Ensign's Parents Gave Mistress' Family $96K

Yet another twist in the John Ensign scandal: The Nevada senator's parents gave his mistress and her family nearly $100,000 when their son's affair came to light, reports the Las Vegas Sun. The Ensigns gave the money to the Hamptons in the form of gifts under $12,000 each to stay in line with tax laws.

Nothing shady about it, says their attorney: The Ensigns gave the money "out of concern of the well-being of the longtime family friends during a difficult time." The gifts came in April 2008 as Cindy and husband Doug Hampton were resigning their posts from Ensign's office. Ensign, meanwhile, reiterated today that he has no plans to resign, and an ethics groups called for a federal investigation into a separate $25,000 severance payment to Cindy.
(More John Ensign stories.)