Nevada Senator John Ensign announced his resignation today amid an on-going ethics investigation. The Republican said he plans to send Vice President Biden a formal letter tomorrow, making it official.
He is currently under investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee. In 2009, he admitted to having an extramarital affair with Cynthia Hampton, a former member of his campaign staff, and that he helped her husband/member of his staff, Doug Hampton, get lobbying work.
In a statement released today by his office, Ensign maintains his innocence:
It is with tremendous sadness that I officially hand over the Senate seat that I have held for eleven years," said Ensign. "The turbulence of these last few years is greatly surpassed by the incredible privilege that I feel to have been entrusted to serve the people of Nevada. I can honestly say that being a United States Senator has been the honor of my life.
I know that my staff has been devoted to helping those in our state when they needed our assistance the most, and I hope that this will be the enduring legacy that we leave behind. As I close the door to this chapter of my life, I am left with memories that I will forever treasure. Traveling across our state during the years, I have heard incredible stories of strength, of struggle, and of compassion. I have met people who have forever changed me, and I can say that I will go through life a better person because of the struggle that I have been through and the support that I have received.
While I stand behind my firm belief that I have not violated any law, rule, or standard of conduct of the Senate, and I have fought to prove this publicly, I will not continue to subject my family, my constituents, or the Senate to any further rounds of investigation, depositions, drawn out proceedings, or especially public hearings. For my family and me, this continued personal cost is simply too great.
His resignation is effective as of May 3.





Now if we can get the BEAST OF THE APOCALYPSE, Obama, to resign we will be much better off as a country.
Dude you need to stop eating the magic mushrooms. Get yourself into rehab and get ready for another 4 years of your suffering as he's not going anywhere.
Again, Phillip openly shares his past with drugs (magic mushrooms) and his time in rehab for the benefit of others. What a dude... LOL! Unfortunately, when Obama becomes a one term President in 2012, he'll be back in rehab. Poor little fella.
Mikey Mouse you don't know any more about rehabs than you do politics, do you?
It just looks like a good way to put someone down with a cheap shot; given your mood after you saw current Republican poll numbers, your frustration and adolescent acting out behavior is understandable but particularly juvenile.
And no, I didn't go through rehab; I worked in one for a few years though, in a professional capacity, and frankly, I was more impressed by that 15-year old hooker I managed to "reach" than I am with you... She had an excuse at least; her dad had molested her for several years... Now unless you're gonna tell us a story about a scoutmaster, you're gonna be in need of a few drinks yourself because I still keep my cowboy boots handy, and they don't call 'em sh*tkickers for no reason...
First thing we used to do in a rehab was what we called "fix a patient's humble."
I wish to heck our last president had gone through one; it might've convinced him he wasn't smart enough for the job... Instead we're paying the price today...
And unfortunately, part of that price we're paying is listening to know-nothings like you share their imaginary expertise on the subject of politics...
Instead, Billy Graham--you remember him, he's the guy you can hear on the tapes with Nixon engaging in some bigoted bashing of Jewish people and Afro-Americans--talks to the Shrub and convinces him to receive Jesus into his heart and everything will be alright.
In the rehabs when the patients get to telling us Jesus is talking to them we assign a couple of the other patients to keep an eye on them and maybe keep them for a few extra weeks. It can work wonders in some cases...
It's a pity your light is so dim you think you have to put someone else's out so people will notice yours...
WOW... BEAST OF THE APOCALYPSE?!
really?
really?
get a clue
The beast of the Apocalypse indeed. That is War, Famine, Disease and Ignorance; all currently embraced by the conservative Republican party.
War; the republicans love it!
Famine; do away with food stamps and nutrition programs, and starve the peons to death!
Disease; get rid of Medicare, Medicaid, and Planned Parenthood!
Ignorance; well. . . (Insert your favorite example)
We need to SHAME THE DEVIL and force the TBOTA Obama out of office for he is truly the Beast.
Who is the Beast? ever see his original long form? Any of his multiple Social Security cards? his school records? Ever see Obama next to one of his real family members in public? Ever wonder why he hung with domestic terrorists and his pastor of 20 years flows power to Farrakhan?
Either you don't care or you are one of his demon minions lost and hypnotized by your messiah into belief that the anointed one should spend trillions of taxpayer dollars while you nitwits collect unemployment insurance, food stamps, Pell grants, unpaid student loans and suck the system dry.
Obama must go and YOU should read the constitution.
See what happens when RepubliCON's cut mental health care? These folks got kicked out on the streets. Sad really but they can't get the med's they need.
dr helldiger go back to the clinic and get back on your treatment. Then apart from idiots like Palin and Bachmann the voices in your head will stop.
dr, you need to see a srink, and by the way take Trump with you. Even Bachman says the birth issue is over with
Quick drhell there are Russian in the fluoride water & they are coming for you!
dr helldiger
The answer to all of your questions is just this: they are SILLY questions!
Our President isn't going anywhere, and YOU should read the Constitution, if you can read.
Too bad about flunking your intelligence test. I know its tough to hear, but you are just an ignorant fool. Live with it!
I have study the constitution and you might try it yourself. You haven't a clue as to the MEANING in the document.
DNFTT...this thread is about former Sen Ensign. I will just mark as no value and move on
Someone has been watching too much Glen Beck. Just sayin'.
This is all about getting Dean Heller in the Senate and giving him the incumbent's advantage. Republicans are so shady when it comes to elections. They can't win in a fair fight, so they stack the odds against their opponents.
Acorn, now defunct registered millions of voters that did not exist and intimidated voters along with black panthers to elect the Beast. SEIU AFL/CIO AND OTHER Public and private Union members used thuggery and extracted dollars from forced taxpayers then flowed their money exclusively to Democrats and Obama's brethren to elect this Pariah. Chicago style radical election fixing is the domain of the Beast.
You Marxist nitwits want to fight fair, then quit stacking the odds through buggery.
There is treatment if you look for it. Mental illness can be treated, you can probably be integrated back into society. Just stop listening to the likes of Beck and limpballs.
You may want to listen to Phillips advice should you know any liberals that have mental illness. It appears he has personal experience with mental illness and treatment, and can provide the names and contact information for his counselors. Hey Phillip, that's really courageous and charitable of you to admit that on an open forum. You're alright! LOL Sounds like you also listen to 'limpballs' - perhaps those voices will eventually go away with treatment. Good luck little fella.
dr helldiger
Back again with another rant. I apologize for calling you an ignorant fool. I now realize that you are crazy, and need treatment. You have my sympathy. But good news. If you are too poor to buy health insurance, Medicaid is there for you
"Limpballs" there Mikey? Are you referring to the Humbaugh? He went through a rehab for addiction treatment, and at the top of the treatment plan it said "No alcohol," and yet during that episode with the Harvard professor, the Rushturd acknowledged he'd like to be invited to the White House for a "few adult beverages."
Keep an eye on that one; there might be a lesson in it for you...
As for Glenn Beck, the folks that go to meetings refer to his sort as among the "got here a fifth too late crowd." He and the doctor above are part of the Doomsday Preachers (I've been following 'em for years here on Planet Utah), and they're always convinced the world is going to end and they always end up disappointed.
A lot of people sing the praises of the Bible as a spiritual work, but only a damn fool would leave a copy around for people like this to read while they're jonesin' or going through a crisis...
I blame Reagan for letting these people out on the streets, but I blame the electorate for permitting them to gain access to political office (see Bachmann, Michele; Angle, Sharon; O'Donnell, Christine).
Come be a cabdriver for a few years; you'll run into lots of these sorts, and it'll sharpen your perceptions immensely.
Just so y'all know: the "beast" referred to in Revelation 13 was to be the emperor Nero, come back from the dead, which most Christians living toward the end of the 1st century believed would happen. I'd love to give you the whole teaching, but space doesn't permit. Suffice it to say that the whole chapter gives one obvious clue after another as to the beast's identity, so that when you finally get to the number 666 (or 616, as Bibles list in their footnotes), the beast's identity is no longer a mystery--which is what it wasn't to the people for whom Revelation was actually written 2,000 years ago. Revelation is an important book with an important message for people of any time and place, but its importance doesn't lie in any predictions of its (95 AD) distant future. The John who wrote it would be absolutely appalled at what some people are trying to do to the long letter (Revelation) he wrote to his seven congregations way back when!
Right Direction or Wrong Track
22% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction, Ties Lowest Level of Obama's Presidency
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Twenty-two percent (22%) of Likely U.S. Voters now say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey taken the week ending Sunday, April 17. That ties the lowest number of Obama's presidency, last reached in mid-March.
War on Terror Update
Confidence That U.S. Is Winning War on Terror Down to Lowest Level Since 2006
Monday, April 11, 2011
Confidence in America's conduct of the war on terror has fallen to its lowest level in four-and-a-half years.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 32% of Likely U.S. Voters now believe the United States and its allies are winning the war on terror. That's down eight points from a month ago and the most pessimistic assessment since October 2006
Obama, man of mystery, who is he really?
Here is a good starting place others have found some truth in, some find it offensive, I find it interesting and opening questions Obama has not answered to my satisfaction as he was never properly vetted prior to the Guilt people avoided by voting him into power, to prove we as a nation are not Racist.
Instead we have the absolute worst president predicated on the notion we can vote for a black guy.
Obama has ruined the office for minorities for a very long time. The electorate will not be fooled again into voting for someone because not to would be racist.
The four horsemen cometh.
They cometh, each to do his deed
This telling I beg you heed
The day is upon us indeed
One, two, three and four
Their signals, drought, famine, flood and more
We beckon with greed, ignorance and war
Yes, they have come from over yonder
Mounted on horses with hoofs athunder
Conqueror, War Bringer, Desolator and Grim Reaper
whoa what was that noise, didnt you hear that? the commies are after you & they are hiding in the walls & the fluoride is their way of getting you
this is so typical of how people over- react because they are either afraid of the end of the world, or they can't wait for it to happen. even glenn beck, who believes this stuff, said he doesn't want the end of the world to happen now. he is having too much fun here on earth with all his fame and fortune i guess. voting obama in as president had absolutely nothing to do with "proving we can vote for a black guy". we wanted hope and change.
i know people, yes they are republicans, who think the president is the antichrist. basically they are hard working and nice people, but very ignorant and biggoted when it comes to having an african american president. though they are free to have their opinions, i am stunned at the phobic rhetoric, and i am wondering what on earth would make them associate this president with the book of revelations, tying him to the "end of the world", something that some churches and ministers and "christians" use to place the fear of god in us, to "make" us think and behave in certain ways. to be good enough so we aren't sinning, so we can go to heaven or whatever our beliefs might be. so, dr., i am assuming that you are making those same assumptions since you bring up the 4 horseman. is it god's will that you inform the world of your beliefs, and speak so hatefully of this president? i know people like you-people who hate others because they are different. you are conveniently overlooking the president and vice president who preceded president obama. there is a logical explanation for what our president is trying to do. leave the book of revelations out of it. keep your fear mongering to yourself.
Nice to see the "family value" party kick out a bad apple, OH WAIT I guess the "family value" party didn't, it was the lame senate "ethics" committee that did him in. I'd like to know how many senator actually came before that committee and survived? 99%?
Jason, I hope your not a Christian sort because your bringing up the subject of fluoridation reminds me of these two broken teeth I have right now that I can't afford to get fixed...
I grew up on Planet Utah where the anti-fluoride crowd still has kept it out of the water except here in Salt Lake and Davis county to the north...
So I'm feeling real onery and fixing to kick some butt and take some names on a few posts above, and if you're the squeamish sort, you might want to turn your head...
But thank you for the lead-in that will allow me to log back in and make sure there isn't any collateral damage. This might get even uglier...
TY for the heads up SL Cabbie. I say fire away at me or anyone else you feel the desire to. I use the fluoride thing for folks who basically are glenn beckish enough to be paranoid about things like fluoride in water. I am not sure why these fluoride freaks come around a blog like this. They completely disrupt things & spoil any possibility of having good debate or dialog. I for one enjoy hearing an argument that disagrees with mine, as I know I am not always correct & am big enough to understand that. Good ole Utah, it's sad that these freaks & beckerheads don't live there a few years, might chill them the f*ck out. PEACE
You know, if you don't care for Lawrence's show, why are you here? I'm sure there are plenty of rightwing blogs where you can be amongst those who think like you. If there was an honest discussion about opposing viewpoints, that would be fantastic. Instead, whenever I come here I find childish ranting.
So sad.
I have tried the inflammatory button on these inflammatory statements but it didn't work, I think hitting the ADVERTISING button will be the only way any monitor of this blog will ever look at the insanity of the few bad apples on here, after all we know that advertising dollars make the media go.
A Cabbie note to Jason above:
Back atcha big guy... I don't see us ever getting into anything serious; you're too damn reasonable...
Plus you look like a guy who does a bit of fact checking and doesn't engage in a lot of bullshipping, unlike a lot I know... Yeah, we've got plenty here on Planet Utah... The Sutherland Institute is headquartered here; it's kind of a Heritage Foundation wannabe...
I just wanted to say howdy, and I see you recognize this trollslaying is a dirty job but somebody has to...
Gotta check some of the others I put stakes through the heart of... Works fine with vampires, but a lot of these sorts are zombies, and it's hard to tell the difference in the heat of battle... Best to use a light saber on zombies; flame throwers mess 'em up pretty badly, but they often survive...
Light Saber , I like it & I will use on my next slaying of these zombies.THANKS. As far as me being reasonable, well I am sure there are a few nutcases that would disagree, but I thank you for the compliments.