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(Reuters) - Former U.S. senator and presidential candidate John Edwards learned on Thursday that he could stand trial as early as October on charges he violated campaign finance laws to cover up an affair. But at a federal court hearing in Greensboro, North Carolina, his lawyers said they may need more time to wade through and assess thousands of pages of documents gathered by prosecutors in the case.

John Edwards' mug shot released By: CNN Political Unit (CNN)–Former U.S. Senator John Edwards, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and campaign law violations in early June. His mug shot was obtained by CNN following a Freedom of Information Act request. The plea came after a federal grand jury indicted him on six counts, including conspiracy, issuing false statements and violating campaign contribution laws. A grand jury has been investigating whether money given to support Edwards' mistress, Rielle Hunter, by benefactors of Edwards should have been considered campaign donations, a contention Edwards' team has disputed. A plea deal between the two-time...

In a devastating act of ultimate revenge, a dying Elizabeth Ed­wards recorded a bombshell secret videotape for prosecutors – nailing her cheating husband John as he will stand trial on charges that could land him behind bars for 30 years. That’s the stunning secret behind the federal indictment brought against the disgraced former presidential candi­date on June 3 – following a two-year grand jury investigation into whether he illegally used campaign funds to cover up his affair with his then-pregnant mistress Rielle Hunter. “Elizabeth wanted to exact revenge against John for destroy­ing their 33-year marriage and family by cheating with...

Last week was just delicious for political junkies such as yours truly. Between Sarah Palin's One Nation bus tour, Cong. Anthony Weiner's, well, weiner, and John Edwards' indictment, I was in virtual heaven. So many bloggers, updates, and Facebook debates and so little time. I seriously lost sleep trying to keep up. One of the highlights for me was the photo a friend of mine took of Sarah Palin in New York City. My friend was on her way to a play and passed by Fox News when she saw Palin come out with Piper trailing behind. She quickly grabbed...

The Washington Post has issued a post-mortem on the career of John Edwards ("American Dream is Irrevocably Undone") and finds tragedy and pathos. "The man born Johnny Reid Edwards had it. Great gobs of potential." He might have been, the Post laments, "a great husband, could have been an enduring statesman ... president." But fate intervened. With his indictment on misuse of campaign funds last week, "America witnessed the latest distasteful episode in ... (the) fall from grace of a political comet." Grace, as any unblinkered observer could detect, is not a word that ever belonged in the same sentence...

Bob Woodruff et al. just reported this on ABCNews.com: John Edwards Indicted By Federal Grand Jury for Conspiracy and False Statements ... Pretty serious. But I noticed something interesting about the article having read it in its entirety: Number of paragraphs: 24. Number of words: 947. Number of instances Edwards’ party affiliation is mentioned: ZERO.Think that if the indicted was a Republican, Woodruff and friends wouldn’t have told us? Lest one think this it’s wrong to make a generalization from a single article, ABC News’ story about Edwards from yesterday (also by Woodruff, et al.) also fails to mention his...

How the mighty have fallen. We read that somewhere. And right here in our midst an example: John Edwards, the lawyer who made a fortune playing a good guy fighting big bad guys. He wanted to be president and tried twice. He wanted to be a husband and father – then cheated on his wife even as she suffered from cancer and got his girl friend pregnant, then said it was someone else’s child. Whatta guy . . .

<p>Breaking: Federal Grand Jury Indicts Former Presidential Candidate John Edwards.</p>

Desperate to stay out of jail, bad boy politi­cian JOHN EDWARDS begged his mistress and mother of his love child Rielle Hunter to cover up for him, but she flatly refused, sources say. In a bombshell exclusive hitting newsstands, The ENQUIRER reports a stunning new development in the ongoing Edwards saga, which has resulted in Rielle dumping him in his darkest hour.In a web exclusive preview, we can report that a close source said, “Rielle snapped at him, ‘I can’t help you! My only concern is raising our daughter.’ “John felt as if she’d stabbed him in the back.”That behind-the-scenes...

RALEIGH, N.C. — A federal indictment is looming for former presidential candidate John Edwards, who is still sitting on $2.8 million in his campaign fund from 2008. Whether he could use that money to fight potential criminal charges depends on the Federal Elections Commission, which makes recommendations on a case-by-case basis. ... Edwards will have little recourse to rehabilitate his image and renew his legal career if confronted with charges involving the money used to cover up his extramarital affair. A plea to a felony charge involving campaign finances could strip him of his law license, ending any hope he...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former presidential candidate John Edwards and federal prosecutors are arguing over whether funds used to cover up his extramarital affair were campaign contributions or just gifts from his longtime friends.

As far as I’m concerned, John Edwards is pond scum. Last I checked, that’s not a crime.

Politico reports that the U.S. Attorney in Raleigh is getting ready to indict John Edwards on felony campaign finance charges. This might be a good time to remember that -- after all the bellyaching about John McCain picking the dangerous Sarah Palin to be a heart-beat from the presidency in 2008 -- that John Forbes Kerry did likewise with Edwards in 2004.

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards appears ready to gamble on a high-stakes confrontation in federal court in a case that will pit his ravaged reputation and self-admittedly abominable behavior against a government case Edwards’ camp sees as relying on unreliable witnesses and hazy law. Two sources familiar with the case confirmed to POLITICO Tuesday that the U.S. Attorney in Raleigh has signaled that he is on the brink of indicting Edwards on felony campaign finance charges linked to his cover-up of the affair that destroyed his marriage and his political career. Justice Department officials declined to comment on the...

Federal prosecutors have completed a wide-ranging investigation into John Edwards' political dealings and could indict the two-time presidential candidate within days, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Federal prosecutors have completed a wide-ranging investigation into John Edwards' political dealings and could indict the two-time presidential candidate within days, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday. Edwards could still strike a plea deal to avoid an indictment, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the case's sensitivity.

Raleigh, N.C. — The investigation into former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards' affair and campaign finances is coming to a conclusion. Sources told WRAL News on Tuesday that a major development would occur in the next two weeks. It could be an indictment or perhaps a plea deal. Sources said it's unlikely that prosecutors would walk away from the case. The investigation appears to have zeroed in on money from a 100-year-old campaign supporter and attempts to hide Edwards' affair with a campaign staffer. Former Edwards aide Andrew Young wrote in his tell-all book, "The Politician," that heiress Rachel "Bunny"...

The United States Department of Justice has green-lighted the prosecution of former presidential candidate John Edwards for alleged violations of campaign laws while he tried to cover up an extra-marital affair, ABC News has learned. A source close to the case said Edwards is aware that the government intends to seek an indictment and that the former senator from North Carolina is now considering his limited options. He could accept a plea bargain with prosecutors or face a potentially costly trial. Edwards has been the focus of a lengthy federal investigation focusing on hundreds of thousands of dollars allegedly provided...

Furious John Edwards has allegedly vented his anger at mistress Rielle Hunter over the steamy sex video they made during his White House run. In an amazing outburst, the shamed politician reportedly exploded after a judge ruled portions of his testimony under oath would be made public. An insider said: 'John took his anger and frustrations out on Rielle. 'He screamed at Rielle, calling her an idiot for not destroying the tape, and yelling that she made a fool of him for talking him into making it,' a source told the National Enquirer. 'Rielle was in tears, and tried to...

Considering the source, we do have to take this news with a gigantic grain of salt, but the National Enquirer (via the Daily Mail) is reporting that scandal-maker John Edwards is really down and out. Sadly, it's not really so hard to believe though. I mean, he'd have to be completely dead inside not to be depressed about the state of his life right now -- even if he did create a good number of his woes. I really want to be mad at the guy. To say he deserves everything he gets. But I just can't. And I hope...