John Edwards Indicted Over Alleged $1M in Funds for Mistress
John Edwards, the once powerful North Carolina Senator and two-time Democratic presidential candidate, has been indicted by a federal grand jury over allegations he spent almost $1 million in campaign contributions to cover up an extramarital affair while he was running for president in 2008.
The indictment, handed down today in Raleigh, N.C., contains six counts – four counts of illegal campaign contributions, one for making false statements, and one for conspiracy.
Edwards will be arraigned sometime Friday afternoon. Reports of a plea deal between Edwards and the Justice Department fell apart earlier this week.
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At the center of the controversy is Rachel “Bunny” Mellon, the 100-year-old heiresses who financially supported Edwards during his two failed presidential campaigns, and Fred Baron, a Texas attorney and personal friend of Edwards. Baron is now deceased.
Edwards met with Mellon at her home last week but details of the meeting are unavailable.
Mellon and Baron reportedly gave Edwards just under $1 million dollars that was supposedly for living and traveling expenses for his mistress, Rielle Hunter, and former aide Andrew Young and his wife.
In his tell-all book, The Politician: An Insider's Account of John Edwards's Pursuit of the Presidency and the Scandal That Brought Him Down, released in February of 2009, Young provided details of Edwards’ affair with Hunter and how Mellon and Baron funneled money to hide Hunter. Before his death, Baron admitted to giving money to Young but denied Edwards knew anything about the arrangement.
Young has since contradicted that statement, saying Edwards knew about the money and was instrumental in soliciting it. Young also claimed to be the father of Hunter’s child but later retracted the statement, saying Edwards was the father.
Prosecutors are expected to rely heavily on Young’s revelations in his book and the grand jury testimony of Young and a dozen other witnesses.
Scott Thomas, a former Election Commission chairman and expert witness for Edwards’ legal team, said he advised the Justice Department that in his opinion, Edwards had not violated election law.
“[T] hese payments would not be considered to be either campaign contributions or campaign expenditures within the meaning of the campaign finance laws,” Thomas said. “The Federal Election Commission, if asked, would conclude that these payments did not constitute a violation of the law, even as a civil matter; and that the facts do not make out a knowing and willful violation of the campaign finance laws warranting criminal prosecution.”
Edwards initially denied his extramarital relationship with Hunter, but later admitted he indeed was the father of her child. Edwards was separated from his wife Elizabeth at the time of her death earlier this year.
