Sen. Tom Coburn Talks to Ethics Panel in John Ensign Probe

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) spoke privately with Senate investigators looking into Sen. John Ensign's affair with a former staffer, Politico reported Thursday.

The news of Coburn's conversation with members of the Senate Ethics Committee is the first information about the Ensign probe since the panel appointed a special counsel, Carol Elder Bruce, last month.

Coburn and the Nevada Republican are longtime friends. Politico said Coburn's appearance before the panel took place "recently."

Ensign has not yet been interviewed by ethics investigators.

He is being investigated over his admitted affair with Cynthia Hampton, his former campaign treasurer. Her husband, Doug Hampton, was once a member of Ensign's congressional staff.

The ethics panel is looking into whether Ensign broke federal law and congressional rules by helping Doug Hampton find lobbying work after he left the senator's office in April 2008. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Ensign, 52, caught a big break late last year when federal prosecutors announced he would not face charges related to payments he made following the extramarital affair.

The Federal Election Commission dismissed a complaint against Ensign over a $96,000 payment his parents made to his former mistress and her family. The FEC disagreed with allegations that the money given to Cynthia Hampton amounted to an illegal political donation.

The appointment of a special prosecutor suggests the probe could last well into the 2012 election season.

Ensign is moving forward with his reelection campaign, despite concerns by some Republicans that the scandal could hurt GOP chances in Nevada. He has been raising money simultaneously for his campaign and his legal defense.

A poll last month by the Las Vegas Review-Journal found Ensign trailing his potential GOP challenger, Rep. Dean Heller, by 15 points.