John Edwards Admits Sexual Affair

[rogueyam]

Edwards Admits Sexual Affair; Lied as Presidential Candidate

 

In an ABC NEWS NIGHTLINE interview, Edwards Reveals He Cheated, But Didn't Father Child

 

By RHONDA SCHWARTZ and BRIAN ROSS

August 8, 2008 â??

 

 

John Edwards repeatedly lied during his Presidential campaign about an extramarital affair with a novice filmmaker, the former Senator admitted to ABC News today.

 

In an interview for broadcast tonight on Nightline, Edwards told ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff he did have an affair with 44-year old Rielle Hunter, but said that he did not love her.

 

Edwards also denied he was the father of Hunter's baby girl, Frances Quinn, although the one-time Democratic Presidential candidate said he has not taken a paternity test.

 

Edwards said he knew he was not the father based on timing of the baby's birth on February 27, 2008. He said his affair ended too soon for him to have been the father.

 

A former campaign aide, Andrew Young, has said he was the father of the child.

 

According to friends of Hunter, Edwards met her at a New York city bar in 2006. His political action committee later paid her $114,000 to produce campaign website documentaries despite her lack of experience.

 

Edwards said the affair began during the campaign after she was hired. Hunter traveled with Edwards around the country and to Africa.

 

Edwards said he told his wife, Elizabeth, and others in his family about the affair in 2006.

 

Edwards made a point of telling Woodruff that his wife's cancer was in remission when he began the affair with Hunter. Elizabeth Edwards has since been diagnosed with an incurable form of the disease.

 

When the National Enquirer first reported the alleged Edwards-Hunter affair last October 11, Edwards, his campaign staff and Hunter vociferously denounced the report.

 

"The story is false, it's completely untrue, it's ridiculous," Edwards told reporters then.

 

He repeated his denials just two weeks ago.

 

Edwards today admitted the National Enquirer was correct when it reported he had visited Hunter at the Beverly Hills Hilton last month.

 

The former Senator said his wife had not known about the meeting.

 

Since becoming pregnant, Hunter has lived under assumed names in a series of expensive homes in North Carolina and, more recently, in Santa Barbara, Calif.

 

Edwards denied paying any money to Hunter to keep her from going public but said it was possible some of his friends or supporters may have made payments without telling him.

 

He said he would ask questions about any possible arrangement.

 

Link

 

 

[Bangkoktraveler]

Edwards lied. Conservatives are shocked and they want blood.

 

GWB got arrested for DWI, got caught shoplifting, got busted with coke, and may have went AWOL during the Vietnam War. GWB good man says the Conservatives. Figure it out, I can't!

[rogueyam]

Here's a round-up of commentary (links at source).

 

 

Roger L. Simon: â??There is no reason to believe anything he has said. That he claims not to be the father of the child without taking a paternity test is laughable.â?Â

 

Hot Air: â??Obvious question: If the affair ended so long ago that he couldnâ??t be the father of a child born in February of this year, whatâ??s he doing sneaking out to a hotel late at night to visit his old girlfriend?â?Â

 

Ed Driscoll: â??This sounds more like behavior more at home with a rock group on tour passing a favored groupie from musician to musician than (presumed) adults trying to position their man to run for the most powerful office in the land.â?Â

 

Kevin Drum: â??Mainstream Media, You may now begin covering this story.â?Â

 

OddCulture: â??Stick a fork in John Edwards. Heâ??s done.â?Â

 

Gawker: â??The second ABC announced Brian Ross was on the case, you knew this was coming.â?Â

 

A Blog For All: â??Oh, like it makes a difference that John didnâ??t love Rielle? He broke his marriage vows to Elizabeth, and it makes him look like a shameless huckster to try and carry off as though he was the family man even as his family knew he strayed.â?Â

 

Don Surber: â??Two Americas: 1. Honest decent people. 2. Liars.â?Â

 

Ross Douthat: â??The Remission Defenseâ?Â

 

Byron York: â??For all those reporters who have suddenly become interested in Edwards: Itâ??s a money story now.â?Â

 

TalkLeft: â??Kind of gutsy for him to launch a presidential bid knowing this was in his background. Was he thinking if Rudy Giuliani could get away with it, so could he?â?Â

 

My Pet Jawa: â??Makes Larry Craig look like a decent guy by comparison.â?Â

 

Tom Maguire: â??Does this admission let enough air out of the balloon that the media go away (as if they had really even arrived â?? I canâ??t wait to see the NY Times non-coverage of this.) I doubt it.â?Â

 

Jonathan Martin: â??He almost wasnâ??t certainly going to be tapped as Obamaâ??s running mate, but this likely eliminates the prospect of a cabinet post, too.â?Â

 

 

[..]

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And you're supporting a guy who left his broken wife in her hospital bed for another woman. And he even had is new marriage license *before* he was divorced form her. That's bigamy, in a legal sense. Never mind the moral/ethical implications.

 

Can you say: "pot-kettle-black?"

 

But what does this Edwards thing have to do with the current Prez campaign? In case you failed to notice, he's not in it anymore...

 

Cheers,

SD

[rogueyam]

But what does this Edwards thing have to do with the current Prez campaign? In case you failed to notice, he's not in it anymore...

 

He has delegates at the convention, he would have been expected to speak at the convention and campaign for Obama, his wife may have spoken at the convention, he may have been in line for a high-level appointment, etc. The guy is a major leftist player. It's news, dude!

[Faustian]

It's news in the sadly pathetic overtly moralistic hypocritical USA...personally I couldn't care less. So he strayed, he's human. Many people do...so what?

 

RY, your hypocrisy shines bright for all to see once more. The republicans have had there fair share of scandal, but you glory in the democrat ones. Once again proving your amazing lack of insight and total stupidity.

[Steve]

Like all political scandals its not so much the act but the coverup. Agree with the quote that said it was gutsy to run for Prez. Although some could say it was stupid. Something like that WILL come out.

 

His having an affair and being 'human' actually makes me identify with a guy more. Same with GWB's drinking and driving. As I've said, its the guy that has lived the perfect, error free life that scares me. He can't identify with the rest of us.

 

Malcom X did it the smart way and should be a blue print for everyone else. In his autobiography he admitted to being a former pimp, theif and drug user. There was nothing new or shocking so when he started doing speeches, the powers that be had nothing. He vetted himself. He was more credible to the people he spoke to as well. He was honest about all he did.

 

When these pols write thier autobiographies before they run they should tell it all and at leat they get to frame it themselves and put it in context before the wolves do.

 

 

[rogueyam]

It is a simple fact that getting caught having an extramarital affair is politically debilitating in the US. People have different opinions regarding whether this should be the case but everyone knows that it is the case.

 

Edwards is now saying that he had an affair and that his wife knew about it before the voting started in the Democratic primaries this past January. Where would their Party be right now if he was the nominee-in-waiting? What if he was the actual nominee and the story broke in October right before the election?

 

It is all well and good to say that he is out of the running now, but back in December and January the Edwards were enlisting volunteers, accepting contributions, and soliciting votes knowing that this timebomb was ticking away within their campaign. Thus they put themselves and their own ambition ahead of the interests of their party.

 

That is just plain sleazy whatever one thinks about extramarital affairs.

[rogueyam]

The other big part of this story is the MSM non-reportage. The National Enquirer has had this story to themselves for months. Even after the recent Enquirer revelations the New York Times and Washington Post didn't call on Edwards to respond to the charges and explain his actions. They look like crap right now.

[Bangkoktraveler]

[color:red]It is a simple fact that getting caught having an extramarital affair is politically That is just plain sleazy whatever one thinks about extramarital affairs.[/color]

 

Being this is a whore mongering website and some of us are married, does this apply to us?

 

Being rogie brought this to our attention, is he going to have John Edwards arrested? North Carolina law reads:

§ 14â??184. Fornication and adultery.

 

If any man and woman, not being married to each other, shall lewdly and lasciviously associate, bed and cohabit together, they shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor: Provided, that the admissions or confessions of one shall not be received in evidence against the other. (1805, c. 684, P.R.; R.C., c. 34, s. 45; Code, s. 1041; Rev., s. 3350; C.S., s. 4343; 1969, c. 1224, s. 9; 1993, c. 539, s. 119; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14©.)