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WASHINGTON — Sen. John Ensign’s former mistress and her husband sought an $8.5 million settlement from the Nevada Republican before the affair became public, The New York Times reported Thursday.
Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, a friend of Ensign’s, acted as an intermediary in negotiations last spring with the lawyer for Cindy and Doug Hampton before Ensign publicly admitted the relationship with Cindy Hampton, the Times said.
On Thursday, Ensign’s office responded to the report with an e-mail noting that it had previously been publicized that the senator helped Hampton get two jobs. It did not reply to further questions. Coburn’s spokesman could not be reached for comment.
