Will Affair Land Sen. Ensign in Jail?

It was bad enough for Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) having to tell his constituents he had had an affair with a married staffer and was facing blackmail demands from the angry husband. But the worst part may be yet to come—according to The New York Times, Ensign could face legal consequences for his efforts to minimize the fallout from his infidelities. The problem originates with Ensign's efforts to find a job for aide Doug Hampton, husband of the woman he had an affair with. Hampton finally took a lobbying job with NV Energy using Ensign's recommendation and now he says that he used the position to directly lobby Ensign on relevant laws despite restrictions directly reventing him from doing so. “The only way the clients could get what John was essentially promising them—which was access—was if I still had a way to work with his office,” Mr. Hampton told The New York Times. “And John knew that.” Legal experts say that the relationship could end up putting Ensign in jeopardy.