Just in time for the next election cycle:

The Senate Ethics Committee has begun issuing subpoenas to those caught up in the sex and lobbying scandal surrounding Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) and his former aides, Doug and Cindy Hampton.

Several people close to the scandal said they received document subpoenas on Thursday from the committee asking for any records they have related to Ensign and the Hamptons.

The subpoenas from the Ethics Committee do not preclude the possibility that the Justice Department will get involved in the case —, and there are some indications that the department has already begun looking into it.