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PRESS

August 09, 2010

CREW Calls on Senate Ethics Committee to Act on Senator Ensign

Senate Ethics, Ethics, Senate Ethics Committee, Press Releases, Senate Members, John Ensign

Senator John Ensign

Washington, D.C. - As the House of Representatives prepares to hold hearings on ethics charges against two of its most senior members, on the other side of the Hill, Nevada Senator John Ensign (R-NV) has yet to be held accountable for his even more egregious misconduct. In response, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) Executive Director Melanie Sloan released the following statement:

“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.”

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a non-profit legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable for their actions. For more information, please visit www.citizensforethics.org or contact David Merchant at 202.408.5565 or dmerchant@citizensforethics.org