Is Andrew Young A Good Writer of Fiction Or Is Senator Edwards In Big Trouble? Perhaps Mostly Fiction... 5-31-12

How could anyone deny their offspring? Scandal or no scandal, blood is thicker than any political aspirations or at least it should be. Take John Edwards. Seriously, take him. We don't want the former presidential candidate after learning that he supposedly talked a campaign aide into claiming he fathered a child born to Edwards' former mistress. And while we are at it, shame on
Andrew Young, the former Sen. John Edwards aide, who is now trying to cash in on Edward's deception.

To his credit, Edwards eventually admitted to his affair with Rielle Hunter in August 2008. But the admission came only after months of denials. Despite the admission, he continued to claim that he could not have been the father of Hunter's daughter. Andrew Young originally fell on the sword and claimed that he was the girl's father. Young later admitted that the child was not his. The sad fact is that Young was married with children when he claimed to have fathered Hunter's child. Young recanted his story after Edwards dropped Young from his inner circle.

Now a grand jury in North Carolina is investigating payments made to Hunter. Hunter had been hired as a campaign videographer by the Edwards campaign and supporters. Edwards apparently paid Hunter's production company $114,000 for a series of videos featuring him before and during his 2008 campaign. Edwards said in May that he believed "that no funds from my campaign were used improperly." Perhaps Edwards is right. But does it matter after Young's family, Edwards wife and this young child have been so wronged?

If Edwards willfully failed to report payments to his mistress, he could face felony charges that carry prison terms of up to five years. More likely, he will face civil penalties ranging from $5,000 to $50,000. This is a drop in the bucket to a man of Edwards means. Edwards was a successful trial lawyer before he served one term in the Senate and ran for president in 2004. He was Democratic nominee John Kerry's running mate in 2004. His 2008 campaign was largely unsuccessful. Young has apparently submitted a book proposal in which he alleges that Edwards knew all along that he was the father of Hunter's child. Young goes so far as to allege that Edwards promised to marry Hunter after his Elizabeth, Edward's terminally ill wife, dies.

Keep in mind, Edwards is presumed innocent unless otherwise proven in a court of law. But in the mean time, a child has been deprived of her father, whoever he may be.

Update 6-3-11: Edwards is about to see the hammer fall. Expect criminal charges to be filed today concerning misuse of campaign funds.

Update 4-25-12:  John Edwards' trial is underway. His former handyman and stand-in baby daddy (Andrew Young) testified as to numerous lies he’d told on behalf of the former U.S. Senator. Trial is taking place in the federal court house in Greensboro, North Carolina.  Edwards, 58, is accused of soliciting $900,000 in illegal campaign funds from two wealthy donors to hide his pregnant mistress during the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. Young testified how Edwards persuaded him to claim paternity for the child Edwards had fathered with Rielle Hunter.  He also testified that his motivation for agreeing to do such a thing was because he wanted his friend to become president because a lot of benefits go along with such a position.


Prosecutors claim Edwards knowingly broke the law by using illegal campaign donations to keep his mistress quiet.  Edwards denies all allegations of wrongdoing. 

Update 5-14-12: Rielle Hunter's employment not only cost Senator Edwards the Vice Presidential candidacy, he is now on trial with a possibility of serving jail time. How could this all come to pass? Well, despite Hunter's lack of film making experience, she secured a $250,000 contract to make a series of behind-the-scenes documentaries from the campaign trail. While Edwards' aides criticized her work as unprofessional, the job gave Hunter a reason to travel with the candidate while his wife was home in North Carolina fighting breast cancer. When Elizabeth Edwards learned of the affair, Hunter lost her job. But Edwards and his mistress continued to meet on the campaign trail. In the summer of 2007, Rielle became pregnant.


As Hunter's belly grew, so did the maliciousness of the tabloid reporters. Hunter tried to hide in North Carolina by moving in with one of Edwards' most loyal aides, Andrew Young. Within weeks, the Youngs set up Hunter in a $2,700-a-month rental home not far from the Edwards estate. As Edward's child became a reality so did charges for improper use of campaign funds. Now, Edwards is involved in the trial of the century.

Update 5-31-2012:   John Edwards has been found not guilty on count 3 in the trial on whether the 2008 presidential candidate violated campaign finance laws. The judge has declared a mistrial on the remaining five counts. This means Edwards was found not guilty on the charge involving the contributions from Mellon.