Ethics Committee refers Ensign case to Justice Department
By Paul Kane and Carol D. Leonnig, Washington Post
The Senate Ethics Committee on Thursday declared that it has “substantial and credible evidence” that former senator John Ensign broke federal laws in his effort to cover up an extramarital affair he had with a political aide, referring its case to the Justice Department and Federal Election Commission.
In a highly unusual public rebuke, the bipartisan committee presented its case on the Senate floor, announcing it had voted unanimously to release its findings and request the Justice Department re-start a criminal investigation into the Nevada Republican’s actions.
John Ensign
“We have reason to believe Senator Ensign violated laws,” Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., the chairwoman of the panel, said during the speeches.
Boxer, reading from a report of the special counsel hired to handle the investigation, said that the evidence against Ensign was “substantial enough to warrant the consideration of expulsion” had he not resigned.