. Oh boy this could be good.

[DeSwiss]

44. There are literally 1000s of adjectives.....

...that one may find themselves being described as by the press. But I gotta believe that "cuckolded husband" is extremely low on just about every man's list of choices.


- I wonder if they'll put it on his tombstone.....

K&R
"Let's give a rousing round of applause for
Nevada Republican Sen. John Ensign"

[laughingliberal]

45. It's way time for him to go. nt

[Psephos]

47. Flush the toilet. n/t

[ClayZ]

50. Great news. Wooo Hooo

K and R

[Enthusiast]

51. These types seldom

see justice. Just sayin'.

[WileEcoyote]

54. One expensive booty call

[ProgressOnTheMove]

55. These GOP stories get swept under the rug by some of the msm it's worth making into a yard...

sign with some tinyurls.

[liberal N proud]

57. Crooks and lier's

[Joey Liberal]

58. Any trial will include Sen Coburn (R-OK Nutjob). nt

[asdjrocky]

59. And nothing will ever happen to him.

Maybe one in ten of these guys ever suffers any kind of consequences for his actions.

Hell, Vitter is still going strong.