This afternoon, actually in about an hour and a half, former Vice-Presidential nominee (with Kerry in 2004) as well as a Presidential candidate on more than one occasion, John Edwards is going to make his first appearance as a defendant in a North Carolina federal courtroom, since he's been indicted by a federal grand jury on six counts of essentially campaign fraud.
This is going to be a case to watch, at least I find it interesting. Not only is John Edwards a career politician, he's got a history as an extremely successful trial attorney.
Put those two together in the current scenario, where's he is fighting to stay out of jail, and this is going to be fascinating. Not that he's really demonstrated all that much savvy so far. I mean really.
My first question: who is John Edwards choosing to be his lead criminal defense lawyer? This will bring a whole new meaning to the phrase "controlling your client."
Oh, and fine. I've been expecting this for awhile. Back in August 2008, I wrote a post wondering about the money after the Rielle Hunter story broke. I asked about campaign financing back then. Guess I got my answer today....
Showing posts with label John Edwards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Edwards. Show all posts
6/03/2011
8/13/2008
Has Rielle Hunter Been Illegally Paid John Edwards Campaign Money?
First, I think the irony that the National Enquirer broke this story is delicious. It's almost as fun as Matt Drudge and Monica's stained dress ....
That aside, wearing my lawyer hat, I'm thinking that the big, lasting story here is the money. Affairs aren't new for presidents or presidential candidates and sad to say, illegitimate children probably aren't either.
But this twist of "show me the campaign money" is new....
There are continuing news stories about Rielle Hunter receiving cash from Edwards' former campaign finance chairman ... and that this money continues to be provided to her.
CBS News is quoting ABC's Nightline interview last Friday of John Edwards, where he purported states,"I've never paid a dime of money to any of the people that are involved. I've never asked anybody to pay a dime of money, never been told that any money's been paid."
(Edwards is a lawyer, and this response reminds me of my first year at UT Law, where torts Professor Treece explained personal injury defense: "you weren't bitten by a dog; second, my dog doesn't bite; third, I don't own a dog.")
1. Rielle Hunter's undoubtedly got the argument that she was, or is, a campaign employee.
However, that only gets her so far -- the money she's received needs to be reasonably comparable to others in that same position. Easiest way to do that is to compare jobs: how much did Hillary's campaign videographer get paid? Mitt Romney's? Mike Huckabee's? Ron Paul's? Do they all have campaign videographers?
2. Another question here, for me at least, is not just the scope of her employment but its length.
Is she still employed by the campaign? In what capacity? (According to the National Enquirer, Rielle Hunter is still receiving cash payments from the Edwards campaign coffers.)
3. Was any of this illegal?
If Miss Hunter, the former Lisa Druck, has been paid campaign dollars for what essentially becomes custody, support, and/or consideration for a confidentiality agreement, then federal laws may come into play here, and to me, this is where the rubber meets the road on this story being different from the rest of the Gary Hart-esque dramas.
I think we're looking at a federal crime when someone's dollars, given to advance a political campaign for president, are instead used for the personal expenses of the candidate's pregnant girlfriend.
Maybe it's fraud. Maybe it's theft. Maybe it's a violation of federal campaign funding protocols. But it's something.
That aside, wearing my lawyer hat, I'm thinking that the big, lasting story here is the money. Affairs aren't new for presidents or presidential candidates and sad to say, illegitimate children probably aren't either.
But this twist of "show me the campaign money" is new....
There are continuing news stories about Rielle Hunter receiving cash from Edwards' former campaign finance chairman ... and that this money continues to be provided to her.
CBS News is quoting ABC's Nightline interview last Friday of John Edwards, where he purported states,"I've never paid a dime of money to any of the people that are involved. I've never asked anybody to pay a dime of money, never been told that any money's been paid."
(Edwards is a lawyer, and this response reminds me of my first year at UT Law, where torts Professor Treece explained personal injury defense: "you weren't bitten by a dog; second, my dog doesn't bite; third, I don't own a dog.")
1. Rielle Hunter's undoubtedly got the argument that she was, or is, a campaign employee.
However, that only gets her so far -- the money she's received needs to be reasonably comparable to others in that same position. Easiest way to do that is to compare jobs: how much did Hillary's campaign videographer get paid? Mitt Romney's? Mike Huckabee's? Ron Paul's? Do they all have campaign videographers?
2. Another question here, for me at least, is not just the scope of her employment but its length.
Is she still employed by the campaign? In what capacity? (According to the National Enquirer, Rielle Hunter is still receiving cash payments from the Edwards campaign coffers.)
3. Was any of this illegal?
If Miss Hunter, the former Lisa Druck, has been paid campaign dollars for what essentially becomes custody, support, and/or consideration for a confidentiality agreement, then federal laws may come into play here, and to me, this is where the rubber meets the road on this story being different from the rest of the Gary Hart-esque dramas.
I think we're looking at a federal crime when someone's dollars, given to advance a political campaign for president, are instead used for the personal expenses of the candidate's pregnant girlfriend.
Maybe it's fraud. Maybe it's theft. Maybe it's a violation of federal campaign funding protocols. But it's something.
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