July 9 (Bloomberg) -- Senator John Ensign’s parents gave $96,000 to the family of the woman with whom he admitted an extramarital affair, the Nevada Republican’s lawyer said.

The money went to Doug and Cindy Hampton and two of their children, Ensign’s lawyer, Paul Coggins, said in a statement today. Ensign, 51, said last month that he had an affair with Cindy Hampton, a former campaign worker. Doug Hampton was a former member of Ensign’s staff.

“After the senator told his parents about the affair, his parents decided to make the gifts out of concern for the well- being of long-time family friends during a difficult time,” Coggins said. “The gifts are consistent with a pattern of generosity by the Ensign family to the Hamptons and others.”

The $96,000 is the maximum Ensign’s parents could give to the family of four without triggering gift taxes.

Disclosure of the affair led Ensign to resign his fourth- ranking post in the Senate Republican leadership, though he remains a senator. A week later, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, also a Republican, admitted carrying on a relationship with a woman from Argentina.

Coggins’s statement came after the Las Vegas Sun reported that Doug Hampton said Ensign paid his wife more than $25,000 in severance when she stopped working for him.

Coggins said none of the money that Ensign’s parents paid to the Hamptons came from campaign funds or from Ensign’s Senate office account, and that the funds were unrelated to any campaign or official duties. He said Ensign followed the law and Senate ethics rules.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan D. Salant in Washington at jsalant@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: July 9, 2009 18:22 EDT