The folks at Gawker have raised an interesting idea in the John Ensign scandal: Did the housing crisis indirectly trigger Ensign’s eventual admission of his affair with a former campaign staffer?
The key facts here are that Ensign’s reported former mistress was Cynthia Hampton, whose husband Douglas Hampton is a former top Ensign staffer. The Hamptons in turn had taken out a $1.2 million mortgage in 2006, on what is clearly a very swank house in Las Vegas: Five bedrooms, five full bathrooms and one half-bathroom, three fireplaces, a pool and a spa. The net taxes on the House last year were $8,466.41.
But financial disclosures also show that the Hamptons are not wealthy people. And Douglas Hampton had reportedly been asking Ensign for money, which led to Ensign’s public admission.
Another key piece of info: Nevada has had the single-worst percentage drop in home prices in the midst of the housing crisis. It’s a rough market out there.
We were unable to contact the Hamptons for comment.
