Consultant Slanker subpoenaed in Ensign investigation

A spokesman for a U.S. Senate candidate in Connecticut says Nevada political consultant Mike Slanker is among those who received a subpoena from the Senate Ethics Committee, which is investigating allegations of wrongdoing against Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev.

Slanker was a friend of Ensign and chief political advisor when Ensign was running the Republican National Senatorial Committee.

Ensign lost his leadership job and damaged his friendship with Slanker as a result of an extramarital affair with Cindy Hampton, a former Ensign employee. The ethics committee is involved because former Ensign employee Doug Hampton, Cindy's husband, alleges that as Ensign attempted to manage fallout of the affair he aided Doug Hampton in the violation of lobbying restrictions.

Ed Patru, spokesman for the campaign of candidate Linda McMahon, wife of pro wrestling promoter Vince McMahon, made the statement about Slanker receiving a subpoena to the Courant, a Connecticut newspaper.

Slanker is a consultant to the McMahon campaign. He did not respond to a request for comment from the Review-Journal.

Here's a link to the Courant blog item on Slanker: http://blogs.courant.com/capitol_watch/2009/12/linda-mcmahons-campaign-advise.html

The Day of New London, Conn., also reported the subpoena: http://www.theday.com/article/20091205/NWS12/312059923/1019&town