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Sen. John Ensign acknowledged Tuesday that he had an affair with a campaign staffer ?an admission that stunned his colleagues, hurt his chances for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination and called into question his future as a leader of the Senate GOP.

The Nevada Republican admitted in Las Vegas Tuesday that he had 搗iolated the vows?of marriage by having an affair with a staffer. He did not identify the woman except to say that she and her husband were both 揷lose friends?who worked for him, and that 搕he closeness?of their relationship had 損ut me in situations which led to my inappropriate behavior.?

But current and former aides to the Nevada Republican say the woman was 46-year-old Cynthia Hampton, a campaign staffer whose husband was a top aide in Ensign抯 Senate office.

揑t was known in [Ensign抯] inner circle that they were involved,?a former aide told POLITICO.

Hampton served as the treasurer for Ensign抯 reelection campaign and for his leadership fund, Battle Born PAC. According to people familiar with the matter, Ensign抯 affair with Hampton took place between December 2007 and August 2008. FEC records show that she ended her affiliation with the two committees in early 2008.

Hampton is married to Douglas Hampton, who, according to Senate records, served as Ensign抯 administrative assistant in his personal office from November 2006 to May 2008 ?around the same time Cynthia Hampton left Ensign抯 committees.

A call to the Hamptons?Las Vegas home Tuesday night was not returned; in a statement, Ensign抯 wife said the situation has 揵een difficult on both families.?

Douglas Hampton was paid about $101,000 in 2008 and $144,000 in 2007 as Ensign抯 administrative assistant. But a financial disclosure form he filed in 2007 and 2008 ?required for senior congressional staffers - showed only checking and savings account worth a maximum $30,000 combined.

A review of public records shows that the Hamptons in 2006 took out a $1.2 million mortgage on their Las Vegas home, at an interest rate of 8 percent.

Political insiders in Nevada and in the Senate said that Ensign decided to acknowledge the affair publicly after the husband of the woman he had been seeing asked him for a substantial sum of money.

Ensign described the affair Tuesday as 搕he worst thing I have ever done in my life.?

揑f there was ever anything in my life that I could take back, this would be it. I take full responsibility for my actions,?he said.

Ensign said he deeply regretted the affair ?and that he remains committed to his Senate duties.

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Ensign informed fellow Nevadan Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, about his situation prior to making his public announcement.

揑 don抰 know the details. I talked with him today,?Reid told POLITICO Tuesday afternoon. 揙f course, he抯 my friend. This is a private, family matter. I just hope that Darlene and he work things out.?

Reid said he didn抰 offer any advice on how to handle the situation. 揑 didn抰 give him any advice,?he said. 揑 just told him he抯 my friend. I抦 pulling for him. Anything I can do to help, let me know.?

Rumors of the affair circulated through the Capitol Tuesday in the hours before Ensign made his announcement. Republican senators were stunned by the news, and Ensign抯 future as chairman of the GOP Policy Committee ?the No. 4 job in the GOP Senate leadership ?was expected to be a topic for discussion among senators Wednesday.

Elected in 2000, the 51-year-old Ensign has moved up the leadership chain in the Senate. As chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2008, Ensign oversaw the devastating losses by GOP candidates. But his party largely spared him of blame, casting it instead on an unpopular president who dragged down the party抯 brand. Since then, Ensign has sought to articulate conservative principles and is a mainstay at GOP news conferences deriding Democrats?domestic policies.

A staunch fiscal and social conservative, Ensign has been considered a rising star in his party, recently making headlines by speaking at events in Iowa, raising speculation about his interest in a run for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012.

A born-again Christian, Ensign has been a member of the Promise Keepers, a male evangelical group that promotes marital fidelity.

When former Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) was arrested in an airport men抯 room in the summer of 2007, Ensign was among Craig抯 toughest critics, saying Craig should step down because he had been charged with a crime.

揑 wouldn抰 put myself, hopefully, in that kind of position, but if I was in a position like that, that抯 what I would do,?Ensign told The Associated Press at the time.

During the 1998 impeachment of President Bill Clinton, Ensign, then a Senate candidate, called on Clinton to resign.

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� By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY, Associated Press Writer Kathleen Hennessey, Associated Press Writer � 1 hr 13 mins ago

LAS VEGAS � For much of his public career, Sen. John Ensign has appeared a model of the religious right. By this week, he had become just another politician diminished by scandal. Rattled, humbled and alone at the podium, Ensign acknowledged to reporters an extramarital affair, the sort of moral failing he's criticized in the past.

The Nevada Republican once called on President Bill Clinton to resign, declaring "the truth must come out." In October 2007, he was sharply critical of former Sen. Larry Craig, of Idaho, calling the Republican's arrest in an airport bathroom sex sting "embarrassing for the Senate."

His own admission Tuesday came at a time when the two-term Nevada Republican was building his national profile and assuming leadership in his party. He had recently traveled to Iowa, fueling speculation about his White House ambitions.

The senator has said the Republican Party was in need of new leadership. He hoped to be among the fresh faces, and he built his resume by serving as the GOP's top Senate candidate recruiter in 2008 and as chairman of the Republican Policy Committee in the Senate, the fourth-ranking leadership post. On Wednesday, he resigned from the position on the policy committee.

For Nevadans, he was known as a polished pro-business Republican and well-spoken ally of the state's religious conservatives. He was a member of Promise Keepers, a men's Christian group that espoused devotion to family and marriage.

As such, he talked openly about his biological father's failing, calling himself the child of a deadbeat dad who never "told me once he loved me." At a "Fatherhood Summit" in Reno in 2004, Ensign � himself a father of three � said fathers have been the biggest letdown in society.

Ensign was adopted at age 15 by his mother's second husband, a Las Vegas casino mogul. He went on to veterinary school, ran an animal clinic and worked the family business as a casino executive before entering politics.

Ensign's political life was entwined with his religious beliefs. Once in Washington, he lived for a time with other Christian lawmakers who organized prayer breakfasts and Bible study. When in Las Vegas, he continued to attend an Evangelical church in Las Vegas with his wife, Darlene, who did not move to Washington with him.

Ensign has opposed abortion and gay marriage and backed school vouchers.

"He's been a very reliable ally and outspoken on marriage issues, on life issues," said Richard Ziser, a leading religious conservative in the state. "His religious beliefs were a very high identifier with conservatives."

As a candidate for Senate in 1998, Ensign was critical of Clinton's handling of his admission of infidelity. Clinton blamed "other people for his problems, and that's when he lost me."

"He did lie to the American people. But he never looked at us and said he was sorry," Ensign said.

On Tuesday, the senator apologized for his affair.

Many Christian conservatives will see Ensign's public admission as brave and necessary, Ziser said.

"Some will be more forgiving than others, of course," he said. "But I think his apology will be viewed as sincere. There is nothing wrong with holding yourself to high standard, even if you fail."

Political science professor Fred Lokken said he believes the timing of the infidelity revelations won't necessarily hobble Ensign's ambitions.

It could be a tremendous bombshell � just as similar revelations damaged the career of former president candidate John Edwards, he said.

But Nevada has a long history of forgiving the personal troubles of its politicians, he said. Just two years ago, U.S. Rep. Jim Gibbons was elected governor while he was under investigation for assaulting a cocktail waitress. Charges were never filed in the case.

"I really do think that Nevada has a different standard for its politicians than the rest of the country," said Lokken, of Truckee-Meadows Community College.

Jun. 17, 2009
Copyright ?Las Vegas Review-Journal

Dario Herrera, Erin Kenny returning to Las Vegas after stays in prison
By ADRIENNE PACKER
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Dario Herrera and Erin Kenny are being shipped back to Las Vegas from their respective federal prison camps, but their lives back home will bear little resemblance to their high-flying, high-living days as Clark County commissioners.

?Jane Ann Morrison blog

During his years in office, Herrera was accustomed to free passes into popular nightclubs, with complimentary lap dances, it was revealed during his 2006 trial.

He received sex on the house, and his golf came was spiced up with topless bar dancers at no additional cost.

The 35-year-old will come home Thursday a single man. His wife, Emily Herrera, who sat expressionless while detailed accounts of her husband抯 affairs were aired in the courtroom, filed and was granted a divorce a year ago.

Herrera has spent the last 45 months in a prison camp in Florence, Colo., after he was convicted of accepting bribes from strip club owner Michael Galardi.

Acquaintances said the once-rising Democratic star who earned his degree from the Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, taught law classes at the facility.

Prior to Herrera抯 sentencing in late 2006, Jonathan Stern of ADG Capital, the company that employed Herrera and built the $80 million Loft 5 condominiums, said Herrera would have a job to come home to.

But the construction industry tanked while Herrera was locked up. The number at the company抯 New York headquarters has been disconnected.

Ashley Hall, director of public relations for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said he kept in contact with Herrera, who joined the church after he was indicted in 2003.

Hall wouldn't discuss Herrera抯 time in prison, other than to say he frequently sent Herrera books.

Kenny, who pleaded guilty to accepting bribes from Galardi, cooperated with the government and testified against Herrera and former colleague Mary Kincaid-Chauncey.

Kenny and Herrera might spend the remaining days of incarceration at the same facility, the Las Vegas Corrections Center at 2901 Industrial Road. Kenny's return date couldn't be obtained today.

The facility is a halfway house that looks like a three-story office building with little security other than closed-circuit cameras.

The 124-bed institution allows inmates to find employment and re-establish ties to the community with the help of a case manager.

Visitation rules are liberal, and inmates are permitted to leave for the day to work, but are required to return at night.

It is unclear how long Herrera will remain at the center. But Kincaid-Chauncey was transferred to the Las Vegas halfway house on Dec. 16 and was released to home confinement just two weeks later, after she served all but six months of her 30-month sentence.

John Casale, the facility抯 director, did not return phone messages Tuesday and today.

Like Herrera, it is doubtful Kenny抯 cash flow will compare to her tenure as a commissioner.

Not only did Kenny collect her commission salary, which ranged from $54,000 to $70,000 over the years, but she also accepted $200,000 from real estate consultant Don Davidson, between $150,000 and $200,000 from Galardi and $3,000 a month from Triple Five Development.

After Kenny, 48, surrendered her commission seat to run for lieutenant governor in 2003, developer Jim Rhodes began paying her $15,000 a month for her advice on government services.

Kenny testified that Rhodes upped her salary to $201,600 a year after she was indicted.

Rhodes filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.

Rhodes, who also builds homes in Arizona, was questioned by the Arizona Cooperation Commission about his relationship with Kenny. He was never charged with any crime.

During her 30-month term at an Arizona prison camp, Kenny missed several of her children抯 milestones and accomplishments.

Her oldest son, Pat Kenny, recently graduated from Meadows High School, and his football team won the state championship. As a wrestler, he also won the regional championship for his weight class.

Kenny抯 daughter is in her 20s and attending college.

Herrera is scheduled to be released from the prison system on Dec. 14, and Kenny on Dec. 18, according to the Bureau of Prisons Web site.

The only player in the political corruption scheme who will remain incarcerated after Herrera and Kenny serve their final months in the system is Lance Malone, a one-time commissioner who served as a lobbyist for Galardi.

Malone, who received a six-year sentence for delivering cash bribes on behalf of Galardi, is scheduled to be released in July 2012.

Galardi, who pleaded guilty to the bribery charges and received a 30-month sentence, was released in January.

Contact reporter Adrienne Packer at apacker@reviewjournal.com or 702-384-8710.