Ensign loses key staff members

WASHINGTON - Repub-lican Sen. John Ensign, who last month admitted to an extramarital affair with a campaign aide, is losing his chief of staff and his spokesman.

The shake-up in the staff of the Nevada Republican comes as he struggles to deflect attention away from his personal actions.

Ensign's chief of staff, John Lopez, will work until the end of August as he weighs options in the private sector. His communication director, Tory Mazzola, will return to his native New England to work for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

The news release announcing their departures did not go into detail about why the pair was choosing to leave now.

Ensign will be rehiring former high-level aides to replace them.

Aaron Cohen, who worked for Ensign between 2001 and 2005, will be the new chief of staff. Cohen currently works at a public relations firm in Washington, Kimbell and Associates.

Rebecca Fisher will take over for Mazzola after serving as Ensign's communications director at the Republican Policy Committee as well as the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Ensign resigned his position as head of the Republican Policy Committee one day after acknowledging an affair between December 2007 and August 2008 with a campaign staffer, later identified as Cynthia Hampton. Her husband, Doug, worked for Ensign as a senior adviser. The head of the committee is No. 4 in the GOP's leadership hierarchy.

Ensign has dismissed any talk of resigning his Senate seat.

Ensign also said he will be bringing back Pam Thiessen to serve as senior policy adviser. She served as his legislative director for nine years.