The Senate Ethics Committee has appointed a special counsel to investigate whether Sen. John Ensign broke Senate rules stemming from his affair with a former aide.
The Justice Department said last year that it would not seek criminal prosecution against Ensign, R-Nev. Ensign is up for re-election in 2012.
The New York Times reported in 2009 that Ensign helped Douglas Hampton, a former aide, obtain lobbying contracts to win silence from Hampton and his wife, Cynthia. The senator once had an affair with Cynthia Hampton, a former treasurer of his campaign.
In a statement, Senate Ethics Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and vice chairman Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., said Carol Bruce Elder was being appointed as special counsel in a "preliminary inquiry" to determine whether Ensign broke rules within the committee's jurisdiction.
By Catalina Camia, USA TODAY
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