Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal Commentary Blogs -> TalkLeft

Legal Commentary

: TalkLeft

John Edwards Campaign PAC Under Investigation

By Jeralyn

I'm not convinced John Edwards is under investigation, as opposed to his campaign PAC.

Edwards confirmed the investigation Sunday but said he has been cooperating with it. His statement:

"I am confident that no funds from my campaign were used improperly," Edwards said in the statement. "However, I know that it is the role of government to ensure that this is true. We have made available to the United States both the people and the information necessary to help them get the issue resolved efficiently and in a timely matter."

I doubt he knew the details. His former campaign finance director, Fred Baron, before he died, said as much. The other bit players, Andrew Young and even new age healer Bob McGovern, if questioned by the feds, will undoubtedly make Baron out to be the decision-maker. [More..]

While it's a little excessive that Baron would first foot the bill for Rielle to move to North Carolina to live by Young and his wife within blocks of the Edwards campaign and then foot another bill to have them all move to Santa Barbara where she delivered the baby in February, he's rich and can do what he wants to protect his friends.

The reason this story is news is because of Edwards' affair with Rielle Hunter, which he handled abysmally in his Nightline interview(admitting the affair but denying he was the father of the child.)

Elizabeth's book, in which she never mentions Hunter by name but calls her names, is not going to endear him to the public.

That Edwards stayed in the race either believing that he could keep the affair a secret or even worse, thinking somehow the public would forgive his cheating on a cancer-stricken wife he dragged all over the campaign trail, was unjustifiable by any standard.

But, he's a lawyer. And he's undoubtedly lawyered up. If he had any liability, he wouldn't be cooperating -- without immunity or assurances he's not the target.

The main person in charge of the finances is dead. If they get anyone, it will be little people.

The moral of the story may be as simple as never cheat on a spouse with cancer, especially if you're a public figure running for office.

John Edwards has become a social pariah. He deserves it, but Elizabeth is not without fault as well. She continued to campaign for him and went along with his lie to the American people. Might the 2008 primaries have turned out differently if Edwards dropped out when the Enquirer broke the story? We'll never know, but neither John nor Elizabeth are blameless in that regard.

As a 40+ woman with cancer and two young children, she perhaps can be forgiven for not wanting to add "single mother" to that list and for staying by his side as he continued the race. Family first, and all. There are no excuses for him.

Yet, I don't believe criminal charges are appropriate...or that they are in John Edwards' future. He's paid dearly for his errors in judgment and that should be enough. I see no need to kick him around any more.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on May 04, 2009 (boomark / email).