Ensign speaks of affair with ex-staffer

Sen. John Ensign on Monday denied breaking the law to cover up an extramarital affair with a former employee and said he's "very fortunate to have a forgiving wife."

Ensign, R-Nev., made the comments during an hour-long appearance on "Morning Source with Host Alan Stock," a conservative talk show on Newsradio 840, KXNT.

It was Ensign's first media appearance in Las Vegas in which he addressed the affair and subsequent allegations of an illegal cover-up since the scandal broke in June. In addition to repeating that he didn't break any laws, Ensign said he plans to serve out his term, which ends in 2012.

Ensign and Stock spent just a fraction of the time discussing the scandal, and callers wanting to dive into the details weren't put through to the studio. Most of the conversation was about other issues ranging from health care to immigration to Iran policy.

"If they had a personal question, a question about his personal life, we were not going to put them on," Stock said. "I wouldn't bring the senator on to blindside him, which is why he came on my show."

Still, Stock did ask Ensign about allegations the senator broke so-called "revolving door" laws that restrict lobbying by former Senate employees when he helped Doug Hampton, another former employee and husband to Ensign's former mistress Cindy Hampton, find work aiding Nevada companies in their dealings with government.

In statements to "Nightline" and The New York Times, Doug Hampton alleged Ensign lined up lobbying contacts for him despite laws and Senate rules against such activity. Hampton attorney Daniel Albregts had no comment on the Stock interview.

Ensign told Stock any assistance he gave Hampton was comparable to employer recommendations he has made on behalf of other former employees.

"It is a very common practice. It is perfectly legal," Ensign said. "I complied with Senate ethics rules."

Melanie Sloan, one of Ensign's most persistent critics, said the explanation doesn't hold water.

"He didn't just introduce him (Hampton) to other people, he helped him set up a lobbying practice," said Sloan, a former assistant United States attorney and currently executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "There are very specific rules about lobbying that don't apply to other jobs."

In addition to asserting he didn't break the law by helping Hampton, Ensign said he will serve out the remainder of his term despite calls to resign by Stock and other conservatives.

"I was elected to a six-year term by the people of Nevada, and I fully intend on serving that out," Ensign said.

He added that his resignation could undermine efforts by Republicans to oust Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., in 2010.

A second Senate seat to scrap over would open another front on the state's political battlefield and dilute Republican forces, he said.

Ensign, who has a political nonaggression pact with Reid, highlighted his own efforts to oppose Reid's political agenda.

"I fight against issues Harry Reid believes in every day," Ensign said. "I don't back down at all in the fight against Harry Reid on issues."

Reid spokesman Jon Summers responded.

"Senator Reid and Senator Ensign have a good relationship and a long history of working together on important Nevada issues. That won't change," Summers said. "When it comes to deciding whether to resign, the needs of Nevadans, not politics, should be the top priority."

Stock also asked for a response to criticism that by having an affair, Ensign ran afoul of conservative Christian principles that had been part of his political rhetoric.

"I had standards, have standards," Ensign said. "I didn't meet those standards. That doesn't mean the standards are wrong."

Ensign went on to say his marriage to wife Darlene is better than ever.

"We're actually doing better than we have ever done before," Ensign said. "I happen to be very fortunate to have a forgiving wife."

Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861.