FBI starts Ensign probe

WASHINGTON -- The FBI has begun to investigate allegations of wrongdoing in the scandal surrounding Sen. John Ensign's extramarital affair and his efforts to find the woman's husband work as a lobbyist, sources said Tuesday.

Agents have requested to meet with former Ensign aides and associates in what appears to be a preliminary look at the matter involving the senator and Doug Hampton, a former administrative assistant who has accused Ensign of circumventing the law in an attempt to smooth over an affair he had with Hampton's wife.

The FBI queries to Ensign associates have come via phone calls and not personal visits, suggesting it is not yet an urgent matter for the agency. There is little evidence to suggest it will become a full-blown criminal investigation, sources said.

Still, the involvement of federal law enforcers deepens the hole in which Ensign finds himself after admitting in June that he had a nine-month affair in 2007-08 with Cindy Hampton, a friend of his wife and a former finance aide on his two political committees.

Once a rising star in Republican circles, the Nevadan has taken a lower profile in the Senate since he acknowledged the affair. Ensign has said he plans to seek re-election in 2012, but other political figures in the state have begun eyeing the seat.

The FBI's action follows movement in a separate investigation being conducted by the Senate Ethics Committee. The panel last month issued subpoenas to several Ensign associates and people who worked in his office.

Among the reported recipients of Senate subpoenas were former Ensign Chief of Staff John Lopez and Mike Slanker, a longtime Ensign political consultant and former staff director at the National Republican Senatorial Committee during 2008 when Ensign was chairman.

NV Energy also acknowledged receiving a request for information from the Senate committee. The company is one of several Nevada firms Hampton said was contacted by Ensign in an effort to obtain lobbying work for him.

Regarding the FBI probe, "Lopez has been contacted, and I expect others have been as well," a source said Tuesday.

Lopez referred a query to his attorney. Slanker did not respond to a call for comment, nor did an attorney for Doug Hampton.

Robert Kelner, an attorney for Lopez, said, "John Lopez is well-known on Capitol Hill for integrity and professionalism. During his many years in public service, he complied with the law and worked hard for the people of Nevada."

Ensign has denied any legal or ethical wrongdoing.

"Senator Ensign believes he fully complied with all ethics laws and rules, and plans to cooperate with any official inquiries," spokeswoman Rebecca Fisher said.

Ensign's office did not reply to a question of whether the FBI had contacted the senator or anyone on his staff.

Meanwhile, Ensign's standing might be weakening further among fellow Republicans in Nevada.

Senate candidate Danny Tarkanian was quoted in a September news report saying he would welcome Ensign's support. In Washington on Tuesday, the Republican indicated that could change.

Tarkanian said his position "obviously changes" if Ensign's case "has gotten to be more serious."

Referring to the FBI actions, Tarkanian said, "I am assuming this is another step making it more serious."

Republican Senate candidate Sue Lowden, who was campaigning in Searchlight, said it was good that the Ensign investigation was going forward.

"I think it should be fully investigated so that once and for all he is cleared of all charges. If the charges are true, he should follow what he has said to others before, and he should step down."

Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., said on a television interview show, "Nevada Newsmakers," earlier this month that Ensign's case has put a cloud over the ability of the state's congressional delegation to meet. If the FBI were to get involved and an indictment were to be issued, "yeah, it will have serious repercussions," he said.

Hampton, of Las Vegas, worked as administrative assistant, a top position in Ensign's Washington office, but left in May 2008, the same time his wife left Ensign's employ.

Doug Hampton has alleged they were dismissed because of the affair, which Ensign has said started in December 2007 and ended in August 2008.

Doug Hampton further has said that after he left the senator's staff, Ensign arranged lobbying work for him in a knowing violation of "revolving door" limits set in law on lobbying by former Senate staff members.

Hampton has said Ensign was trying to smooth over their relationship and help him recoup income after he left his Senate job, but the arrangements did not work out.

Questions also have surrounded a $96,000 check that Ensign's parents made out to the Hamptons in April 2008.

An attorney for Ensign has characterized it as an expression of generosity after his parents learned of the affairs.

Hampton has described the payment as a severance, which could open up other legal issues for Ensign because the payment was not officially reported.

Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog group that has filed official complaints against Ensign with the Senate and the Federal Election Commission, said the FBI's involvement was no surprise.

"There is reason to believe Senator Ensign was involved in at least two felonies: conspiring to help former aide Doug Hampton violate the lobbying ban, and failing to report to the FEC the $96,000 severance payment made to Cynthia Hampton," Sloan said.

Review-Journal writers Laura Myers and Benjamin Spillman contributed to this report. Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-7831760.