Who paid the Ensign hush money? It's a financial scandal, not a sex scandal.

[madeline_con]

So, we have the NRSC -- funded by contributors to the party -- paying for this 19 year old to be a consultant.

At the same time, the taxpayers are paying salaries and then severance pay to the couple.

And there may be more payoffs.

After both Hamptons abruptly stopped working for Ensign in May 2008, reports the Review-Journal, Doug Hampton went to work for Allegiant Air, a Las Vegas-based travel company, and for November Inc., the political consulting firm that runs Ensign's campaigns and employs several former Ensign staffers.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/6/17/185833/432

[calimary]

1. I find myself wondering who might STILL be paying them to keep quiet.

[madeline_con]

2. I didn't know Ensign's dad owns Mandaly Bay Casino until today.

There was an article Japan'd Midas Touch (but it's dated '89) about Japanese businessmen buying casinos and failing miserably.


http://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/21/us/japanese-midas-touch-is-off-mark-in-las-vegas.html

I found Ensign's salry expenditures here...

http://www.legistorm.com/member/39/Sen_John_Ensign.html


And interstingly enough, a lot of trips to Japan. Why Japan almost to the exclusion of any other overseas trips?

There's more to this, and my imagined Japan connection may be a wild hair. :shrug:

[calimary]

3. Oh fart! Well, up to this moment, that was my favorite hotel in Las Vegas.

Not so sure now.

Who knows about the Japan thing, unless he was trying to lay some groundwork for Ambassador to Japan in a few years? Maybe he'll be Ambassador to the Chicken Ranch or something? Isn't that in Nevada, too?