Sen. Burris, on Senate Armed Services Committee, Won’t Be Indicted
Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee science and space subcommittee overseeing NASA, had an extramarital affair in 2007 and 2008 with an aide, according to news reports.
The 51-year-old senator is in his second six-year term. He took office in January 2001, about the time that fellow Republican George Bush of Texas became president.
Ensign was chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, but stepped down from the post when the scandal broke. He doesn’t have to seek reelection until 2012.
Meanwhile, another senator with continuing difficulties is Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.), who faced controversy when scandal-scarred Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed Burris to fill the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama when he won the presidential election last fall.
Prosecutors have informed Burris he won’t be indicted for perjury, even though he gave “incomplete” answers to an Illinois House of Representatives panel probing the appointment. But back in Washington, the Senate Rules Committee continues to examine the matter.