Did Housing Crisis Lead To Ensign's Confession?
The folks at Gawker have raised an interesting idea in the John Ensign scandal: Did the housing crisis indirectly trigger Ensign's eventual admission of his affair with a former campaign staffer?
The key facts here are that Ensign's reported former mistress was Cynthia Hampton, whose husband Douglas Hampton is a former top Ensign staffer. The Hamptons in turn had taken out a $1.2 million mortgage in 2006, on what is clearly a very swank house in Las Vegas: Five bedrooms, five full bathrooms and one half-bathroom, three fireplaces, a pool and a spa. The net taxes on the House last year were $8,466.41.
But financial disclosures also show that the Hamptons are not wealthy people. And Douglas Hampton had reportedly been asking Ensign for money, which led to Ensign's public admission.
Another key piece of info: Nevada has had the single-worst percentage drop in home prices in the midst of the housing crisis. It's a rough market out there.
We were unable to contact the Hamptons for comment.
Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
So we're speculating that Hampton was pressuring (blackmailing) Ensign to fork over some cash to cover his housing expenses, and that instead of handing over cash Ensign came out with admission to short-circuit the demand? Wow-a remnant of integrity.
June 17, 2009 1:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Who did Ensign hire first, Cynthia or Doug.
Did he start sleeping with Cynthia before or after hiring her? Did he hire Doug before or after starting to sleep with Cynthia. When did Doug become aware of his wife sleeping with Ensign? Before or after starting and/or leaving the staff? Integrity?
June 17, 2009 1:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Coming clean vs. paying blackmail = "a remnant of integrity." So, we're not claiming moral high ground here, just the decision (speculatively speaking) to not descend all the way to the 7th circle of hell, but rather to stop at the 4th or 5th.
June 17, 2009 2:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Was she good in bed? Was he good in bed? Was she worth it? Anybody ended up with STDs? When did Doug know that Ensign was shafting Cynthia? Did Doug ever watch? Did he derive pleasure from knowing? Did Doug ever join? There's no end to the Q.
June 18, 2009 7:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is why you don't dip your wick on the job. Never works out well...
June 17, 2009 1:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
With Republicans, you can be sure that:
(1) They will twist the truth and/or lie.
(2) Each has one main priority: Me.
(3) When caught they blame others if possible.
(4) Critics are asked to 'move on'.
(5) The accused say they're now on the straight and true path and they love God and America more than ever.
June 17, 2009 2:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
This blackmail angle is odd.
If Doug Hampton threatened to blackmail the Senator, why isn't Doug Hampton under arrest?
Interesting about the housing issue. Could be. Although back in Feb '08, before the Hamptons fled DC, they had that Las Vegas house for sale. At that time they were living in DC. I guess it didn't sell. Here's the listing from 2008:
http://tours4.vht.com/Viewer/PropertyInfo.aspx?ListingID=1150611&Style=PAN
There's a different angle that begs for explanation. Cynthia was the assistant treasurer at the NRCC when it was revealed the treasurer, Chris Ward, had embezzled millions of dollars, over 10 years. Ward is now in jail.
I've always suspected Ward was the fall guy. Was Hampton somehow involved?
June 17, 2009 2:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
If you are right, that's pretty good detective work.
June 17, 2009 2:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Or was the Senator somehow involved too?
Ensign's PAC was one of many that Ward supposedly embezzled from. Ward was Ensign's treasurer until the embezzlement scandal.
Once the scandal broke Ensign replaced Ward with Cynthia Hampton.
Here's the 3/6/08CQ article on that changeover.
At least 10 members of Congress have dropped Christopher J. Ward as treasurer of their re-election campaigns or political action committees.
snip
The FBI is investigating potential mismanagement of funds at the request of the NRCC. “We feel very strongly that until names are cleared or not, you can’t take a chance on it,” said Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., who dropped Ward as treasurer of his Battle Born PAC.
snip
Battle Born PAC raised $423,932 last year and spent $474,365. Ward became treasurer March 29, 2006, and filed a year-end report on Jan. 23, 2008. After Cynthia Hampton became the new treasurer Feb. 12, she filed an amended year-end report eight days later.
snip
Ward also was treasurer for Senate Majority Committee, a joint fundraising committee for six senators who are up for re-election this year.
Senate Majority Committee raised $214,500 last year. Ward was listed as treasurer from April 2006 to January 2008. The committee registered Hampton as its treasurer Feb. 12.
Hampton had her hands in a lot of significant campaign fundraising.
June 17, 2009 2:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Uh, oh. Apparently Cynthia and Doug's kid was also working for the NRSC while the Senator was chairman.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/23844.html
June 17, 2009 3:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe the blackmail wasn't about the affair, but about the embezzlement? And by claiming it was about the affair Ensign can keep his involvement from becoming known.
Either way, another Republican dirtbag.
June 17, 2009 3:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Because Ensign would have to make a criminal complaint. Because Ensign would have to be the chief prosecution witness, and would be open to deposition and cross-examination.
He would have to explain the particulars of the affair. Under oath.
June 17, 2009 2:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Isn't blackmailing a federal official one of those things that the FBI and the Justice Dept. jump on while in autopilot mode?
June 17, 2009 3:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Discovery can be a scary scary thing.
June 17, 2009 3:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
So, on top of everything, they have horrible taste in furniture.
June 17, 2009 4:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Um, yeah, really bad taste. Half the rooms look only half-furnished, and what furniture they did have was usually gaudy and invariably totally the wrong size (way too big or too small) for the room. No consistency on styles either.
It all struck me as the way a person of average means would decorate a house to give the false impression of being affluent.
(So says she who's trying to put a house together after 3 years living abroad, and so some of our furniture is literally stuff I've had since college 20 years ago... But hey, I know ugly when I see it.)
June 17, 2009 5:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
If Doug Hampton threatened to blackmail the Senator, why isn't Doug Hampton under arrest?
this is exactly what I asked in a comment here about this last night.. I mean, noboby in the news is asking, why is the blackmailer not under arrest..
also I find it odd that no one in the media has managed to push a mike on this blackmailer's face and confront him about his supposed blackmailing.
If it's true the Senator was beig blackmailed I do commend him for coming forward and thus messing with the blackmailer.. I guess of two options it was the lesser of two evils for him.. but well, it seems either way this story still has a lot of holes in it....
June 17, 2009 11:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
All in all, pretty unfortunate timing for blackmail. Blackmailer's an idjit.
The time to blackmail Ensign would have been after he'd received the GOP's nomination for president in 2012.
June 17, 2009 2:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Douglas Hampton was Sen. Ensign's Administrative Assistant. Despite the humble title, an AA is generally a senator's highest staffer. Many are now referred to as chief of staff.
According to legistorm.com, Hampton was earning $162,700 annually before he left. For his last month of employement in April 2008, however, Hampton's salary was jacked up to $19,679--which represents a $6,120 increase in his monthly income.
Did Sen. Ensign effectively use federal money intended for staff salaries to pay off Hampton?
Hampton's Senate salary history is available at:
http://www.legistorm.com/person/Douglas_D_Hampton/36979.html
June 17, 2009 3:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's what I wonder--"federal money intended for staff salaries to pay off Hampton?" (or maybe "the Hamptons?") Also if you add up all the money Ensign paid Doug, the husband, Cindy and their son how much is that? You'd have to include the money paid Doug Hampton after he left the Senate and went to work at Ensign's "November, Inc.", a PAC in Las Vegas. There's a Dun & Bradstreet report on Nov., Inc. which shows it had 2 employees, at least at one time, and if you google '"November, Inc." Hampton' there are financial records with payouts to Doug Hampton for various expenses. Then there's the money Cindy H. got from working at "Battle Born." I guess other than the Congressional salaries this is not public money, but it does indicate a pattern of favoritism and maybe payoffs.
June 17, 2009 4:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
It would cetainly be a problem if US Senate funds were used to pay a former staffer "hush money."
The political funds are a little more fungible. But taxpayer funds...?
Likely that they will say Doug Hampton's large-check-on-departure was probably incorporating some sort of "bonus."
June 17, 2009 4:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
That is one seriously ugly house! Almost a caricature of wannabe high class mcmansion tack. they will be better off if this whole mess results in them losing that "house."
June 17, 2009 5:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
With the Hamptons salaries, they could not even afford to maintain the home an utility bills, let alone pay the mortgage.
June 17, 2009 9:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Blackmail? How else would they avoid foreclosure?
How were they eating and paying other living expenses? Where is the money and where did they get it?
June 17, 2009 9:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ensign is done--one less Republican vote. I do believe that what goes around comes around. The Republican party of "No and Torture" in their efforts to obstruct will backfire. Everything they touch will turn to sh--t. This will not be the last republican that will self-destruct right before our eyes, along with their leaders, Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, Salvage, Malkin and others.
June 17, 2009 9:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wow. Nice Italian wallpaper.
June 18, 2009 5:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wouldn't it be a gas if Jack Abramoff reared his greedy little head somewhere in this scandal.
June 18, 2009 2:02 PM | Reply | Permalink