Lawyers’ Edwards Ties Suggest Extent of Hiding Affair

Source: NY Times

As tabloid reports of a sex scandal threatened former Senator John Edwards’s presidential campaign last December on the eve of the Iowa caucuses, two lawyers surfaced with written statements that appeared to exonerate the candidate.

One of them, Robert J. Gordon of New York, said that his client, Rielle Hunter, a pregnant 43-year-old filmmaker, was not carrying Mr. Edwards’s child. Shortly thereafter, the other lawyer, Pamela J. Marple of Washington, sent word that her client, Andrew Young, an Edwards campaign aide, was the baby’s father.

Seemingly issued independently of Mr. Edwards, the statements appeared to deflate the anonymously sourced reports of an Edwards tryst. But what went unnoticed was that the two lawyers shared an important connection to Mr. Edwards that suggests they were part of an orchestrated effort to protect him, one that is continuing even after he admitted last week that he had an affair with Ms. Hunter but denied that he fathered her child.

The lawyers are linked through Fred Baron, a wealthy Dallas lawyer and former finance chairman for the Edwards campaign who was a key player in the campaign’s response to the scandal. Mr. Gordon has worked with Mr. Baron on class-action personal injury cases, and Ms. Marple helped defend a lawsuit brought against both men and their law firms by an asbestos manufacturer.

-----

The review found that Mr. Edwards’s political action committee went to unusual lengths to make a final $14,000 payment to Ms. Hunter’s film company months after its contract with the committee had ended. The payment was issued while the committee was short on cash and could pay its bills only after receiving thousands of dollars from Mr. Edwards’s presidential campaign and donations from four people, including Mr. Baron’s wife.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/15/us/politics/15edwards.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

matters affecting our national well-being?

and locked in Cheney's man-sized vaults, assuming it ever got down on paper in the first place.

No, there is no right to privacy, unless it's inside Cheney's safe.

and although I am proud for what he fought for, he shouldn't have this much focus put on him as if it's the country's NEED to know the truth on this man's pant-lies!

I'm disgusted with Edwards but the time and energy dedicated to this story versus those being totally ignored by the media is ridiculous.

he has done and it probably affected the outcome of a primary, not to mention the possible outcome of an election, and it is HOW IT MATTERS.

He must have known that with his wife suffering from cancer and him having an affair there was no way he could ever be elected president.

You have to ask why he ran. Is he insane? in denial ? or had he no choice? Was it to act as a Nader to Gore?

It usually just boils down to ego. After all, Clinton did it "because I could". But he really couldn't, could he? You would think men (and the women who do it) would learn.

In this case, what a disaster this election would have been for us and our party! It makes me sick at my stomach just to think about the fallout and consequences................

:scared:

I have read that one of the side effects of testosterone is to shut down the part of the brain that deals with risk assessment.

So best not to let them be in charge of too much!



:evilgrin:

lol

that would be enough to put an end to all the speculation.

I'm afraid it's going to get worse. He's already been caught in some untruths he gave during the interview.

If I'm right, he either should have said nothing, or told the whole truth, nothing but the truth.

Whatever he did, we already know. He is not a candidate for office. His wife is ill. He has two small children and a grown daughter. He is not the first man to have an extramarital affair, and he won't be the last.

Obama is not in the age group that Edwards, Clinton and many other mid-life crisis men are when they have affairs -- but he will be in a few years. I hope he finds other outlets for his mid-life crisis, but you never know. A lot of men fall into this trap around that age. The large number of 50+ new divorcees proves it.

JD Priestly wrote: "Whatever he did, we already know."

We don't know 3 things...

1. Where did Hunter get her money and her Santa Barbara house?

2. Who's the daddy?

3. When did the affair end - was it when Edwards claimed?

1. Where did Hunter get her money and her Santa Barbara house?

If she owns the house it's a matter of public record, and information on the deed would be available

2. Who's the daddy?

Who really cares? In the scheme of things why is this important to you?

3. When did the affair end - was it when Edwards claimed?

None of my business, why should it it be yours?

Leave it. We all know the answers.

Face it Ms. Hunter (Lisa Druck) is a total Hollywood/New York fake. Listen to the song Hollywood Nights.

She stood there bright as the sun on that california coast
He was a midwestern boy on his own
She looked at him with those soft eyes,
So innocent and blue
He knew right then he was too far from home he was too far from home

She took his hand and she led him along that golden beach
They watched the waves tumble over the sand
They drove for miles and miles
Up those twisting turning roads
Higher and higher and higher they climbed

And those hollywood nights
In those hollywood hills
She was looking so right
In her diamonds and frills
All those big city nights
In those high rolling hills
Above all the lights
She had all of the skills

. . .

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/bob+seger/hollywood+nights_20021984.html

If Edwards used campaign money to pay off his mistress - then yes I think this needs investigated. There are possible criminal actions there. And even if not criminal then a damn big misuse of money many of us donated including me.

I could care less about the rest.

Be honest DU'ers - if a Repuke had misused campaign money to pay off a mistress - wouldn't we be posting a NY Times story?

The money is the big issue. There are some serious sums in play here. At first glance, it seems like someone or multiple people should be facing jail time.

The money is the relevant news, the rest is tabloid crap.

It certainly looks like he funneled campaign money to her directly and via third parties. That's a potential federal offense and should be investigated and reported.

He's never issued any statement contradicting his overtures of interest.

Obama would pick him as VP after this? LOL.

I do realized that Obama probably views him as damaged goods, but technically Edwards has never said he was withdrawing himself from consideration for VP.

"He is not the first man to have an extramarital affair, and he won't be the last. "

hopefully he'll be the last while he's a democrat trying to run for president

The idea of giving money to that snake-oil salesman made me want to puke then, and would make me laugh now, if it weren't for the fact that so many people were completely had and could have used the money for something worthwhile. Even in the Democratic party, there's a sucker born every minute.

who he did it with, or wether he has a baby or not! He can work it all out with Elizabeth and whoever else has a real stake in this BS.

than there was over Democrats voting for FISA. Go figure.

But at least it highlights McCain's very similar behavior, for those who bother to pay attention.

A whole big NYT article saying really nothing. Its sole purpose is to diminish support for populist leaders.

I expect it of M$M

but putting it on DU's LBN forum? That's low.

LET IT GO!

I didn't contribute pay for her house and job.

That's a matter for those involved.

But he must have known he could never be president and yet he campaigned taking money, resources, personnel and delegates from others... and possibly risking ending up with the nomination and subsequent exposure and loss of the election.

If you don't think that matters then maybe you're on the wrong board.

Drugs, sex, money - powerful men are no different from Joe Blow when it comes to getting what they want.
They just can afford to pay to get away with shit and still come out smelling like roses.
Not all of the time of course, the law of averages will eventually catch up...like this time.

But no. It's really a big story. You'd think they'd cover it. Depleted Uranium. It's a big deal. I hope there's a hell.

Golden microphones spew hate across the entire nation. But love is a crime. How twisted the conservative mind is.

Why are we obsessing about this when there is real news out there like the latest on Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer?

I don't think Edwards has been truthful (about the money, timing and, maybe, who the father of the baby is) and there will be new revelations.

you - with two inane posts to this thread - fomenting ugly - have now made it to my ignore list -

enjoy your new status as too unimportant to ever be heard again

buh-bye!

but seriously, he is just raising questions. I don't see any ugliness in his posts on this thread. I disagree with him on some of his concerns, but the money issue is troubling. I just wish I could get someone to give me 100K for some video clips.

It's almost too tragic to bear.
:sarcasm:

Your too unimportant for him to care if he makes your ignore list or not

I was just reading posts in the various news blurbs and then came across your gem. You self important moron. You think what YOU say anybody cares about? I think not. Please add me to your ignore list as well.

Does this mean that we'll see a "surge" in investigative articles about other topics of importance and interest to the United States?! Finally, some crack reporting on Iraq, anthrax, Plame, energy policies, lobbying money, Halliburton, Blackwater, male prostitutes in the White House, bad behavior by zillions of Republicans????

your points are so true

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if he were the candidate right now, McCain would be president.

What an asshole to run for president and risk losing the whole
thing for us again.

it seems clear, doesn't it, that she knew during 2006 that this had happened, yet she went ahead with the plan to run for the President, knowing that this scandal was out there and might come to the foreground.

She played a major part in his political life, and ran his campaigns, essentially, so she wasn't just standing there not saying anything. She was at least one of the decision makers in his deciding to run.

I see Edwards in a whole different light now. It has become clear. Self-involved, fake, just a show he put on for the crowds. Hence the importance of the hair and appearance.

But that's over now. I didn't support him (tho I liked him). The voters apparently didn't fall for the act. We can all move on (i hope).

The point is honesty and judgement. Edwards failed the test of both. He made a choice that reflects his lack of judgement, then he either a)had no control over those writing checks who knew about his error in judgement, OR b) he made another bad decision and tried to pay everyone off.

As for Elizabeth...I don't really know when she knew what, but she had enough to contend with in her life. She shouldn't have had to try to cover up for him while battling cancer...even if he does think it's all about him.

Men who lie to their wives lie about other things in their lives. They are liars. They are not trustworthy. They lack character and judgement. I don't care about Edward's tawdry affair either. But I am sick that this man talked and talked, promised and promised, set himself up as a person of moral character, and a judge of others, and took money from people who could have used the money for important things, or they could have given it to a candidate who wasn't lying through his teeth.

I hope he's gone from public life.

their families while some Republicans have deserted their wives when they lose their beauty or become sick and marry someone two or three times younger than them. Pugs love to talk about fidelity and life, but they fail to talk about fidelity after old age sets in or sustaining the life of one who can't get a job, has no place to live, can't get equal education, etc.