Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) recently told a group of business leaders at a local Nevada golf club that if no one holds lawmakers on Capitol Hill accountable, they'll just wind up embroiled in controversy and scandal.
According to the Reno Gazette Journal, the embattled lawmaker explained, "If you don't hold us accountable, we'll do some real bad things in Washington, D.C."
While Ensign made the remark with regards to matters of policy, in the context of his personal life, it's nonetheless ironic.
Ensign is currently the subject of a Senate Ethics Committee investigation related to the fallout from an affair he had with Cynthia Hampton, an ex-staffer of his campaign and wife of his best friend and co-chief of staff.
Earlier this year, calls began to mount in the Nevada GOP community for Ensign to resign amid the controversy.
"We are on the verge of great victory come November, but the most long awaited victory can quickly slip through our grasp unless we immediately put the focus back on conservative issues," wrote Richard Scotti and Swadeep Nigam, two former Clark County GOP officials. We call on all true conservative Republican leaders and activists to speak out now for the resignation of Senator Ensign."
As for Ensign, the Republican incumbent doesn't appear to have any plans to step down from his post anytime soon.