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After staying away from the political limelight for over a year since his disgraceful resignation from his Senate seat in May 2011, John Ensign peeked once again into the world of politics this past June.
Ensign’s leadership fund, the Battle Born PAC, contributed $10,000 to the campaign fund of Republican congressional candidate Danny Tarkanian on June 19, 2012. Tarkanian, who failed to win the Republican nomination to run against Senator Harry Reid (Democrat from Nevada) in 2010 is seeking election to the House this year as the Representative from the newly created 4th District in Nevada. The new district was added as a result of the census of 2010, and so far, according to a Republican poll released last week, Tarkanian is leading his Democratic challenger Steven Horsford by six percentage points.
Ensign’s resignation came as a result of an investigation by the congressional Ethics Committee into the extramarital affair he was having with Cindy Hampton, a former campaign aide. After the affair Ensign sent lobbying work to Hampton’s husband, Doug Hampton.
Last month Doug Hampton, who had been a close friend of Ensign and his deputy chief of staff, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge that he violated the one-year ban on lobbying placed on former important Senate staff.
The Justice Department is still deliberating whether or not to charge Ensign himself with any wrongdoing connected to the affair.
