Top Republican resigns leadership post over affair

June 18, 2009 09:56:20 AM

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Republican US Senator John Ensign has resigned his Senate leadership post one day after admitting to an extra-marital affair, the chamber's top Republican said in a statement Wednesday.

"He's accepted responsibility for his actions and apologized to his family and constituents. He offered, and I accepted, his resignation as chairman of the Policy Committee," said Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The post is the fourth-ranking leadership position among Senate Republicans.

Ensign, a rising star of the Republican Party regarded as a possible contender in the 2012 presidential election, admitted to the affair at a news conference Tuesday in his home state of Nevada.

Ensign, 51, a staunch conservative with a record of strong family-values stances, vowed to remain in office after describing the affair as "absolutely the worst thing I've ever done in my life."