Ensign cites Sarah Palin in his defense

Sarah Palin is a lightning-rod for controversy, whether she likes it or not. 

Four months after the former Alaska governor became part of the storyline in the assassination attempt against Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), her name has surfaced in the John Ensign sex scandal.

In a 12-page letter sent to the Senate Ethics Committee last week, lawyers for Ensign invoked Palin’s name to defend the former Nevada senator’s decision to close his personal Gmail account.

Ensign claims he understands concerns raised by the Ethics panel that closing the account suggests he was deleting electronic evidence. But that’s not accurate, he adds.

Ensign “took this step because the relevant email address had been published in The New York Times. Once news made clear that former Gov. Palin’s accounts had been hacked, Sen. Ensign was concerned the hackers would gain access to his emails and computer data,” according to the letter. 

---