John Edwards, official Senate photo portrait

John Edwards Johnny Reid Edwards (born June 10, 1953) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a U.S. senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004 alongside John Kerry, losing to incumbents George ...

is a former

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

and a Democratic Party vice-presidential and presidential candidate. In August 2008, Edwards admitted to an extramarital affair, which was initially reported in 2007 by the ''

National Enquirer The ''National Enquirer'' is an American tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1926, the newspaper has undergone a number of changes over the years. The ''National Enquirer'' openly acknowledges that it pays sources for tips, a common practice in tabl ...

'' but was given little attention outside the tabloid press and political

blogosphere The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community (or as a collection of connected communities) or as a social networking service in which everyday authors can pu ...

. The ''Enquirer'' cited claims from an anonymous source that Edwards had engaged in an affair with

Rielle Hunter Rielle Hunter (born Lisa Jo Druck; March 20, 1964, also known as Lisa Hunter, Lisa Jo Hunter, and Rielle Jaya James Druck)2008 presidential campaign, and that Hunter had given birth to a child from the relationship.

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

reported that

Andrew Young Andrew Jackson Young Jr. (born March 12, 1932) is an American politician, diplomat, and activist. Beginning his career as a pastor, Young was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as executive director of the Southern Christian L ...

, a member of Edwards' campaign team, stated that Edwards asked him to, "Get a doctor to fake the DNA results ... and to steal a diaper from the baby so he could secretly do a DNA test to find out if this asindeed his child." The allegations were initially denied by both Edwards and Hunter. Young claimed paternity of Hunter's daughter, although no father is listed on the child's birth certificate, and Young has subsequently denied it. In July 2008, several U.S. mainstream news outlets cited the allegations in relation to Edwards' future political career, as well as in relation to his chances of being selected as a

running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate running with a pr ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

's 2008 presidential bid. Then, on August 7, 2008, Edwards admitted to ABC News correspondent

Bob Woodruff Robert Warren Woodruff (born August 18, 1961) is an American television journalist. Since 1996, he has served as a reporter for ABC News. Woodruff co-anchored ABC World News Tonight in 2006 alongside ABC News journalist Elizabeth Vargas. He was ...

that he did have an extended affair with Hunter, but denied that he was the father of Hunter's baby girl. Hunter's sister claimed that Edwards was the father and publicly asked Edwards to take a paternity test to determine whether the child was his. On January 21, 2010, Edwards issued a statement admitting that he was the father of Hunter's child. After Edwards's admission, his wife

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

announced a separation from her husband, with an intention to file for divorce. When Edwards first admitted to the affair, he stated that Elizabeth was in remission from

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a r ...

. However, it became clear that Edwards continued the affair even after he and his wife made a joint announcement that her cancer had returned and was found to be terminal. Elizabeth died of the disease at age 61 on December 7, 2010.

Rielle Hunter and the Edwards campaign

In December 2006, ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

'' reported that Hunter had been hired by the Edwards campaign to produce a series of

webisode A webisode (portmanteau of "web" and "episode") is an episode of a series that is distributed as part of a web series or on streaming television. It is available as either for download or in streaming, as opposed to first airing on broadcast or c ...

s that portrayed behind-the-scenes life on the campaign trail. Hunter had pitched the idea of creating the series to Edwards when she met him at a bar in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, where the candidate was attending a business meeting. The campaign paid Hunter's production company, Midline Groove, over

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

$100,000 for the short documentaries that were uploaded to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

upon completion. In 2006, '' Business Week'' included one of the episodes as a feature in a web video. The first apparent mention, in print form, of a possible affair between Edwards and Hunter appeared in the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'' on August 27, 2007. The "

Page Six The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established i ...

" feature published a blind gossip item that asked: "Which political candidate enjoys visiting New York because he has a girlfriend who lives downtown? The pol tells her he'll marry her when his current wife is out of the picture." The mention in the ''Post'' started a tabloid and blogosphere investigation that eventually led to accusations against Hunter and Edwards. In September 2007, Sam Stein, a political reporter for ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'', reported that the Hunter web documentaries had been removed from the Internet and were no longer accessible. Representatives from the Edwards campaign stated that the material could not be used due to

campaign finance Campaign finance, also known as election finance or political donations, refers to the funds raised to promote candidates, political parties, or policy initiatives and referendums. Political parties, charitable organizations, and political a ...

law. Several days later, ''The Huffington Post'' reported that the videos had been reposted to YouTube by an anonymous user.

Initial ''National Enquirer'' allegations

On October 10, 2007, the ''

'' published an article claiming that Edwards had engaged in an extramarital affair with an unnamed female campaign worker. On the same day, Stein published another article in ''The Huffington Post'' that contained additional details about Hunter, including her name and the web videos that she had produced. The following day, October 11, '' New York'' magazine published a piece linking Hunter to the ''Enquirer'' allegations. Initially, both Edwards and Hunter denied the relationship claims. Edwards said the ''Enquirer'' story was "made up", further stating, "I've been in love with the same woman for 30-plus years," referring to his wife

, "and as anybody who's been around us knows, she's an extraordinary human being, warm, loving, beautiful, sexy and as good a person as I have ever known. So the story's just false." Hunter's attorney issued a denial via

Jerome Armstrong Jerome Armstrong (born 1964) is an American political strategist. In 2001, he founded MyDD, a blog which covered politics, making him one of the first political bloggers. Armstrong coined the term ''netroots'', and was referred to as "The Blogfat ...

, a political blogger and founder of

MyDD MyDD was the first large collaborative politically progressive American politics blog. It was established by Jerome Armstrong in 2001. Its name was originally short for "My Due Diligence." In 2005, MyDD was profiled in Campaigns and Elections m ...

, stating, "The innuendos and lies that have appeared on the internet (sic) and in the ''National Enquirer'' concerning John Edwards are not true, completely unfounded and ridiculous." David Perel, the Editor-in-Chief at the ''Enquirer'', did not back down from the paper's allegations, stating, "The original story was 100% accurate." The ''Enquirer'' published a follow-up story that included a photograph of a visibly pregnant Hunter on December 19, 2007. The tabloid alleged that, according to its anonymous source, Hunter was claiming that Edwards was the father of her child. The article also claimed that Hunter had relocated to a gated community in Chapel Hill,

, near Andrew Young, a former official with the Edwards campaign, who had claimed paternity of Hunter's child. As with Hunter's initial denial of the affair, Young's paternity claim had been issued to Armstrong and published on MyDD. CBS News journalist Bob Schieffer, when asked about the allegations on ''

Imus in the Morning ''Imus in the Morning'' was a long-running radio show hosted by Don Imus. The show originated on June 2, 1968, on various stations in the Western United States and Cleveland, Ohio before settling on WNBC radio in New York City in 1971. In Octobe ...

'', stated, "I believe that's a story that we will be avoiding, because it appears to me that there's absolutely nothing to it ... This seems to be just sort of a staple of modern campaigns, that you got through at least one love child, which turns out not to be a love child. And I think we can all do better than this one."

Mickey Kaus Robert Michael "Mickey" Kaus (; born July 6, 1951) is an American journalist, pundit, and author, known for writing Kausfiles, a "mostly political" blog which was featured on ''Slate'' until 2010. Kaus is the author of ''The End of Equality'' and ...

, a journalist at '' Slate'', speculated that the lack of mainstream coverage was motivated by a desire not to harm Elizabeth Edwards, who was fighting cancer at the time. Kaus also considered the possibility of news organizations taking a "wait-and-see" attitude, pending the results of the 2008 Iowa caucuses. Edwards withdrew from the Democratic primaries on January 30, 2008, after finishing third in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

and

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

Hotel encounter with reporters

According to Perel, the ''Enquirer'' had received information stating that Edwards would be visiting Hunter and her child at the

Beverly Hilton Hotel The Beverly Hilton is a hotel located on an property at the intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards in Beverly Hills, California. The Beverly Hilton has hosted many awards shows, charity benefits, and entertainment and motion pi ...

in Beverly Hills, California, on the evening of July 21, 2008, and the paper dispatched several reporters to the hotel. The team of ''Enquirer'' reporters encountered Edwards on the hotel premises sometime after 2 a.m. on the morning of July 22. According to Perel, Edwards, who was not a registered guest of the hotel, retreated from the reporters to a

washroom A bathroom or washroom is a room, typically in a home or other residential building, that contains either a bathtub or a shower (or both). The inclusion of a wash basin is common. In some parts of the world e.g. India, a toilet is typically ...

, where he remained until being escorted from the premises by hotel security. The encounter between Edwards and the ''Enquirer'' reporters was later confirmed by a hotel guard interviewed by

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

. Edwards' spokespeople did not respond to Fox's request for comment on the incident. In articles published immediately after the hotel encounter, the ''Enquirer'' claimed to be in possession of evidence showing that Edwards had visited Hunter and her child in the Hilton for several hours, including a videotape of Hunter entering the room, where she allegedly met Edwards, and one of Edwards leaving the same room. However, the paper declined a request from Fox to release photos or videotape of the incident. In an interview with ''

Radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...

'', Perel said that the ''Enquirer'' would release the photos when "the time is right." The ''Enquirer'' later stated that it had filed a "criminal complaint" against the hotel's security over its conduct during the encounter, but the

Beverly Hills Police Department The Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) is the police department of the City of Beverly Hills, California. History The first law enforcement agency was formed shortly after the City of Beverly Hills was incorporated in 1914. The first city ...

said that there was no criminal complaint and that only an "incident report" was under investigation. When Edwards was questioned at a

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

event on July 23, he stated, "I have no idea what you're asking about. I've responded, consistently, to these tabloid allegations by saying I don't respond to these lies and you know that ... and I stand by that." On the same day, Hunter appeared on the television program ''

Extra Extra or Xtra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * ''Extra'' (newspaper), a Brazilian newspaper * ''Extra!'', an American me ...

'', describing the ''Enquirer'' story as "completely unfounded and ridiculous".

Media coverage

Coverage of the allegations

Aside from the Fox News story on July 25, mainstream news sources did not immediately report the story. Articles describing the ''Enquirer'' allegations were eventually published by ''New York'' and ''Radar'' magazines. The claims were also mentioned in opinion columns and in-house blogs of several other papers. On July 23, Glenn Beck talked about the story on his Headline News program, recommending that Edwards sue the ''Enquirer'' if its story was proven false. On that same day, Roxanne Roberts, a style writer for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', said, "We have no evidence this is true. Lots of juicy details—enough so Edwards may feel he has to address the issue, especially if it's not true and there's an innocent explanation. Or not. That won't stop anyone from talking about it, but let's assume, until we know the facts, that this could be false." On July 25, in response to a question as to whether ''The Washington Post'' was investigating the claims, political reporter Jonathan Weisman stated, "Yes, and to be quite honest, we're waiting to see the pictures the ''National Enquirer'' says it will publish this weekend. That said, Edwards is no longer an elected official and is not running for any office now. Don't expect wall-to-wall coverage." Meanwhile, on that same day, Kaus published an e-mail sent to ''Slate'' the day before from Tony Pierce, an editor at the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

''. It was sent to the ''Times in-house bloggers, and, referring to the Edwards allegations, stated, "I am asking you all not to blog about this topic until further notified." Kaus portrayed the email as a "

gag A gag is usually an item or device designed to prevent speech, often as a restraint device to stop the subject from calling for help and keep its wearer silent. This is usually done by blocking the mouth, partially or completely, or attemptin ...

" order. In an online interview, Pierce defended the e-mail, stating that it was the result of a decision by senior editors at the ''Times'' to allow time for the newspaper's Metro Desk to investigate the allegations. Pierce also pointed out that a ''Times'' blogger had already posted a story on the ''Enquirer'' claims. On August 8, in response to a high number of e-mails to the ''Times'', National Editor Scott Kraft stated that "this strikes us as a legitimate story". The newspaper's bloggers subsequently posted a story on the topic. Over the period of July 27–28, the claims and speculation about the possible impact on Edwards' political career, from the incident thus far, were picked up by several papers outside the U.S., including the London ''

Times Time is the continued sequence of existence and events, and a fundamental quantity of measuring systems. Time or times may also refer to: Temporal measurement * Time in physics, defined by its measurement * Time standard, civil time speci ...

'', ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'', '' Der Spiegel'', '' Irish Independent'', and ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

''. In the U.S. political blogosphere, the story was covered by Kaus; Alex Coppelman at

Salon.com ''Salon'' is an American politically progressive/ liberal news and opinion website created in 1995. It publishes articles on U.S. politics, culture, and current events. Content and coverage ''Salon'' covers a variety of topics, including re ...

;

Jack Shafer Jack Shafer (born November 14, 1957) is an American journalist who writes about media for ''Politico''. Prior to joining ''Politico'', he worked for Reuters and also edited and wrote the column'' "''Press Box" for ''Slate'', an online magazine. B ...

at ''Slate''; Rachel Sklar and Lee Stranahan at ''

''; independent political pundit

James Joyner James Joyner is a political scientist who runs the weblog ''Outside The Beltway''. Career He is Professor of Security Studies at the Command and Staff College at Marine Corps University, a nonresident senior fellow with the Brent Scowcroft Cent ...

;

Rod Dreher Raymond Oliver Dreher Jr. (born February 14, 1967), known as Rod Dreher, is an American writer and editor living in Budapest, Hungary. He is a senior editor and blogger at ''The American Conservative'' and author of several books, including ''H ...

at ''

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the '' Galvest ...

''; and Guy Adams at ''

''. Some of the coverage alleged mainstream

media bias Media bias is the bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media in the selection of many events and stories that are reported and how they are covered. The term "media bias" implies a pervasive or widespread bias contravening of J ...

due to Edwards' Democratic affiliation. Others voiced contempt for tabloid papers like the ''Enquirer'' and compared the coverage to that of a scandal involving

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Senator

Larry Craig Lawrence Edwin Craig (born July 20, 1945) is an American retired politician from the state of Idaho. A Republican, he served 18 years in the United States Senate (1991–2009), preceded by 10 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, repres ...

. Others claimed that the ''Enquirer'' was reliable in regard to scandal reporting, noting the reporting on the Gary Hart-Donna Rice affair in 1988, Jesse Jackson's out-of-wedlock child, and

Rush Limbaugh Rush Hudson Limbaugh III ( ; January 12, 1951 – February 17, 2021) was an American conservative political commentator who was the host of '' The Rush Limbaugh Show'', which first aired in 1984 and was nationally syndicated on AM and FM r ...

's prescription drug addiction in 2006. Non-coverage was also discussed. Some stated that the non-coverage was motivated by sympathy for Elizabeth Edwards. Several prominent sites criticized the omission of information about the allegations, most notably Gawker.com. For instance, as of August 6,

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

had not mentioned the story and

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and politi ...

had mentioned it only once. Several pundits stated that Edwards was "fair game" for reporting on the allegations because he had been recently identified as a potential candidate for vice president or attorney general for Barack Obama, and that Edwards himself had made his marital fidelity an issue in his campaign. Blogosphere claims of a media "blackout" extended to

Wikipedia Wikipedia is a multilingual free online encyclopedia written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and using a wiki-based editing system. Wikipedia is the largest and most-read refer ...

and its biographical article on Edwards. The Wikipedia biography was later changed to include a mention of the allegations' potential impact on Edwards' political career. The controversy over the Wikipedia page was covered by ''

Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San ...

'' magazine and '' Kansas City Star'' columnist Aaron Barnhart, who opined the addition of the information to the Wikipedia article influenced later media coverage of the allegations. On July 31, a late-night talk program played part of a David Letterman "Top 10" list that alluded to the charges. On the same night, ''

The O'Reilly Factor ''The O'Reilly Factor'' (originally titled ''The O'Reilly Report'' and also known as ''The Factor'') is an American cable television news and talk show. ''The O'Reilly Factor'' first aired in the United States on Fox News Channel on October 7 ...

'' played a clip of a Jay Leno monologue from ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

'' that mentioned the story. Altogether, Fox News had run stories or discussed the matter six times by August 6, more than any other cable news organization.

Edwards admits the affair

On August 8, in a statement that coincided with the

Opening Ceremonies An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

of the 2008 Olympic Games, Edwards admitted to the affair but denied he was the father of the child, expressing his willingness to take a

paternity test DNA paternity testing is the use of DNA profiles to determine whether an individual is the biological parent of another individual. Paternity testing can be especially important when the rights and duties of the father are in issue and a child' ...

. His statement included:

In 2006, I made a serious error in judgment and conducted myself in a way that was disloyal to my family and to my core beliefs. I recognized my mistake and I told my wife that I had a liaison with another woman, and I asked for her forgiveness. Although I was honest in every painful detail with my family, I did not tell the public. When a supermarket tabloid told a version of the story, I used the fact that the story contained many falsities to deny it. But being 99 percent honest is no longer enough ...

On the same day, Elizabeth Edwards released a statement that first appeared on the liberal blog, ''

The Daily Kos Daily Kos ( ) is a group blog and internet forum focused on the U.S. Democratic Party and liberal American politics. The site includes glossaries and other content. It is sometimes considered an example of " netroots" activism. Daily Kos was ...

''. The statement said that, in 2006, "John had made a terrible mistake," though she went on to praise her husband for "courage in the face of shame." She also said that she hoped people would watch the interview that aired later that night on the ABC News program '' Nightline'', in which her husband admitted the affair to Woodruff. Elizabeth, in her statement, criticized the claims that her husband fathered a child as an "absurd lie in a tabloid publication." Her seemingly willing participation in the efforts to cover up the affair have also been called into question. "I think she's complicit," said Brad Crone, a

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

-based Democratic consultant. "Obviously, she knew. While she's the victim, she clearly didn't stand in the way of the cover-up." On August 12, a friend of Hunter's, Pigeon O'Brien, informed CBS News that Edwards had lied about the timeline of the affair. She claimed the affair began in February 2006, six months earlier than the time Edwards had hired Hunter to start working on his political action committee and when he had claimed that the affair had begun. O'Brien also stated that the affair was not a brief liaison, but a mutual, committed relationship based on love, or so Edwards had led Hunter to believe. On August 13, Hunter's sister, Roxanne Druck Marshall, gave an interview to CBS News in which she personally apologized to Edwards' wife for her sister's behavior. She also claimed Edwards had lied in his confession, stating the affair was of a longer duration than the timeframe that he had claimed and was still ongoing. Marshall also stated that, in the days after the story broke, Edwards provided Hunter and her baby with a new and secret domicile to prevent media reporters from finding her. She also called upon Edwards to tell the complete truth about the affair. That same day, an article from CBS News reported that, "Edwards may be in legal jeopardy if it could be shown that ampaignfunds were used for purposes other than the ones that they had been assigned for." The New York '' Daily News'' also reported that, when questioned about the affair by reporters, Mimi Hockman, Hunter's partner in Midline Groove, "said the contract they signed with John Edwards had a 'hefty' confidentiality clause that bars her from talking." Two days earlier, on August 11, Hockman had been questioned by reporters from the ''Star-Ledger'' at her home and reportedly told them, "I'm contractually prohibited from talking to you." On August 18, David Carr of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' wrote that while the ''Enquirer'' can be inaccurate, its revelations about the Edwards affair were a service to the public:

"'There are some stories, especially ones that occur in the bedroom, where mainstream media outlets sometimes can't venture—or at least they can't find it in themselves to lead the charge. But it would be hard to argue that the body politic is not enriched by the recent revelations that Mr. Edwards is not who we thought he was, even balanced against the many stories the Enquirer gets wrong.' (Even in his confession, Mr. Edwards wrinkled his nose and suggested that the allegations had originated with 'supermarket tabloids', as if the method of conveyance absolved him of the deeds described.)"

Birth certificate

On August 1, the ''Enquirer'' published an article naming Hunter's child. Mainstream news organizations subsequently obtained a copy of the birth certificate, confirming that a girl had been born at

Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is a community hospital in the city of Santa Barbara, California. It is owned and operated by the Cottage Health System. Services Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is a full-service hospital, primarily serving the dive ...

on February 27, 2008. The birth certificate listed the mother's name as "Rielle Jaya James Druck," while the child was given the surname "Hunter"; no father's name was listed. Media reports linked the Druck and Hunter surnames on the birth certificate to conclude that the mother was Rielle Hunter; the reports also noted that the child was born approximately two months after Young's claimed paternity had been announced by Hunter and Young. When questioned about the omission of the father's name from the birth certificate, Hunter's attorney stated, "A lot of women do that", and that the issue was "a personal matter" between Hunter and Young, before declining to comment further. In late-July and early-August 2008, news outlets reported that Edwards was avoiding further questions from reporters about the ''Enquirer'' claims.

WCNC-TV WCNC-TV (channel 36) is a television station in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, affiliated with NBC. The station is owned by Tegna Inc. WCNC-TV's studios are located in the Wood Ridge Center office complex off Billy Graham Parkway ...

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, reported that Edwards' political career was "effectively frozen", pending resolution of the allegations.

Payments to Hunter and Young

In August 2008, Fred Baron, Edwards'

chairman, told

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...

that he had been providing financial assistance to both Hunter and Young without Edwards' knowledge; he further stated that no campaign funds had been used. Reportedly, Young had also successfully solicited funds from Rachel Lambert Mellon, also known as "Bunny" Mellon, a 99-year-old heiress to the Mellon fortune. Baron passed away two months later.

Reactions

In August 2008, senior figures in the Democratic Party warned that Edwards' failure to respond to the allegations could affect his role at the

2008 Democratic National Convention The 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for president and vice president. The convent ...

. According to Donald Fowler, former Democratic National Committee chair, "If there is not an explanation that's satisfactory, acceptable and meets high moral standards, the answer is 'no,' dwardswould not be a prime candidate to make a major address to the convention." Gary Pearce, who ran Edwards' 1998 Senate race, said, "It's a very damaging thing. ... If it's not true, dwardshas got to stand up and say, 'This is not true. That is not my child and I'm going to take legal action against the people who are spreading these lies.' It's not enough to say, 'That's tabloid trash. Edwards' admission that he engaged in an affair came less than a day after these warnings were published. Former congressman

David Bonior David Edward Bonior (born June 6, 1945) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976, Bonior served as Democratic whip in the House from 1991 to 2002, during which time De ...

, Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign manager, stated: "Thousands of friends of the senator and his supporters have put their faith and confidence in him, and he's let them down. They've been betrayed by his action." When asked about Edwards' future in public service, Bonior further stated, "You can't lie in politics and expect to have people's confidence."

Alleged campaign staffers "doomsday" plan

In May 2009, ABC News political correspondent George Stephanopoulos reported that Edwards campaign staffers became cognizant of the affair in early 2008. Staff members said that if it appeared Edwards was on his way to winning the Democratic nomination, they intended to sabotage his campaign for the benefit of the party. Edwards' senior adviser, Joe Trippi, said this report was "complete bullshit". He added, "No one that I know had such a plan. I wasn't involved in a plan like that, it didn't exist, it's a fantasy." However, in August 2006, several staffers—including Josh Brumberger, Kim Rubey, and David Ginsberg—had strong suspicions about the affair and left the campaign over concerns about Hunter. Rubey and Ginsberg later discussed their obligation to the party to come forward with what they knew, after finding Young's paternity claim unconvincing.

Subsequent events

A federal grand jury investigated whether any of Edwards' campaign funds were misspent on covering up the affair and, on August 6, 2009, Hunter testified before a federal grand jury in Raleigh. On January 21, 2010, Edwards admitted that he was, indeed, Quinn's father. In late January 2010, John and Elizabeth separated. In February 2010, the ''Enquirer'' reported that Edwards had proposed to Hunter, but that report was categorically denied by an Edwards spokesperson. Although Young had previously stated he was the father, he recanted in a book proposal. Rielle Hunter also released a book about the relationship and announced her breakup with Edwards on the day of the book's release in 2012. On February 9, 2016, Hunter spoke on ''

Steve Harvey Broderick Stephen Harvey Sr. Also aired August 16, 2015. (born January 17, 1957) is an American television host, producer, actor, and comedian. He hosts '' The Steve Harvey Morning Show'', '' Family Feud'', ''Celebrity Family Feud,'' the Miss ...

'' in her first televised interview in almost five years, and stated she and Edwards were still dating until February 2015.

Legal proceedings

On June 3, 2011, Edwards was

indicted An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use the felonies concept often use that of ...

by a North Carolina grand jury on six

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

charges. He faced a maximum sentence of thirty years in prison and a $1.5 million fine, or a USD250,000 fine and/or five years imprisonment per charge. The indictment came after the failure of intensive negotiations for a plea bargain. The agreement would have meant that Edwards would have been required to plead guilty to three misdemeanor campaign finance law violations, in addition to a six-month prison sentence, but would have allowed Edwards to keep his law license. After delays, due to Edwards' medical condition, jury selection for the trial began on April 12, 2012. Opening arguments began on April 23. A verdict (not guilty on one count and a

mistrial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, ...

on the remaining five) to the trial was reached on May 31, 2012. The trial was criticized by Republicans, such as

Michael Steele Michael Stephen Steele (born October 19, 1958) is an American political commentator, attorney, and Republican Party politician. Steele served as the seventh lieutenant governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007; he was the first African-American ...

and

Joe Scarborough Charles Joseph Scarborough (; born April 9, 1963) is an American television host, attorney, political commentator, and former politician who is the co-host of ''Morning Joe'' on MSNBC with his wife Mika Brzezinski. He previously hosted ''Scarbo ...

, who referred to the procedure as "an absolute waste of resources."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, John 2000s in mass media 2006 beginnings 2008 in American politics 2008 scandals 2010 endings 2008 controversies in the United States August 2008 events in the United States Cover-ups Democratic Party (United States) Extramarital relationships

Extramarital affair An affair is a sexual relationship, romantic friendship, or passionate attachment in which at least one of its participants has a formal or informal commitment to a third person who may neither agree to such relationship nor even be aware of ...