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The John Ensign scandal related to revelations in 2009 of an extramarital affair between United States Senator John Ensign from Nevada and campaign aide Cynthia Hampton from 2007 to 2008 and actions taken by Ensign to keep the affair secret. He was investigated for potential violations of federal rules about conflict of interest after he arranged for Doug Hampton, Cynthia's husband and formerly a top staffer in his Washington, D.C. office, to gain a private lobbying job and apparently used his federal position to benefit Hampton's clients.
Ensign resigned from the Senate in 2011 during a Senate Ethics Committee investigation and returned to Las Vegas, Nevada. The committee turned its report over to the Department of Justice for investigation of potential violation of laws. The DOJ found evidence of strong-arm tactics, but decided against prosecution of Ensign, according to internal federal documents released under a FOIA request in late 2014.[1] Doug Hampton was prosecuted and reached a plea deal with the government in May 2012.