John Ensign's Political Downfall

John Ensign, a senator with presidential ambitions, faced a major scandal when his extramarital affair with a staff member came to light. This affair not only contradicted his public persona as a family-values advocate but also involved a complex web of deception, including financial payoffs to the woman and her husband, both of whom worked for him. Ensign's misguided attempts to cover up the affair led to his dismissal of both individuals and illicit financial arrangements to silence them. Ultimately, he resigned from the Senate under the looming threat of an ethics committee investigation that revealed substantial evidence of his misconduct.