The JOHN EDWARDS Scandal/TRIAL

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Postby plhtx1 » Wed Apr 06, 2011 3:44 pm

plhtx1 wrote:'I'd kill myself first!' John Edwards 'suicidal' over facing jail, claim pals
Disgraced politician John Edwards is said to be deeply depressed - to the point of being suicidal - over the prospect of a criminal trial that could end with him being jailed if found guilty.
The 57-year-old former Presidential candidate reportedly told a close friend: 'I won't go to jail. I'd kill myself first!'
He has lost 20lb in the last year and is a 'broken spirit,' reports the National Enquirer
According to the Enquirer, a close source said: 'I think John is suicidal. He knows that if he's indicted, prosecutors will try to get him to serve jail time and make an example of him.
'He's absoluetly despondent over the fear of prison.
'Over the last year, he's lost about 20lb and friends are concerned that he's escaping reality with booze.
'In early March, his legal team told him there was a strong chance he could be indicted, and John completely lost it.
'He cried his eyes out and said, "I won't go to jail. I'd kill myself first!"'
The Enquirer first broke the story of Edwards's affair with blonde divorcee Rielle Hunter. A series of exclusives charted his sordid double life and his efforts to cover up the birth of his love child, daughter Frances Quinn, who is now three.
The former North Carolina senator has been under federal grand jury investigation since April 2009 for alleged payments to take care of Miss Hunter in violation of campaign rules.
Probes have been carried out by both the IRS and the FBI.
Complicating matters for Mr Edwards is the actions of Andrew Young, the former aide who helped cover up the affair by claiming he was Frances Quinn's father.
Mr Young, who later admitted he lied to protect Mr Edwards, wrote a book about his role in the cover-up.
Now Mr Edwards is said to be worried about the prospect of Mr Young taking the stand as the prosecution's star witness.
Mr Young has claimed that two wealthy supporters of the Edwards camp pumped vast sums of money into the campaign for the cover-up.
The case of the mysterious alleged sex tape involving Mr Edwards is also gathering pace.
Mr Edwards has had to give evidence over Miss Hunter’s request to get the purported 'private and personal' recording back from Mr Young.

Mr Hunter is suing Mr Young for the return of the tape that reportedly Mr Edwards performing sex acts on her.
Mr Young’s wife, Cheri, said on Oprah Winfrey's show last year: ‘I won't give any fine details, but I'll tell you yes, he is naked.
‘He is performing sexual acts. The woman is holding the camera. He is aware he is being taped.’
According to the Wall Street Journal Mr Young has described the tape as like ‘watching a traffic pile-up occur in slow motion - repelling but also transfixing.'
Now Edwards fears for the future of his family.
His three oldest children - Harvard-educated lawyer Cate, 28, Emma, 12, and Jack, ten - are still mounring the passing away of their mother Elizabeth, who died of breast cancer in December.
A second source told the Enquirer: 'John isn't hiding the fact that he's terrified of going to prison, but he's also extremely distraught about what will happen to his children.
'He's severely depressed and even John's parents, who are very close to him and their grandkids, are on edge.'
Mr Edwards recently took his three oldest children to a beach resort fior as getaway.
According to the Enquirer, the source said: 'John's children are all that he has left, and the trip was a way for him to say goodbye.
'He doesn't want to leave the children, but he says he can't go on living like this. His spirit is broken.'


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -pals.html


Still all about him.....selfish as ever
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Postby Eliza » Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:01 pm

Still all about him.....selfish as ever


Typical elitist hypocrite.

I'll never forget Obama, Edwards, and Richardson when the "Ole Boys Club" snubbed Hillary Clinton following one of the primary debates.

Of course, Elizabeth Edwards was well aware of what was transpiring when her wonderful husband was campaigning for President and accepted the Federal funds. History should have been different.

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Postby Fashionista » Fri Jun 03, 2011 9:27 am

<center>John Edwards Indicted Today By Federal Grand Jury

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A federal grand jury today indicted former Sen. John Edwards after a two-year investigation seeking to connect the 2008 presidential candidate to an allegedly illegal scheme to cover-up his extra-marital affair.

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http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/john-edw ... d=13750805



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Postby Fashionista » Wed Jun 15, 2011 12:50 pm

John Edwards Mug Shot

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Earlier this month, John Edwards was indicted for allegedly spending more than $925,000 to keep his mistress and their baby hidden from the public eye during his 2008 presidential campaign.

In all, he was charged with six counts, including conspiracy, four counts of illegal campaign contributions and one count of false statements.

Edwards pleaded not guilty. Today his mug shot was released...




http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/1 ... 77540.html
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Postby Fashionista » Fri Jan 13, 2012 3:42 pm

John Edwards Has Life-Threatening Condition



By MICHAEL BIESECKER Associated Press
GREENSBORO, N.C. January 13, 2012 (AP)


Ex-presidential candidate John Edwards has a life-threatening heart condition that will require surgery next month, his doctor told a judge presiding over Edwards' upcoming court case over possible campaign violations.

A cardiologist for the 58-year-old ex-North Carolina Senator wrote two letters about his condition to Judge Catherine Eagles who talked about them Friday during a hearing to consider whether the trial would go on later this month. She delayed it until at least March 26.

Edwards walked into the courtroom in Greensboro without assistance and appeared healthy. The judge requested that he be there.

The judge did not give any more details about what sort of surgery or what illness Edwards may have. The doctor also wrote that Edwards should avoid driving and travel, including to the court proceedings.

"The public has an interest in a speedy trial, and this case has already been continued twice," Eagles said. "Ordinarily, I would try to manage something like this. But clearly there are some limitations on Mr. Edwards due to real and serious health issues."

Prosecutors had said they were ready to try Edwards on six felony and misdemeanor counts related to nearly $1 million from wealthy donors used to help hide his pregnant mistress during his 2008 White House run.



http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/judg ... n-15356361




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Re: The JOHN EDWARDS Scandal/TRIAL Begins Today

Postby Fashionista » Thu Apr 12, 2012 9:06 am

John Edwards Trial Beginning With Jury Selection




GREENSBORO, N.C. -- After years of investigation, denials and delays, jury selection was set to begin Thursday for the criminal trial of former presidential candidate John Edwards.

Edwards was expected inside a Greensboro, N.C., courtroom to face six criminal counts related to nearly $1 million in secret payments made by two campaign donors to help hide the married Democrat's pregnant mistress as he sought the White House in 2008.

The money flowed to Andrew Young, a former campaign aide who initially claimed the baby was his. Young is expected to be a key witness for the prosecution. The mistress, Rielle Hunter, may testify as part of Edwards' defense.

Following years of adamant public denials, Edwards acknowledged paternity of Hunter's daughter in 2010.

The trial is expected to last about six weeks.

A key issue will be whether Edwards knew about the payments made on his behalf by his national campaign finance chairman, the late Texas lawyer Fred Baron, and campaign donor Rachel "Bunny" Mellon, an heiress and socialite who is now 101 years old. Both had already given Edwards' campaign the maximum $2,300 individual contribution allowed by federal law.

Edwards denies having known about the money, which paid for private jets, luxury hotels and Hunter's medical care. Prosecutors will seek to prove he sought and directed the payments to cover up his affair, protect his public image as a "family man" and keep his presidential hopes viable.

If convicted, Edwards faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and as much as $1.5 million in fines.






http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/1 ... 20241.html




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Re: The JOHN EDWARDS Scandal/TRIAL Begins Today

Postby Fashionista » Fri Apr 13, 2012 6:27 pm

By James Hill
@jameshillABC


John Edwards’ Daughter May Testify in His Criminal Trial


Apr 13, 2012 3:00pm


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Image credit: Sara D. Davis/Getty Images




Cate Edwards, the oldest daughter of John Edwards and his late wife, Elizabeth, is among the witnesses who may be called to testify in the criminal trial that could send her father to prison for up to 30 years. Her name appeared among a list of dozens of potential witnesses who could be called by the defense team.

A newly married graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School, Cate Edwards recently put her own fledgling legal career on hold to launch an educational foundation in her mother’s name.

She accompanied her father to court last June on the day federal prosecutors announced a six-count indictment against the former Democratic presidential candidate, who’s accused of accepting nearly $1 million in illegal campaign contributions that were allegedly used to cover up his extra-marital affair with Rielle Hunter.

Cate Edwards has not commented publicly about the criminal case, and there’s no indication that she was aware of the efforts to hide her father’s affair.

Jury selection got under way this week for the highly anticipated trial, which is set to begin April 23, and is expected to last at least six weeks. Edwards has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his defense team has assailed the government’s case as a “crazy” and “radical” interpretation of campaign finance laws.

The defense team’s witness list, which was filed late Thursday, also includes, in addition to Cate Edwards, Rielle Hunter, and a host of former political staff members, some of whom have gone on to work in the Obama administration.

The prosecution’s witness list is headlined by Andrew Young, a former aide to Edwards who handled the money for the alleged cover-up, and once falsely claimed paternity of the daughter Edwards fathered with Hunter. Young, who wrote a book about the scandal and struck a deal with prosecutors for his testimony, is expected to be the key witness for the government.

That Rielle Hunter’s name appears on the witness list for both prosecution and defense teams indicates that each side believes her testimony could help. She appeared before a grand jury in 2009 and was granted limited immunity from prosecution. But in interviews Hunter did in 2010 with Oprah Winfrey and GQ Magazine, she contradicted many aspects of Young’s version of events.

The judge overseeing the case has ruled that all the witnesses will be sequestered, with the exception of Edwards’ immediate family. So Cate Edwards will be free to observe the trial.

She was among the spectators in the courtroom this week as nearly 200 potential jurors filled out questionnaires in federal court in Greensboro, N.C. U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles, after introducing the well-known defendant to the pool of jurors, reminded them that this case is “not about whether Mr. Edwards was a good husband or politician. It’s about whether he violated campaign finance laws.”

If John Edwards is convicted and sentenced to prison, Cate Edwards could become the legal guardian of her two younger siblings – Emma Claire,13, and Jack, 11 – according to the terms of Elizabeth Edwards’ will. She died in December 2010.




http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2 ... nal-trial/



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Re: The JOHN EDWARDS Scandal/TRIAL

Postby Fashionista » Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:08 am

John Edwards Trial Resumes With Cheri Young Explaining Paternity Scam


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By JAMES HILL (@jameshillABC)
GREENBORO, S.C. April 30, 2012




The criminal trial of John Edwards enters its second week this morning with the wife of the prosecution's star witness expected to explain why she allowed her husband to claim paternity for the child Edwards fathered with his mistress.

Cheri Young, 38, a diminutive part-time pediatric nurse, and the wife of former Edwards aide Andrew Young, is expected to re-count the details of her role in the months long cover up of Edwards' affair with Rielle Hunter during his failed bid for the presidency in 2007-08.

During her testimony today and during later cross examination she will likely be grilled about why about $1 million of the alleged hush money ended up in her family's pockets and helped bankroll the construction of their luxurious North Carolina home.

She will be asked why she agreed to take Hunter into her home, and why she and their three children eventually joined her husband on a cross-country odyssey with Hunter to escape the media.

Perhaps most controversial will be her explanation of why she allowed her husband to claim paternity of Hunter's baby with Edwards,

Mrs. Young was called to the stand late Friday, testifying for less than 30 minutes, recalling how her husband was so devoted to John and Elizabeth Edwards that he was willing to do "anything and everything" for the Edwards family. It caused strain in the Youngs' marriage, she said, because the things he did for the Edwards family, he rarely did for his own.

Edwards is accused of using campaign donations to hide his mistress. If convicted, Edwards could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.

In bitterly contested testimony last week, Andrew Young said he was told that hiding Rielle Hunter was the most important job in the campaign, even after Edwards dropped out of the presidential race because he was angling for a top job, possibly vice president or attorney general.

Edwards' defense team laced into Young claiming that he used the scandal to enrich himself. They also claimed that Edwards used the money to hide Hunter from his wife, not from the government or the public.





http://abcnews.go.com/US/john-edwards-t ... d=16242116
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Re: The JOHN EDWARDS Scandal/TRIAL

Postby Fashionista » Tue May 15, 2012 9:22 am

John Edwards' daughter expected to testify



May 15, 2012 7:18 AM



(CBS News) GREENSBORO, N.C. - John Edwards' daughter was expected to testify Tuesday at the former senator's corruption trial.

Cate Edwards would be the first family member to do so.

The defense began laying out its case Monday, shifting the focus from Edwards' affair to the nuts and bolts of campaign finance law.

But the former senator's lawyers suffered an immediate setback.

The judge ruled that a former election official will be allowed to take the stand, but that most of his testimony would be barred. Edwards' lawyers considered some of that testimony key to his case. He was ready to say there was no crime committed.

Judge Catherine Eagles threw out most of the proposed testimony from former Federal Election Commission Chairman Scott Thomas after prosecutors objected Monday, arguing his opinions and past FEC rulings are irrelevant to the case.

Eagles sent the jury home while Thomas gave a preview of his testimony, saying the use of nearly $1 million to cover up Edwards' affair with Rielle Hunter wasn't illegal.

Thomas told the court that, in his opinion, "This is a clear-cut case that the payments were not campaign contributions," and thus, did not have to be reported as such.

Even before Edwards was indicted last June, Thomas wrote in a letter that the "payments would not be considered to be ... campaign contributions" and that the "payments did not constitute a violation of the law."

But the judge ruled that information would be inadmissible.

Edwards attorney, Abbe Lowe, protested, telling her he thought her decision might constitute a "reversible error" that could be overturned on appeal.

Eagles fired back, saying, "That sounds like you're arguing with me."

Earlier Monday, the jury did hear from Lora Haggard, the chief finance officer for Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign.

From the stand, she said she never thought the money from wealthy donors Bunny Mellon and Fred Baron ever had to be reported to the FEC, even after charges were filed against Edwards.

She said, "They were not contributions to the campaign to urge the public to vote for Mr. Edwards."

It's still unclear whether Edwards himself will testify, but Cate has been by his side daily, and she could take the stand as early as Tuesday.




http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162- ... nContent.0
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Re: The JOHN EDWARDS Scandal/TRIAL

Postby plhtx1 » Tue May 15, 2012 11:00 am

Maybe, someone can answer this question. If this money was a gift, and not a campaign donation, did anyone list it on their taxes as a gift and pay taxes on it?
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Re: The JOHN EDWARDS Scandal/TRIAL

Postby PerryPeabody » Tue May 15, 2012 12:23 pm

plhtx1 wrote:Maybe, someone can answer this question. If this money was a gift, and not a campaign donation, did anyone list it on their taxes as a gift and pay taxes on it?


I wondered the same thing and have not seen any information on the subject.
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Re: The JOHN EDWARDS Scandal/TRIAL

Postby Katie » Tue May 15, 2012 3:53 pm

plhtx1 wrote:Maybe, someone can answer this question. If this money was a gift, and not a campaign donation, did anyone list it on their taxes as a gift and pay taxes on it?
hey honey how are you, the guy should just fold, its all bs..........you know the answer, he's a liar lol
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Re: The JOHN EDWARDS Scandal/TRIAL

Postby plhtx1 » Tue May 15, 2012 5:28 pm

Katie wrote:
plhtx1 wrote:Maybe, someone can answer this question. If this money was a gift, and not a campaign donation, did anyone list it on their taxes as a gift and pay taxes on it?
hey honey how are you, the guy should just fold, its all bs..........you know the answer, he's a liar lol



Hey, there. I think you are right! LOL I just hope the jurors can see through his BS
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Re: The JOHN EDWARDS Scandal/TRIAL

Postby yankee-in-france » Wed May 16, 2012 2:40 am

plhtx1 wrote:Maybe, someone can answer this question. If this money was a gift, and not a campaign donation, did anyone list it on their taxes as a gift and pay taxes on it?


Good question. I'm not sure but I think that a politician, if there is any money left in his/her campaign funds when he leaves office, can keep the money but also must pay income taxes on it.

Also, if Bunny Mellon wrote a check, who was the payee -- the campaign fund or Edwards? I haven't followed the case other than to read a few articles. Has he claimed that these funds were personal loans? Does that change anything?
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Re: The JOHN EDWARDS Scandal/TRIAL

Postby yankee-in-france » Wed May 16, 2012 2:42 am

plhtx1 wrote:Maybe, someone can answer this question. If this money was a gift, and not a campaign donation, did anyone list it on their taxes as a gift and pay taxes on it?


Good question. I'm not sure but I think that a politician, if there is any money left in his/her campaign funds when he leaves office, can keep the money but also must pay income taxes on it.

Also, if Bunny Mellon wrote a check, who was the payee -- the campaign fund or Edwards? I haven't followed the case other than to read a few articles. Has he claimed that these funds were personal loans? Does that change anything?
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Re: The JOHN EDWARDS Scandal/TRIAL

Postby Fashionista » Wed May 16, 2012 1:22 pm

John Edwards Rests His Case Without Mistress' Testimony



By BETH LOYD, JAMES HILL (@jameshillABC) and RUSSELL GOLDMAN (@GoldmanRussell)
GREENSBORO, N.C.
May 16, 2012


John Edwards' lawyers abruptly ended his defense today without calling the former presidential candidate or the mistress with whom he carried on an affair.

Lawyers for Edwards ended their case with a series of bank statements, phone records and Federal Election Commission memos and a final shot at the credibility of Edwards' primary accuser, Andrew Young.

Edwards' attorney Abbe Lowell reminded the jury that Young and his wife Cheri considered selling a sex tape they found that had been made by Edwards and his mistress Rielle Hunter.

They "had in their possession a private video of Rielle Hunter and John Edwards. They considered selling the private video," Lowell read into the court record.

Lowell had to be asked by the court to also read the part of the statement that said the Youngs "did not sell" the tape.

Introducing the Youngs' talk of selling the sex tape was apparently meant to leave the jury with the impression that Young, who is key to the prosecution's case, was not a credible person.

The courtroom had been braced for blockbuster testimony from Edwards' mistress, Edwards' daughter Cate, or Edwards himself.
PHOTO: John Edwards, right, and his daughter Cate Edwards enter the federal courthouse for John Edwards' trial in Greensboro, N.C., May 15, 2012.

All three were on a list of possible witnesses for today, but the defense rested without calling any of them.

Cate Edwards, who has sat behind her father nearly every day of the trial, was not present today, although Edwards' elderly parents did attend.

Hunter has not appeared at the trial either as a witness or a spectator, although the fact that she was on the list of potential witnesses would normally prevent her from attending the trial.

The evidence presented by the defense contrasts starkly with the dramatic and often emotional testimony of presented by the prosecution detailing Edwards' attempt to keep his affair and the birth of their baby a secret, huge amounts of money spent to hide the affair, his distraught wife's discovery of the continuing fling, and the unhappy last days of Elizabeth Edwards.

Edwards is on trial for allegedly using nearly $1 million in donations from wealthy backers Fred Baron and Rachel "Bunny" Mellon to keep his affair secret to protect in presidential ambitions and later his hopes of winning a spot as vice president or attorney general.

If convicted, Edwards could be sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Edwards' lawyers put on a concise defense drawing the jury's attention to campaign finance laws and away from the steamy details of his affair.

The defense called only seven witnesses compared to the prosecution's 24. The government took 14 days to present its case, while the defense used only three.

Young, the prosecution's key witness, spent 20 hours on the stand, longer than it took the defense to present its entire case.

The prosecution called no rebuttal witnesses, setting the stage for lawyers to make their closing arguments beginning Thursday.

"I was a bit stunned and I think the courtroom was stunned when the defense announced it was going to rest its case," said Kieran Shanahan, a former federal prosecutor watching the case.

"The defense did a good job redirecting the jury's attention to the campaign finance laws. And that's what the case is about. They've put the case in the position where they needed it to be to be able to argue it to the jury," Shanahan said.

Edwards' lawyers wrapped their case with introducing a Federal Election Commission memo that found the nearly $1 million in donations used to hide Edwards' mistress and love child were not campaign contributions, according to documents his defense team filed late Tuesday.

Edwards' lawyers asked the judge to admit an audio recording of the July 2011 FEC meeting when the audit was closed. Defense lawyers say the recording shows Commissioner Donald McGahn stating, "It's odd for me to say that the transaction is a campaign transaction" and "I'm not sure that [the monies paid by Mellon and Baron are] a reportable. Actually I can say [the monies are] not a report, in my view, not reportable."

The commission voted unanimously to close the audit.

The judge refused to allow the jury to hear the audiotape.

One of those commissioners, Scott Thomas, was on the witness stand at Edwards' trial Tuesday morning. However, U.S. District Court Judge Catherine Eagles would not allow Thomas to tell jurors his view on how the law applied to what Edwards' allegedly did in 2007 and 2008. Eagles has said the jury should decide, without guidance from experts, what the purpose of the gifts were.

Edwards' lawyers also filed an opinion by the Justice Department's Election Crimes Branch that suggested the agency set aside one of its standing policies in campaign finance cases in order to seek Edwards' indictment.

"For such a criminal violation to occur, the application of the law to the facts of a matter must at the very least be clear, and there must be no doubt that the [Federal Election] Commission considers that the underlying conduct presents a [Federal Election Campaign Act] offense," Craig Donsanto wrote to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington in a Jan. 16, 2009 letter.

A spokeswoman said the Justice Department declined to comment on the 2009 letter.




http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/john-edw ... 7PvZVL66So



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Re: The JOHN EDWARDS Scandal/TRIAL

Postby Fashionista » Thu May 31, 2012 3:40 pm

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John Edwards found not guilty on one of six counts in federal corruption trial; judge declares mistrial on other counts.




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Re: The JOHN EDWARDS Scandal/TRIAL

Postby resigned » Wed Jun 13, 2012 6:21 pm

John Edwards Trial: Justice Department Drops All Charges


John Edwards will not face another trial.

On Wednesday, government lawyers asked Judge Catherine Eagles to dismiss their case with prejudice and will not attempt to resurrect their case against the former North Carolina senator.

Two weeks ago, a federal jury in Greensboro, N.C., found Edwards, 59, not guilty on one campaign finance charge, but they couldn't reach a decision on five other counts.

A mistrial was declared on the outstanding charges.

"We knew that this case – like all campaign finance cases – would be challenging. But it is our duty to bring hard cases when we believe that the facts and the law support charging a candidate for high office with a crime," Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said in a statement Wednesday. "The jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict on five of the six counts of the indictment, however, and we respect their judgment. In the interest of justice, we have decided not to retry Mr. Edwards on those counts."

Edwards's attorneys responded to the news on Wednesday, saying in a statement, "We are grateful that the Justice Department, after hearing from the jury, has dismissed the remaining charges in this case. As we stated in our motions and arguments in court, the novel theory of campaign law violations charged by the Justice Department is not a crime."

"While John has repeatedly admitted to his sins, he has also consistently asserted, as we demonstrated at the trial, that he did not violate any campaign law nor even imagined that any campaign laws could apply," the statement continues. "We are confident that the outcome of any new trial would have been the same. We are very glad that, after living under this cloud for over three years, John and his family can have their lives back and enjoy the peace they deserve."

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Re: The JOHN EDWARDS Scandal/TRIAL

Postby yankee-in-france » Sat Jun 16, 2012 4:49 am

... well, good, they're not going to waste the taxpayers' money on another futile trial.
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