Isn't the more interesting question how Ensign's staff heard about the letter?

What fun. Hope it was good. Hope his Healthcare Insurer covers the abortion costs. No, not the impregnation of the tart, his politcal career...

If Ensign were worried that Kelly would betray him, he would not have claimed extortion. The fact that the letter was then given to the Las Vegas Sun suggests that Hampton did, in fact, decide not to put his future in the hands of Fox News. I hope Hampton sues Ensign now for slander.

When this story first started I knew it was going to get more interesting. I didn't know what was going to happen all I was sure of that there was a lot more under the surface. I still think there is more to know that is going to make this even more tawdry.

Isn't it far more likely that Kelly would have ignored the letter?

It seems like she did. I imagine if Kelly had a paper trail indicating a Democratic lascivious liaison, she'd have it on in seconds flat.

Interesting aside - I googled , Cynthia Hampton , and there doesn't seem to be any pictures of her on the web...except for some facebook links that were taken down. My morbid curiosity lead me to wonder what Ensign was willing to risk all for. Anyone seen a picture of her?

Although not surprising, I am much more interested in Doug Hampton's charge that the affair was an open secret amongst Ensign's peers, including at least one other Senator (from the letter):

The unethical behavior and immoral choice of Senator Ensign has been confronted by me and others on a number of occasions over this past year. In fact one of the confrontations took place in February 2008 at his home in Washington DC (sic) with a group of his peers. One of the attendee’s (sic) was Senator Tom Coburn from Oklahoma as well as several other men who are close to the Senator.

Please help me Megyn Kelly, you're my only hope.

This story is developing new plot lines faster than "Days of our Lives," or "As the World Turns"

What next? A guy with a pistol? A baby on the doorstep?

as the saying goes, "curiouser and curiouser."

I think Fox is more loyal to the practice of sleazy journalism than it is to the Republican party. The GOP is a close second to trash in Rupert Murdoch's heart, but second it is.

Anyone seen a picture of her?

Try this.

What a crappy soap opera this is. Woman persued and conquored against her will, husband terrified, pissed and scrambling to do something about slimy sleazy senator with a peter he refuses to control and a false belief that he is an Emperor.

Fox News, suprisingly ignores stupid sorrid sex tale of two pathetic egos struggling for manly dominance over each other.

I know more about the sex lives of conversatives than ever wanted to know in 20 lifetimes. It is very stupid and very very boring.

Damn. And I'd hoped Ensign's disclosure was because Larry Flynt kept calling, asking for a comment for an upcoming story.

Hampton messed up. He should have hooked up with
Larry Flynt for $1 million dollars .

Oh, that liberal, Republican-hating media. Cry, baby cry.

To falsely claim that someone was blackmailing you would be a big, big, ethical breach - a crime, not just an actionable slander/libel? It's more than just an affair, now. Is Ensign the new poster boy for "Republican ethics."?

Humiliating.

Expect to see this story next season on an episode of Law and Order, presumably with a less amusing ending.

One way this could have gone: Doug Hampton approaches Megyn Kelly. Kelly pulls together a story. Since Fox News is effectively the house organ (if you'll pardon the expression) of the Republican Party, they go to the Senator Ensign with what they have and ask for comment. Ensign and the party powers-that-be ask Roger Ailes to hold the story, but since they know Hampton will take the story elsewhere, Ensign must go public. Ailes agrees. Ensign gets ahead of the bad news and the smear campaign against Hampton begins. Kelly probably gets brownie points and Ailes owes her a favor for letting a big scoop go. In the best GOP tradition, Hampton is left twisting slowly, slowy in the wind.

Hampton is treading on dangerous ground. With other Senators involved, the only way to fight back against a bigger scandal is to utterly discredit and destroy Hampton. What a world.

Danp Re: Cythia's picture - I dont think so. That is from a reformed Jehovah's witness testimony
www.towerwatch.com/photogallery/hampton.jpg
No mention of anything close to what she is doing

First of all, I don't believe it's strange that Doug Hampton wrote the letter to Megyn Kelly at Faux News. In my view, there's a good chance that he watches Faux News religiously, since he and his wife were on Ensign's staff in the first place. Some people have no idea there are other TV channels besides that whacky loony-loo RoviPalin O'HanniBeck station, and maybe Hampton falls into that category. Maybe he's watching Faux News right now as I type this message. Unfortunately for Mr. Hampton, he should change the channel if he wants to see any coverage of this news story.

As for motive, now we know he wanted the story out. That's a given. But what if Hampton wrote the letter as a safeguard against harm being done to himself or his wife. Personally, I would be afraid after confronting someone in such a powerful role in a similar situation. What if there were threats exchanged? We already know Ensign accused Hampton of a threat (extortion), but it turned out not to be true. Of course there haven't been any suggestions by anyone that Ensign has the capacity or the desire to physically harm anyone. But I'm just trying to be empathetic here. I would probably do the same thing as Doug Hampton if I were in the same position. I would write a big ass letter, make recordings, and gather copies of all of my notes and documents and put them in a safe place. I would then try to recall the hottest national news anchor I have ever seen on my television, and I would try to get her to talk to me by sending her my letter. If I'm Doug Hampton, I would feel like I owed that much to myself.

Danp Re picture -I dont think so actual link to the site - sorry

http://www.towerwatch.com/Testimonies/cynthia_hampton.htm

After reading both the husband's letter and the wife's article, I have to say that they both come across as breathtakingly stupid. Well, that may be a bit harsh. Maybe just gullible, undereducated tools begging to be used by the better paid Republican players would be a more accurate description.

That would actually apply to most of the hardcore thirtypercenters who still think George Bush is God's representative on earth and Dick Cheney is his prophet.

And they wonder how their masters could screw them over so royally and repeatedly. I hope someday they manage to figure it out.

Wow, Don Surber completely deleted his "Fox News made Ensign come clean" blog post.

The title is still up on "Memorandum"

I've never seen any blogger do this.

That how Republicans and Fox News deal with embarrassments to Republicans... OMISSION.

John R - Here is another site. Here there are two photos. One is the same as the watchtower one; the other is with Ensign. I can't tell if they are the same woman or not.

It could well be the same woman, especially considering the same notch in the bangs. One version elsewhere is reformatted with height elongation, and the distortion misleadingly decreases the similarity. Much more interesting about http://www.towerwatch.com/Testimonies/cynthia_hampton.htm, is the weird religious ideas about Armageddon that Cynthia had. It shows what sort get into the Republican party: now basically just corporatists/plutocrats and their misc. anti-empathy toughs and market fundamentalist allies, neocon/federates, angry white NASCAR dittohead males, and religious fundamentalists.

As to Hampton's motivation. As one who has endured an episode of marital infidelity, I can tell you that people do crazy stuff, including lashing out at those they percieve as responsible for their misery. Sounds like this guy just couldn't handle that Ensign was escaping any consequences of the affair while he and his wife were suffering.

eyescribe: One way this could have gone...

Way too complicated. How about this: Hampton contacts Kelly. Fox News, not about to touch the story, immediately warns Ensign.

Ensign thanks Fox and decides with his aides to get out ahead of the story with the added insult of accusing Hampton of extortion.

This so fully illustrates the psychology of the social conservative true believers and the Republican who exploits them.

Who else would think Fox was a real news channel? Who else wouldn't know the first thing they will do is let Ensign know about it?

Way too complicated. How about this: Hampton contacts Kelly. Fox News, not about to touch the story, immediately warns Ensign. Ensign thanks Fox and decides with his aides to get out ahead of the story with the added insult of accusing Hampton of extortion.
Posted by: Susan Johnson

Exactly right. I'd bet on it.

Ho hum. Another day, another sad cheesy melodrama that shows why the Republicans are collectively a batch of vary sick puppies.

Bluntly, this is what happens to people who seek to deny or suppress their sex drives. Regardless of effort, something so fundamental to one's being will eventually work its way to the surface, and in these people the sex drive often manifests itself far more insidiously and perversly than if one just dealt with it in adult, matter-of-fact manner.

And that's why the face of the Republican Party has come to be represented in large part recently by cocktail waitress-molesting politicians, homewrecking Promise Keepers, homophobic family values activists with penchants for crystal meth and gay male prostitutes, abstinence-preaching teenaged unwed mothers, horny blonde high school teachers who offer select male students extra credit, and pious-talking right-wing Christian women who dress like porn stars.

"the impregnation of the tart"
Posted by: stevio on June 19, 2009 at 1:38 PM

Wow.
Am I really the only reader in the last few hours to think the use of that term (and the entire assumption set that goes with it) is not only unnecessary, but counterproductive and hypocritical?
If any Rethug, Villager, or troll said or posted something like that, I really hope we'd be giving them hell about it.
And if we would, how can we countenance any of us engaging in it ourselves?
Or do we leap to the outrage only when it's perpetrated on a Monica Lewinsky, or a Rielle Hunter, or any of "our" women?

My thoughts on this: Fox News obviously tipped him off and tried to bury the story. They are still trying to deny their involvement.

It also seems as if Cynthia thought her future employment and her family's livelihood depended on her being sexually compliant--this is the aspect of the story which needs to be fully explored (and the reason he should be thrown out of the Senate). Ensign was actually extorting her. Probably made threats against her husband too; he is a powerful man with powerful friends. An amoral alpha male pretending to be extremely religious. As this story matures, I would not doubt but we will hear he is a serial philanderer. He thought he had all the power in this relationship, thus would not incur any negative consequences. Not so fast. This seems like a situation he has set up with past experience. He should resign.

Who cares He is just another Republican hypocrite. There are so many. I just wonder why people vote for them.

This blog post was dead on.

The letter was buried.

Fox News/ The Glorious Official Republican Government News Network is not going to embarrass Republicans or the right-wing.

Fox News, "We Distort, You Absorb"

Give him a break at lest he was not a liar and corrupt politician who uses children and women for profiteering acts.

Senator Ensign was a man and came forward.

Senator Ensign did not persecute his woman he had an affair with.

Senator Ensign did not use his position as a Senator to profit off the affair.

Senator Reid likes to make money off children and a woman who was the victim of a powerful political religious group in Las Vegas and she came close to death by hours.

Senator Reid and sons profit off there shareholders positions against victims of sex crimes who come close to death.

Now that's horrible?

The sex crimes, hate, racial and persecution of an famous military family dating back to the "Civil War" in Las Vegas. Directed for profit under Senator Reids law firm he and his sons are shareholders in Lionel Sawyer and Collins the powerful wealthy power house.

So you see they can control the media?

Should Senator Harry Reid Profit From Sex crime? - Topix
Should Senator Harry Reid Profit From Sex crime? created by: Victims Rights | Jan 23, 2008. Vote; Results. Click on an option to vote ...
www.topix.com/forum/us/TEHCRP7G3VBMCEAV7 - Cached - Similar

Congress Shelly Berkley protects human rights abusers knowing that children were involved and a sex victim came close to death.

The media protects the very rich and powerful as the ruling political groups do.

ANC-PAC Supporters Back Las Vegas Area Congresswoman Shelly ...
CASINO OWNERS LIKE STEVE WYNN, THE VENATION HOTEL OWNERS, CONGRESS LEADER SHELLY BERKLEY ARE JUST A FEW OF THE VIP LIST AT TEMPLE BETH SHALOM. ...
www.topix.com/forum/city/las...nv/TF9LGIA9OMCJI9OFI - Cached - Similar

Fools rush in where many wise men have been.

Religion, sex and politics never work in any forum.

Here is an article and picture of her.

Cynthia Hampton
Cynthia Hampton. ... By Cynthia Hampton. My first introduction to the Watchtower Organization was in 1970, when my mother began to study with an old friend ...
www.towerwatch.com/Testimonies/cynthia_hampton.htm - Cached - Similar

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