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Ensign's Sex-Scandal Enabler?
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Senator Tom Coburn knew of John Ensign’s affair 16 months ago—and concealed it from the public. But what, Max Blumenthal asks, did the conservative moral crusader tell his friend in private?
Plus: Read more of The Daily Beast's coverage of Palin's resignation and the GOP implosion.
Since Republican Senator John Ensign of Nevada has confessed to an extramarital affair with a female campaign staffer married to one of his top Senate staffers, none of his Republican colleagues have been more supportive of him than his apartment roommate in Washington, Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. On June 17, a day after Ensign’s revelation, Coburn pleaded for forgiveness. “If you look at it in the light of everybody makes errors, at least he fessed up and resolved the problem with his family,” Coburn said, “so I think it speaks well of his corrective force.” Coburn also told a crowd of reporters of his 51-year-old roomie, "He is a bright young man. Lots of people make mistakes."
His transformation from anti-sex crusader to adultery enabler has been overnight.
Douglas Hampton, the husband of the woman involved, described a “confrontation” he had with Ensign at the senator’s home in February 2008. “One of the attendee’s [sic] was Senator Tom Coburn from Oklahoma,” Hampton wrote, “as well as several other men who are close to the senator.” According to Hampton, Coburn has known about Ensign’s affair for 16 months and maintained silence so it would not become public.
The disclosure of Coburn’s role in the scandal not only raises questions about the extent to which he participated in a coverup, but may also prove damaging to his reputation as perhaps the staunchest advocate of conservative sexual mores in Senate history. Coburn is the senator who denounced NBC’s broadcast of Schindler’s List as “an all-time low, with full-frontal nudity.” He has warned of “rampant” lesbianism in Oklahoma public high-school bathrooms. And he has battled to discredit condom use. Elected to the Senate in 2004 after serving eight years in the House of Representatives, Coburn has demonstrated an uncanny ability to transform zealous and occasionally very weird moral crusades into headlines.
“Our culture that too often glorifies promiscuous sex without consequences should not be surprised by this scandal,” Rep. Coburn declared at the height of impeachment proceedings targeting President Bill Clinton for lying about his affair with Monica Lewinsky. “The tragic consequences of the president's behavior should prompt us to reassert the high moral standards that form the foundation of our freedom.”
During his time in the House during the late 1990s, and then as co-chairman of President George W. Bush’s Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS, Coburn (who is an antiabortion obstetrician from Muskogee) spearheaded a campaign to undermine public confidence in condom use. The campaign culminated with a press release he headlined, “Condoms Do Not Prevent Most STDs." When Coburn ran for the Senate in 2004, he campaigned on a hardcore antiabortion platform, declaring in a debate against his Democratic opponent, Brad Carson, that he favored the death penalty for “abortionists.”
Four months after being sworn into the Senate—he won the cliffhanger election thanks in part to a last-minute race-baiting ad blitz—Coburn hosted an event for young staffers called “Revenge of the STDs.” Theme music from a Star Wars film, The Phantom Menace, blasted as staffers filed into a darkened room in the Senate basement, while Coburn’s aides furnished them with fliers portraying Yoda and C3PO shrieking, “Oh, how dreadful!” Once they were seated, Coburn projected graphic images of diseased, wart-infested genitalia on the wall while describing the ghastly consequences of engaging in sex with multiple partners. According to a press release for the event, staffers were treated to “a free pizza lunch” while they watched Dr. Coburn’s slideshow.
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zan1960
"He is a bright young man. Lots of people make mistates". Since when is a 51 year old considered a young man. Standing there with a head full of gray hair, it is kinda hard to pull that one off.
loofah
51 passes for young in the Republican party, given that most of its members are fat white male disgruntled senior citizens.
henryde
Let's not forget that the late Republican Congressman Henry Hyde referred to an affair he had when he was 41 as "a youthful indiscretion." I guess when he said it, 41 seemed like his youth.
roger37
Oh, I sure he pulls it off on occasion, even at 51.
roger37
Sorry.
Bulldoglover100
A Typical Republican...it's BAD when a Democrat does it and get caught but a repug? Boys will boys and look he fessed up LOL This is why the Repugs are circiling the drain.
nickatdabeach
I'm curious which & how many Dems covered up Chris Dodd's real estate deals this decade, Barney Frank's whorehouse in the 80s and Diane Feinstein's husband's recent shady dealings with foreclosed housing?? Blumenthal needs to get the same kind of attention Black Eyed Peas gave girlieboy Perez Hilton over the weekend.
oekosjoe
I think the contrast with Spizer is remarkable: a Democrat who could cope with the sins of his brethren left office - and remarkably successful career - at the drop of a girlfriend, while these hypocritical synchophantic moralists self justify themselves for personal gain and corporate wealth. That's a pretty sharp contrast.
spotted
Perhaprs you don't remember another sanctimonious hypocrite, Henry Hyde, describing his affair as a "youthful indiscretion" at the the tender age of 41.
Perhaps in Republican circles 50 is the new 12.
PattyMR
These conservative hypocrites make me sick. What a bunch of disgusting excuses for men, 'Christians', and 'leaders' of our country. It's also a huge part of what's wrong with the Republican Party and why, thank God, it's dying a slow death as it's been.
GeorgeB
No PattyMR, It will never die. The Republican Party will live on, wherever hearts are moronic, miserly, hypocritical...or just plain evil.
Slim45
Looks like the reason ole Tommy didn't squeal is that he himself is getting some on the side.
Twisted
Are he an Ensign washing each others backs in the shower ? Did they do DP on this woman? Seriously I see the adultery part as the least of this matters issues, the improper placing of people on the federal job roles and payment with campaign funds are all federal and state felony crimes, Coburns prior knowlege and assistance in any coverup would make him at the least an accesory before the fact as well as after the fact and perhaps a co- conspirator.
riall1
do you see the pattern ... somebody else does wrong (ie most people) you go after those evil doers or 'sinners' with a pitchfork with hopes of gouging out their eyes. if one of their own mess up...it is why cant we forgive this poor missunderstood sinner. these conservative christians have no morals just rules for OTHER people to follow so they can keep control over you. they are the true embodyments of evil if there ever was one.
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jds8181
"At least he fessed up." This happened how long ago? The only reason he "fessed up" was because the husband of the married woman Sen. Ensign was banging out was going to fess up for him by taking the story to cable news organizations. These people are nothing but hypocrites. They love telling other people how they should live their lives, then go out and start sleeping with married women or trying to seduce teenage boys, or try to solicit gay sex in mens' bathrooms. I would not be surprised to find out that he impregnated this woman and then demanded she get an abortion. He even probably offered to do it himself.
Genni2002
Yup! He fessed up because he had to while, in the meantime, he acted like a beacon of light, guiding the rest of us to moral servitude. Big, stinking, fat hypo!!
What a stupid ass thing for Coburn have done nothing. Not only should he have lambasted Ensign, he should have publically decried Ensign's affair beating the husband to the punch. He is a double dog hypo!! What is in the water in OK?
Jafly08
Bill Clinton's actions were with a SINGLE adult female -- at least he didn't break up someone else's marriage like Ensign did -- and Coburn, like most of the religious/moral "wrong" has proven himself to be all about control, not about "morals" in any sense of the word.
For his "sin" of hypocrisy, I say Coburn should be forced to undergo anal intercourse with another male, with the choice of whether or not the other male uses a condom -- let's see what his stance on condom use would be then, in that particular situation???
xlntcat
Well, let's not rewrite history or the recent past. Clinton's "actions" have been with numerous females who may or may not have been classified as adults and who may or may not have been single. Clinton is the poster boy for sex addicts.
Ensign's sin is betrayal and hypocrasy. He betrayed his wife, his staff member and friend and everyone of the voters who bought into the self-rightous tripe he was selling. We came way to close to becoming a Theocracy under Bush and it is time to get the rest of the religious right out of government. These people are dangerous. If you doubt that carefully examine the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld years.
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akcita
Nicely stated.
This is a nice liberal media fragmentary grenade. Try to get anyone that was within smelling distinace...
I love the guy excusing Clinton for his actions with his College Intern....unreal.
No excuse for Ensign, conservative Nevada voters will tube him.
You won't see them in 12 years minimizing his indiscretions.
xlntcat
That doesn't align with current polls in Nevada or with the history of the religious right. They are way too busy involving themselves in judging and condemning others to pay attention to the trasgressions of their own.
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hockeydog
pricklypear, I think joebloe's anger and foul language was prompted by Coburn's political play of inserting something totally irrelevant into a piece of legislation that was of major importance.
This Coburn guy is a bad actor, intelligent, but cunning, and a dangerous idealogue, with a moral compass that guides his decisions. Unfortunately the morality of his compass allows him to justify any action he may take if it furthers his anti-abortion, anti-gun control, anti-immigrant agenda.
A dangerous idealogue indeed!
xlntcat
You are right. Most of the remaining religious right are cognitively impaired, but Coburn is intelligent, cunning, manipulative and very likely the worst of the bunch.
roxsteady
The reason thiese Republican hypocrites are more insidious is because they stand in moral judgement of everyone else. Bill Clinton didn't wag his finger at us in judgement of us but, in denial of what he was up to. See, we Dems know that there is human frailty. But it's the Republicans who are all too willing to get into our bedrooms, and for us women, our uterus" and, our marriages passing judgement while ignoring their own hypocricy. This is why they are so offensive to many of us. Oh, and by the way, this idiot Coburn has offerred support for a bill presented by Rep. Bill Posey from Florida with 5 other house members for the Birther Bill. That's right, he's joined the wingnuts sponsoring a bill to require that all state and federal election candidates provide a copy of their birth certificate which Obama has done by the way. It's posted online. I'd said his credibility is officially history along with that of his party. I hope this story continues to have legs. Between Coburn's involvment and fox news' duplicity in this whole thing "you'll never convince me that they didn't tip Ensign off" I'm looking forward to the next few months. Drip, Drip, Drip! "Pass the Popcorn"!
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estcruzer
My own thoughts are that Republican and Democratic leaders really don't have a moral high ground as is continually and frequently pointed out. If they must justify their laws they need better grounds than idealogy which they themselves don't follow. They need to be trustworthy, not hypocritical.
xlntcat
Be interesting to know how much time Coburn spent of von Brunn's website! Anyone who defends Coburn's loyalty to his "friend" might want to give some thought to how Ensign rewarded friendship. Remember the husband was a subordinate of Ensign and a long time "friend?"
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loneislander
What right does the public have to know of the private trysts of public officials? Do they not have the right to be judged by their professional public behaviour, not their boorish private behaviour?
Ritarita
Not if they have made a career
Of condemning the 'boorish private behavior'
Of others.
akcita
Rita! How was the weekend? Good I hope.
Are you still on that "I don't care if they are shagging children and robbing old ladies, but if they are hypocrites, then hang 'em high!" kick?
..and yes Bill did finger wag quite a bit, until they found about the dress. "I did not have sexual relations with that woman...ms. Lewinsky..."
Please, they are all scum bags, stow the outrage on this one. The voters of Nevada will ditch him for sure.
piktor
These two senators are public officials on public pay. They have ethical and legal obligations private citizens do not have.
Some corporations will terminate an employee's contract for consorting with an underling. The military also have speific rules about fraternizing with a lower-ranked oficer, etc.
This Ensign mess is not just a sexual escapade. The dear senator has legal and ethical boundaries with respect to his staff. Our dear senator is a public official that has to anwer to the Senate and to the public at large. Methiks the senator crossed a big fat legal line.
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piktor
You are welcome, Pricklypear. The issue with Bubba was he lied in a deposition to a judge. That got him disbarred and had to pay a fine in Arkansas. It also got him impeached by Congress.
Government officials have duties and legal boundaries. Mr. Ensign and Mr. Oklahoma can pretend boys will be boys but they serve at the pleasure of the voting public. This escapade should make everybody aware that these two jerks handle all kinds of highly sensitive matters of State.
Is the public trust well served by this pair of senatorial morons?
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xlntcat
His professional behavior included vicious condemnation of the Tryst of his fellow public officials. Feigned hypocritical outrage and demands that they resign. It appears that only applies to those other congressmen. Afterall, he is entitiled.
Ankhorite
I would not care at all what they do with their genitals IF THEY DIDN'T MAKE A CAREER OUT OF LEGISLATING ABOUT MINE. Every one of these phonies has made his career out of being anti-choice, anti-abortion, anti-condom, even anti-oral-contraceptives, which they consider abortifacients. They have made a career about talking about how marriage is so perfect and holy, those dirty gay people should not be allowed to have it.
FURTHERMORE, most of them are using taxpayer resources to pay for their affairs. Mark Sanford swiped a state car for five days and faked up a "trade mssion" to Argentina to visit his mistress there; who knows what his excuse was for meeting her in New York, but the taxpayers of South Carolina paid for it. John Ensign used taxpayer money to double the salary of his sex partner once they started sleeping together, and he used Republican party money to pay off her 19-year-old son, AND to double HER salary again at the side job she held there!
We the public have every right to know what these frauds who ran for office on the grounds of "superior morality" and "family values" are really up to. They're not just cheating on their wives and families; they are cheating the electorate, too. As well as breaking laws against prostitution and using taxpayer and/or donor money to do it.
AmiBlue
The really scary thing? He's the better of Oklahoma's two Senators.
Bronncohowie
Shame on the people of Oklahoma for electing, over and over again a pervert like Coburn !!!!!
qtip46
the oklahoma people just do not seem very bright.......is it religion or their educational system ?....maybe in breeding ?
its very sad
MsYellowDog
Oklahoma is the only state in the US that makes me glad to be a Texan.
fleetw1978
Seems like most states that fall below the Mason Dixon line have serious issues with the 20th and 21 centuries. I challenge anyone to name one serious minded, articulate, moderate elected official that hails from "the south."
As for Coburn and Ensign, they are just cowards and hypocrites of the worst kind.
janjamm
Let's just boycott Oklahoma, forever.
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