Edwards may be in trouble over payments to Hunter.

[dkf]

Baron's payments could present legal problems, said Washington attorney Cleta Mitchell, who specializes in campaign finance law and who represents Republican candidates and conservative groups. She said all payments to anyone involved in Edwards' presidential campaigns -- including Hunter and Young -- should have been fully disclosed under U.S. campaign finance laws.

"That would undermine the purpose of the payments, which was to avoid public disclosure of the affair," Mitchell said. "The idea that Edwards' finance chairman can independently hand over substantial sums of money to two campaign workers at a time when Edwards is a candidate and to argue that that is not related to his campaign is a bit preposterous."

The earlier, $14,000 payment to Hunter is significant because its source was Edwards' OneAmerica political action committee, whose expenditures are governed by U.S. election laws.

Willfully converting political action committee money to personal use would be a federal criminal violation.
...
Legal experts said it was important for Edwards to demonstrate that the PAC wasn't paying Hunter merely to keep her quiet about the affair.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-edwards16-2008aug16,0,1172903.story

[Hubert Flottz]

1. "Noone is above the law" unless they have lots of cash.

[dkf]

2. IOKIYAR. Unfortunately for Edwards he is a Democrat

so he doesn't get a free pass.

[Spouting Horn]

3. If he has "a lot of cash"

then why didn't he use those (legal) funds instead of the pac's fnds?

Would he do something so stupid?

[KharmaTrain]

5. When You Think With The Wrong Head

You do stupid things...we see it time and time again in situations like these. Edwards thought he was smarter than the rest of us and we'd be none-the-wiser.

[soothsayer]

4. she can prolly invoices for what the payments ostensibly were for

[bklyncowgirl]

6. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! Not to mention vile--If he did it, of course.

If you're going to have an affair in the middle of a presidential campaign, cheat on your sick wife and then have to pay off your paramour at least have the good grace to do it from your personal money. Do not rob your donors, many of whom sacrificed to support your cause.

If he did it he's not only stupid for getting caught but pretty much a politician who is lower on the evolutionary scale than pond scum.

Hopefully he is going to be in a position to prove that the funds did not come from the PAC.

[cali]

7. and in a nutshell, this is why this matter isn't going away.

He is going to need to provide evidence that he wasn't paying her off out of campaign funds. And I'm betting he won't be able to do it. Thanks a lot, Johny.

[dkf]

8. Another problem is that Baron's personal money paid to Hunter and Young may have been a de-facto

contribution to Edwards campaign, which would be in excess of contribution limits.

[AllentownJake]

9. It will be difficult to prove

Since she actually did do some work for the campaign it would have to be proven she was overpaid for her services.

In any rate Edwards political and public life is over. No more runs for office and no cabinet positions. He'll have to give up his poverty crusade as well which is a shame because he's asking for donations and he isn't going to be getting many after this fiasco. John's back to practicing law.

[dkf]

11. Looks like the campaign had to create a transaction to get the PAC $ to pay off the final amount.

But three months later, on April 1, 2007, the committee made another payment to Midline for $14,086, which coincided with the receipt of $14,035 by the committee from Mr. Edwards’s presidential campaign to cover the cost of office furniture, according to Federal Election Commission reports. The infusion of cash from the presidential campaign was necessary to make the payment to Midline, because the committee began April with only $7,932 in the bank, the reports show.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/15/us/politics/15edwards.html?_r=3&pagewanted=2&hp&oref=login

I don't know. Sounds like they really had to think this out to make it work.

[Tennessee Gal]

10. Edwards has been really, really stupid and reckless.

I am so disappointed in him. He did not deserve my vote in the primary.

I feel so bad for Elizabeth.

[qanda]

12. You cannot convince me it was worth all that

Your life, your home, your marriage, your morals, your values, your integrity, your platform, your career, your honesty, your happiness, your trust, your peace of mind..... all for a little sex?

[mitchum]

13. I donated to the campaign and think that Hunter owes me at least a handjob

[Hubert Flottz]

14. $.25 sounds about right!

A 2 bit @#$%&*^%$*? That's the kind that will beat you to death with a bag of quarters!