[2012] John Edwards' Hush Money Was Not Illegal, FEC Told Campaign

Good Mprning America, via Yahoo ^ | May 14, 2012 | JAMES HILL, BETH LOYD and RUSSELL GOLDMAN

[libstripper]

After John Edwards was indicted, Federal Election Commission auditors determined that the hush money he received from wealthy donors to cover up a torrid affair did not need to be reported in the campaign's financial disclosure reports, his campaign's chief financial officer testified today.

After three weeks of salacious testimony about Edwards' affair with mistress Rielle Hunter and the nearly $1 million collected to keep it quiet, Edwards' lawyers kicked off their defense focusing on the much less steamy intricacies of campaign finance law.

After reviewing the campaign's financials for four years, the FEC determined last month that money Edwards' aides collected from wealthy donors Rachel "Bunny" Mellon and Fred Baron were "not campaign contribution[s]," Lora Haggard, Edwards' 2008 chief financial officer, said today

[libstripper]

I'm posting this today because it's so relevant to the present situation. Indeed, it looks like the FEC's long standing position has been that this type of expenditure is personal and non-reportable and another former FEC chairman was prepared to so testify at the Edwards trial. See:

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/14/nation/la-na-john-edwards-20120515

Where the following is reported:

Prosecutors objected several times during Haggard's testimony [that was allowed before the jury], arguing outside the jury's presence that the FEC opinion was "an end run" irrelevant to the Edwards criminal case. They told U.S. District Court Judge Catherine Eagles that the court and jury, not a defense witness, should decide the matter.

They won a victory when Eagles said she would sharply limit upcoming testimony from former FEC Chairman Scott Thomas. With the jury out of the courtroom, Thomas went through his testimony before the judge, saying the money donated by Mellon and Baron did not qualify as campaign contributions.

Eagles ruled that Thomas would not be permitted to repeat the statement in front of the jury.

[no-to-illegals]

It’s even legal for a democrat to eat a child on the six o’clock news and be hailed as a hero

[7thOF7th]

This is so overblown and distorted it is laughable. First, attempting to quash derogatory disclosures about one’s self does not ascribe guilt, period! Secondly, Trump did not use anyone else’s contributions or money but his own to make those payments. Third, my understanding is that Trump used his own money for the election so how can this be a violation of election law?

[Bayan]

Edwards was a Democrat, different rules for them.

[Spok]

If there are Obama people in the FEC it’s position on Trump will the complete opposite. Democrats have no problem with hypocrisy.

[shelterguy]

Yes. He used his own money. Off with his head.

When Hillary wrote an $850,000.00 check to Paula Jones and then asked for donations to cover it that was perfectly ok.

[Pete Dovgan]

Equality before the law.

Lack of equality before the law is what you expect in Slavery and Indentured Servitude, monarchies, and Socialist/fascists states (same thing really).

Equality before the law is supposed to be a principle of liberalism. Which means that democrats ARE NOT REALLY LIBERALS. See the following: 1) IRS targeting conservatives. 2) EPA targeting conservatives 3) FISA courts used to spy on political campaigns. 4) Calls by Democrats to impeach Trump for ‘campaign finance of hush money’.

Lets just say that it hypocrisy doesn’t get more obvious that that.

[ReaganGeneration2]

Illegality is not the issue with Smarmy Daniels, nor is removal from office.

Smarmy is for 2020 politics. Dems got nothing else.

[Leep]

Laws/rules do not apply to lwftist.
That is the real news.

[Kickass Conservative]

Even being Rich, Edwards used money from his Campaign, other People’s money of course.

Remember when he did a little Financial Hocus Pocus to avoid paying his Medicare Taxes? I do.

[rxsid]

"Edwards' affair with mistress Rielle Hunter and the nearly $1 million collected to keep it quiet"

Wow. Didn't Trump allegedly pay around $280k for TWO flings? Edwards paid nearly 5 times more for 1/2.

Guess Trump really is great at getting deals done.

[Rebelbase]

Then:

Now:

[SunkenCiv]

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