Posted on 07/31/2008 10:17:37 AM PDT by pissant
Is University of North Carolina alum and former professional basketball player Eric Montross the rich pal of onetime presidential hopeful John Edwards who is (allegedly) paying off both his (alleged) mistress Rielle Hunter and the guy who is taking responsibility for her bastard baby?
This certainly falls under the umbrella of "Wildly Speculative," but let's look at the facts:
Yesterday, the Enquirer reported that a "wealthy colleague who was closely tied to the Edwards campaign" has been funneling $15,000 dollars a month to Hunter in hush money, as well as an undisclosed sum to Andrew Young, the former Edwards aide who took responsibility for fathering Hunter's child when the story first broke back in October. Per the Enquirer's source: "A super-rich pal—who was closely involved with the campaign finances—is helping John. It's likely this man doesn't know all the dirty details of John's extramarital affair, but is acting out of loyalty and is not asking a lot of questions—only writing the checks."
In a follow-up story published on December 19, the Enquirer reported that after word of the affair got out, Hunter moved into a home owned by an Edwards supporter in the exclusive Governors Club, a gated community less than five miles away from the Edwards HQ in Chapel Hill and only a few blocks away from the Young residence.
Here's where things get weird: five days later, a right-wing blog called Death By 100 Papercuts received a tip that the house Hunter had moved into was owned by a former NBA player who had contributed money to the Edwards campaign. Doing some digging, Doug Ross reported that the only former NBA player who had donated money to Edwards was Eric Montross, a UNC graduate who was drafted by the Boston Celtics back in 1994 and ended his NBA career in 2003. Montross gave $4,600 to Edwards during the 2008 election cycle; he was described as a "big backer of John Edwards' White House bid" by CNN. (Edwards went to UNC law school.)
Now. An Intelius search reveals that Montross does indeed currently reside in the Governors Club gated community, so that jibes with both the Enquirer's initial reporting as well as the subsequent blog tip. When we speculated yesterday that the house Hunter had been living might have belonged to Montross, a commenter named "RielleHuner" posted the following:
The moneyman was Celtics player Eric Montross who also has been paying $8500 a month to ex-Edwards campaign manager Andrew Young, who coincidentally acknowleged [sic] untested paternity of female baby Frances Quinn Hunter-Edwards on her birth certificate.
The commenter quickly amended his comment to say that Young was being paid $18,500 a month, not $8,500.
A commenter using a different name (but maybe the same person? Impossible to tell!) over at esteemed political analysis site Perez Hilton also posted the following when Hilton wrote about the story:
"NBA star Eric Montross is the one who has been paying Edward's mistress $15,000 a month." (It's comment number 127.)
Montross made nearly $19 million over the course of his career (not bad for a guy who averaged 4.9 points), so he certainly fits the Enquirer's description of the mysterious money man as a "super-rich pal" of Edwards. Chapel Hill baby-blue blood runs deep, so it's possible that he's only "acting out of loyalty." He's also obviously not a life-long politics guy with a career at stake, so perhaps he is indeed "not asking a lot of questions—only writing the checks."
(It goes without saying that there are probably dozens of really rich dudes who live in Governors Club who are Edwards supporters and who would gladly give him no-strings-attached money for access to future political capital, but where's the fun in that?)
Legendary Tar Heel Michael Jordan famously explained his reluctance to get involved in North Carolina politics by saying, "Republicans buy sneakers too." Is Eric Montross taking the complete opposite stance in enabling a massive cover-up by providing a politician's mistress with shelter and cash? Or is he simply the victim of a right-wing conspiracy propagated by Duke Blue Devils? We don't know—calls to his house went unreturned.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo............... Please tell me it is not true!
Why does Edwards need someone else to pay for a love child? He’s pretty rich.
He’s funneling the $$ through a third party, I’ll bet.
So his fingerprints aren’t on the checks and the bank statements are in someone elses name.............
He will be put into the hall of shame if true.
Zoinks
“Why does Edwards need someone else to pay for a love child? He’s pretty rich.”
Money trail which obviously doesn’t work. Most likely would have or maybe still will do huge favor politically for Montross.
Jesse Jackson needs to go to North Carolina to minister to the out of wedlock couple and get the healing started with John and his wife (ala Clinton)
Just clear out any single attractive females from the area so Jessie won’t be tempted for his own repeat performance.
So how do I get someone to give me money like that?
Not just Edwards...stuff like this happens a lot.
so. I need money....anyone with spare cash, let me no....
/sarc
Edwards is a slimeball...
The moneyman was Celtics player Eric Montross who also has been paying $8500 a month to ex-Edwards campaign manager Andrew Young, who coincidentally acknowleged [sic] untested paternity of female baby Frances Quinn Hunter-Edwards on her birth certificate.
The commenter quickly amended his comment to say that Young was being paid $18,500 a month, not $8,500.
Has Young been reporting this under the table income?
It is time to audit Young and Edwards to find out if they have not declared this as income.
The only problem that comes to mind would be if he didn't report it on his tax return. IIRC, you can give up to $12,000/year to any individual without having to report it.
Same applies to the gift recipient. If you receive more than $12,000 from another person, you have to report it.
I almost forgot that Jesse would be providing the benefit of his own experience. LOL
If true, wouldn't the IRS find that of interest?
Well, maybe they would... if Edwards was part of that other America.
Ow. That really cuts deep. Elizabeth doesn’t deserve to see things like this.
We ought to empower her to pull the rug from under her lying hubby.
“He’s funneling the $$ through a third party, I’ll bet.”
Edwards is a shyster trial lawyer — he knows how to play all the angles! Wonder how he feels being on the paying end for a change!
Game, Set, Match. The MSM media has tried everything it can to protect Edwards and bury this story, but its all coming out now.
What’s funny is how fast this whole story has been uncovered. The Silk Pony thought he was being so clever. Welcome to the age of the internet you scumbag.
I wonder if Montross had anything to do with the scholarship program that Edwards shut down today. I still don’t believe the Silky pony is using his own money for this, and there is no way Montross would be paying for the silence himself.
left over campaign contributions?
Not to mention Rielle Hunter. Isn't she on the hook for taxes on money she receives?
I thought of that too. Either one would constitute the "Big" story that the NE hints at.
“Not to mention Rielle Hunter. Isn’t she on the hook for taxes on money she receives? “
I believe she can receive a non taxable gift from any individual each year of $12,000, if she is not employed by the donor. If she is employed by the donor, she has to pay tax on the amount given after a minimal deduction.
“Gift tax in the United States
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Taxation in the United States
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Taxation
[edit] Non-taxable gifts
Generally, the following gifts are not taxable gifts:[1]
Gifts that are not more than the annual exclusion for the calendar year,
Gifts to a political organization for its use,
Gifts to charities,
Gifts to one’s spouse,
Tuition or medical expenses one pays directly to a medical or educational institution for someone,
[edit] Gift tax exemptions
There are two levels of exemption from the gift tax. First, transfers of up to (as of 2006) $12,000 per person per year are not subject to the tax.
So she could be in big violation of IRS laws.
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