Embattled Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) is resigning from his seat in the U.S. Senate. In a statement released by his office Thursday evening, Ensign said his last day as a Senator will be May 3.
"It is with tremendous sadness that I officially hand over the Senate seat that I have held for eleven years," Ensign said in the statement. "The turbulence of these last few years is greatly surpassed by the incredible privilege that I feel to have been entrusted to serve the people of Nevada. I can honestly say that being a United States Senator has been the honor of my life."
Ensign had already announced he wouldn't be seeking a third term in 2012, after his current term was marred by scandal involving an affair with the wife of a longtime friend and former staffer. The scandal put Ensign in the sights of the Senate Ethics Committee.
Now, it seems, Ensign will bring his time in the Senate to an end even earlier than had been expected. In his statement, Ensign eluded to the numerous investigations that have plagued him since he publicly admitted an extramarital affair in 2009.
Really. How fitting.
Ensign has hardly ever shown respect for "we the people" in his votes and actions in DC, so we should not be surprised that he's now showing utter disrespect to Nevada voters by quitting now after insisting he wouldn't do this. And if
what The Sun is reporting turns out to be true, then this is nothing more than a craven plot by Nevada Republicans to install Dean Heller as Senator now so that he can be favored in next year's election.
Why should Brian Sandoval, Dean Heller, and John Ensign be allowed to get away with this? This stunt forces Nevada to pay for a special election in the 2nd Congressional District. Why should we essentially pay for Heller to quit his current job and attempt to game the rules in his favor?
Remember this, Nevada. Remember this whenever Nevada Republicans talk about "respecting the will of the people". Clearly, they don't! And Brian Sandoval and Dean Heller can share in the disgrace that John Ensign has caused himself in this whole sorry affair.
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