THE WEALTHY parents of Republican senator John Ensign gave $96,000 (€69,000) last year to the staffer who was then his mistress and to her family, his lawyer has admitted.
The gifts to Cynthia Hampton and her family were given “out of concern for the well-being of long-time family friends during a difficult time”, Paul Coggins, the lawyer, said on Thursday.
Since admitting an extramarital affair several weeks ago, Mr Ensign and his defenders had accused the Hamptons of making exorbitant financial demands but denied that Mr Ensign had provided any severance payments or other financial assistance for the couple. Mr Ensign has said he has no plans to resign from office.
The gifts roughly coincided with Ms Hampton’s departure as treasurer of Mr Ensign’s political committees, as well as with the resignation of her husband, Doug Hampton, as Mr Ensign’s chief of staff, on May 1st, 2008.
Mr Ensign has said the affair with Ms Hampton began in December 2007 and continued until the following August.
The money was disbursed in April 2008, in eight cheques of $12,000 each, with two each for Ms Hampton, her husband and their two children, according to Mr Coggins. He said the gifts complied with tax rules and did not come from official or campaign funds.
The disclosure comes a day after Mr Hampton alleged that Mr Ensign gave his wife a $25,000 severance payment. Mr Hampton has portrayed Mr Ensign as obsessive in pursuit of his wife, releasing a letter in which Mr Ensign says he “used” her for “my own pleasure”.
Mr Hampton also alleged this week that Republican senator Tom Coburn, a close friend of Mr Ensign’s, urged Mr Ensign to end the affair early last year and suggested financial compensation for the Hampton family.
Dr Coburn’s office acknowledged he counselled Mr Ensign to end the affair but denied suggesting a financial deal. Dr Coburn said on Thursday he would refuse any attempts to compel him to testify in court or at the Senate ethics committee about his role.
Dr Coburn, an obstetrician, claimed a legal privilege against such testimony as Mr Ensign’s physician and religious adviser.
But Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor who is now executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said neither privilege would apply to Dr Coburn’s case since Mr Ensign could not plausibly be his patient and being a deacon did not qualify a person as clergy.
Ms Sloan, whose group has filed an ethics complaint against Mr Ensign, also questioned whether the $96,000 in payments to the Hampton family might be viewed as a way around campaign rules that require reporting severance packages for employees such as Ms Hampton. – ( LA Times-Washington Postservice)