July 9, 2009
Posted: July 9th, 2009 02:12 PM ET

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sen. Tom Coburn - who confronted fellow Sen. John Ensign in an effort to convince him to end an extramarital affair - denied allegations Thursday he'd suggested Ensign pay off the husband of the woman he was having an affair with, telling reporters on Capitol Hill that he would not berevealing the content of his conversations with the Nevada senator:

Reporter: At no point did you suggest payments be made?

Coburn: A categorical (denial) is exactly what I just said.

Reporter: But you denied millions, did you suggest payments at all?

Coburn: I categorically deny that, period.

Reporter: But do you deny that you were there at the February 2008…

Coburn: I was there.

Reporter: You were there?

Coburn: Sure.

Reporter: Is that the first time you learned about it?

Coburn: I'm not going to talk about that. I'm just telling you I was there.

Reporter: And you won't say what you told him?

Coburn: No, and I never will. Not to a court of law, not to the ethics committee, to anybody. Because that is privileged communication that I will never reveal to anybody.

–CNN Congressional Producer Ted Barrett contributed to this report

Related: Report: Senator tried to stop colleague's affair

Filed under: John Ensign • Tom Coburn


jfs Memhis, Tn   July 9th, 2009 3:55 pm ET

Ensign should resign...........it is never popular to mess around with other women. I am shocked that the State of Nevada will allow a hypicrite to continue to represents them....especially when he tried to cover this issue up by permitting himself to be blackmailed. If he sees no harm with that ....just what will he try to candy coat or cover up with regards to representing the good people of his state ????

Sue   July 9th, 2009 3:54 pm ET

The GOP and the better than anybody Dems are getting attention to just how corrupt both parties are. But God help us if we keep a total Dem party in power. We can kiss the USA goodbye

Scott L   July 9th, 2009 3:52 pm ET

@TULSA – ETHICS AND MORALS?

I have two words for you BILL CLINTON.

And two more words for you MONICA LEWNISKY.

Go ahead, justify it go ahead.

One thing you won't get Reagan or any of the Bush's on is marital affairs. Only a matter of time before Obama falls if he has not already.

Henri   July 9th, 2009 3:50 pm ET

Aren't these comments hilarious about Coburn. Try to help a friend and spare his family by advising him to be faithful to his wife and it selfserving and unethical. All my relatives back in France should be Democrats since cheating on your wife is okay there too.

citizenjane   July 9th, 2009 3:48 pm ET

July 9th, 2009 3:05 pm ET

omg who cares? even if he did pay off the husband, there'd be nothing illegal about it, so what's all the hullabaloo? WHERE IS THE STORY HERE?
---------------
I don't know, Sniffit. If the husband was invovled with blackmailing Ensign, and Coburn was negotiating with the husband, wouldn't the husband, Ensign, and Coburn all three be guity of participating in blackmail and/or bribery?

notfooledtx   July 9th, 2009 3:47 pm ET

Who really cares about Coburn? The fact remains Ensign is a cheat, liar and a hypocrit.

Please mr. coburn let's hear you pontificate on the glories of the gop and their "family values" platform.

Luke Brown   July 9th, 2009 3:45 pm ET

My guess is that, if Coburn had simply told Ensign to stop banging his girlfriend/staff member, he would have no problem reporting that to the media.

Obviously, Coburn is refusing to comment to because he gave him a lot more "advice" than that... and disclosing it to the public would make him look less than angelic.

What's wrong with the voters in Oklahoma? They seem to be the only state whose senators get automatic, tenured membership in the Congressional Idiots Club.

Molly   July 9th, 2009 3:41 pm ET

How is this privilaged information? Seriously...does anyone know? I thought privilaged information was between doctor/patient, attorney/client, church officials...stuff like that. Not a lying, cheating husband and his fellow congressman.

Allan   July 9th, 2009 3:41 pm ET

His office issued a statement yesterday. I guess he needs to fire his own staff for violating Ensign's confidentiality.

single mom   July 9th, 2009 3:38 pm ET

Folks, y'all know there is only one way for US to deal with what is coming out of DC – At each election coming up, do NOT vote for the incumbent. That means in 2010 we could clear out the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate, 2012 the next third of the Senate and the House again if we need to, and by 2014, WE THE PEOPLE would have taken back our government. You know, the one that is supposed to be BY THE PEOPLE and FOR THE PEOPLE.

Shawn - GA   July 9th, 2009 3:37 pm ET

Before you type your hate... please remeber that there has been far worse things. A president who had an afair in the Whitehouse comes to mind, he then lied under oath, then finally cam clean that he lied.

I am not judging the man, I am jsut reminding you that everyone needs to be held to the same standard. I am not perfect nor are you. Stop being so hatefilled. The hater loses not the Hated.

Will   July 9th, 2009 3:36 pm ET

Dr. Coburn is one of the last remaining truly honorable politicians. He is a great man and the kind that our resembles some our incredible founding fathers. Obama is not fit to carry Coburn's shoes.

Jeff in Virginia   July 9th, 2009 3:35 pm ET

My guess is that Coburn had an affair of his own, and told Ensign how he dealt with getting out of it.

chris   July 9th, 2009 3:33 pm ET

I'm a Democrat but he has a right to keep this matter a secret. I just hope he changes his views on family values and quits using them as a scapegoat to justify discrimination towards homosexuals.

that is not a good thing   July 9th, 2009 3:32 pm ET

letting us know you did not tell him to resign is not a good thing

he should resign

the whole episode shows that he is not a leader

GOP = Party of Hypocrites   July 9th, 2009 3:30 pm ET

Coburn will do anything to defend Senator "Family Values" Ensign because embracing adulters and daiper-wearing prostitute cusomers like Vitter is what Promise Keepers do while condemning everyone else.
Do as I say, not as I do.

GI Joe   July 9th, 2009 3:26 pm ET

Ahhhh – secrets, secrets, secrets – same old grand obstructionis party. Can't wait for 2010. We still have one of those worms as our Senator. NO MORE.

Already campaigning to get rid of him. We got Dole "off the dole".

ron   July 9th, 2009 3:19 pm ET

The hits from the GOP just-a keeps- a-commin'.

Nick - Arlington, VA   July 9th, 2009 3:19 pm ET

privileged? not exactly. Unless he thinks he is above a Congressional or judicial subpoena.

Deb   July 9th, 2009 3:19 pm ET

A bunch of crooks and they stick together. Both Coburn and Ensign need to resign.

Tony   July 9th, 2009 3:16 pm ET

That's the good ole buddy system for you!

Tulsa   July 9th, 2009 3:12 pm ET

Coburn is a self serving jerk. As an Oklahoman, he is an embarrasment to all of us. A typical Republican who values lies and coverups over ethics and morals.

So he will refuse to answer a direct question in a court of law? Yep, he's a Republican alright.

marlene   July 9th, 2009 3:10 pm ET

Sen. Coburn, from Oklahoma, has many times on national television and in the senate chamber expressed the "family values" endorsed by the Republican party. So, I'm not surprised that he offered his opinion. He and his colleagues, in residence in the "C Street" housing, probably share many conversations. Unless an "official" wrong doing comes to light, I expect we'll never know what was discussed.

yuri   July 9th, 2009 3:10 pm ET

Alright, we will leave you well alone, Coburn. Lat's see you do something useful and anticipate immediate and impressive results, buddy!

Lauren   July 9th, 2009 3:05 pm ET

I do believe he advised ensign to pay something, but we will probably not find out how much. Ensign only held the press conference because he knew the story was getting ready to come out, and he was being blackmailed.

Sniffit   July 9th, 2009 3:05 pm ET

omg who cares? even if he did pay off the husband, there'd be nothing illegal about it, so what's all the hullabaloo? WHERE IS THE STORY HERE?

Shawn - GA   July 9th, 2009 3:04 pm ET

I am not perfect so I have no intrest in trying to judge anyone else.

Duck Fallas   July 9th, 2009 3:00 pm ET

He told him he loved him and explained the benefits of a "wide stance."

Palin-Bachmann 2012

GI Joe   July 9th, 2009 3:00 pm ET

It appears that the "Christian Republians" house known as C-Street was the common denominator in a lot of the cases. I thinks it's where they gathered to discuss how to have an affair and get out of it the easiest way.

More to come, folks ....................................................

Dutch/Bad Newz, VA   July 9th, 2009 2:59 pm ET

Isn't Sen. Coburn's silence on this matter kind of unethical? Come on. Coburn may know if Ensign was paying these people to keep their mouths shut. This is why Ensign should resign.

citizenjane   July 9th, 2009 2:59 pm ET

Coburn musn't have gotten the memo from RNC Steele declaring the entire episode as old news. . . lack of communication fits right in with all those other pesky GOP negatives.

On a lighter note, so glad Coburn isn't going to spill the beans. Been sitting on pins and needles worrying myself that he would.

How silly you GOPers are.

Ms. White   July 9th, 2009 2:57 pm ET

If he had to testify about what he told Ensign to do, right now he would be in jail for contempt of court...
Repugs...think they are above the law

Dutch/Bad Newz, VA   July 9th, 2009 2:55 pm ET

Sounds like a cover up so ensign can keep his seat. Talk about unethical. And I thought Blago's pay-to-play scheme was bad. That's small fries compared to what I think is going on in Ensign's situation.

Larry   July 9th, 2009 2:54 pm ET

This just keeps getting better and better.

This is not why we vote politicians into office. We expect them to do a job, like the rest of us.

The Republican party is a thing of the past.

Nikolas Takacs   July 9th, 2009 2:53 pm ET

Dr. Tom Coburn, I know you're a member of a learned profession, but do you know the meaning of "privileged communications" in a legal sense? Unless you are Senator Ensign's spouse, attorney, or priest, you cannot claim that the conversation was privileged in a court of law.

sms29s   July 9th, 2009 2:52 pm ET

Now Coburn has stepped in it!

Davies   July 9th, 2009 2:51 pm ET

Who CARES???????

Phat Elvis   July 9th, 2009 2:41 pm ET

Can you say SUBPOENA????

GOP = 21st century dodo   July 9th, 2009 2:39 pm ET

Standard GOP operating procedure

I can see Canada from my house!   July 9th, 2009 2:38 pm ET

No, Dr Coburn, you helped to facilitate a payoff. Resign, now, and go back to denying global warming on your own time.

GOP=total moral paupers.

Comments have been closed for this article

subscribe RSS Icon
About The Ticker

The latest political news from CNN's Best Political Team, with campaign coverage, 24-7. Sign up for our twice daily Ticker emails. Got a news tip or feedback? For complete political coverage, bookmark CNNPolitics.com.

CNN=Politics Screensaver

CNN=Politics ScreensaverTap into the power of The Situation Room. Download this powerful new tool that keeps you posted on the latest political news from the campaign trail.
Download (4.1 MB, PC only)

twitter
@KuhnCNN: Great meeting @JackGrayCNN today and seeing @sinderbrandrcnn in NYC! AC Rock Stars! :-)
Updated: Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:07:10 -0800
@KuhnCNN: Posted today: Clinton foreign trip first on Twitter. http://bit.ly/9Axuh9 /via @PoliticalTicker
Updated: Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:36:14 -0800
@KuhnCNN: RT @octavianasrCNN: MUST-READ// Coaching tomorrow's world leaders, through social networking -- http://bit.ly/9tmW6x
Updated: Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:32:51 -0800
@AWMooneyCNN: Metro finally comes and then stops at station for 20 minutes #snoverkill
Updated: Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:46:27 -0800
@psteinhauserCNN: I just shoveled two feet of snow off the roof. That was fun!
Updated: Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:14:34 -0800
Categories
Powered by WordPress.com VIP