senator john ensign

The news is a buzz with word that former Senator John Edwards could face indictment today for funneling campaign cash to his mistress:

Criminal charges are expected to be filed Friday against two-time Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, the result of an investigation into campaign cash allegedly funneled to the woman he had an out-of-wedlock child with.

According to The Associated Press, Edwards’s attorney, former White House counsel Gregory Craig, is headed to North Carolina on Friday and federal prosecutors are prepared to file charges. Plea deal discussions are ongoing.

This news has been brewing all week and if it wasn't for "weinergate", would have most likely been the top news story.

But what about the news of another political figure, having an affair and possibly violating federal campaign finance laws to cover it up? We're talking about the case of former Senator John Ensign, who just so happens to be a Republican.

Last month the Senate ethics committee concluded their 18 month investigation and determined that the DOJ should have not closed the case on Ensign and have referred their findings to the DOJ for prosecution. They also concluded that Ensign's activities should have lead to an expulsion from the Senate and called it one of the worst ethical violations in the history of the United States Senate.

However you would not know this by listening to the mainstream media. They hardly made mention of it, unlike that of the Edwards story, which took place long after Edwards was out of office.

Comes one of their big stars, Republican Senator John Ensign and his admission to an extramarital affair. The affair was with a campaign staffer, who is also the wife of one of his senate staffers. Sounds like trouble in that office! Chris Cillizza has much more.

We knew this was going to be the reaction by the GOP:

Senator John Ensign of Nevada, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, demanded that Mr. Craig keep his initial pledge and leave the Senate.

“The type of behavior we are talking about here is not exactly something that I think a senator should be engaged in,” said Mr. Ensign, who again raised the possibility of public ethics committee hearings into whether Mr. Craig brought discredit on the Senate, which could be grounds for action against him.

True they never mention David Vitter. I guess being with hookers is much better than having a mishap in the bathroom. And will this be an election issue? Damn right it will be. It might not have a big impact nationally, but it is fuel to remind people of other problem GOPers like Mark Foley. Of course the right will start their crying that we are "bringing up the past", even though they do it more than anyone else. They always love talking about Studds and Barney Franks, and those were incidents that happened over two decades ago.