Nevada Sen. John Ensign, a Republican rumored to harbor presidential aspirations, has admitted he had an extramarital affair with a former campaign aide. Yes, I know, you’ve read this story before. But just think: Ensign could be the first Senator to admit his secret sexual dalliances on Twitter. Don’t hold your breath.
Politico has more, with suggestions of possible blackmail:
Political insiders in the Senate and in Nevada told POLITICO that Ensign began an affair with a staffer several months after he separated from his wife. When Ensign reconciled with his wife, the sources said, he gave the aide a severance package and parted ways.
Sometime later, a Nevada source said, Ensign met with the husband of the woman involved and had what this source described as a positive encounter. Sources said that the man subsequently asked Ensign for a substantial sum of money – at which point Ensign decided to make the affair public.