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Ex-presidential hopeful Edwards wants charges droppedBy Jeremy Pelofsky Reuters – Thu, 25 Aug, 2011 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former presidential hopeful John Edwards plans to ask a judge to dismiss charges over alleged illegal campaign contributions because of problems with the grand jury that indicted him, among other reasons. Edwards, a Democratic who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2004 and 2008, was indicted on six counts of conspiracy, taking illegal contributions and making false statements in a bid to cover up an extramarital affair during the 2008 recent campaign. His lawyers plan to file motions to dismiss by September 6, citing...

(Reuters) - Former presidential candidate John Edwards has replaced the legal team defending him against criminal charges of campaign fund violations. Edwards has hired Chadbourne & Parke partner Abbe Lowell, according to a document filed with the court on Friday. Lowell is a white-collar defense attorney.

Among the many ways Sarah Palin was hit in the media during her 2008 vice presidential bid—criticism now spilling on to current presidential hopeful Rep. Michele Bachmann—was that she should forget politics and make time for her kids. GOP pollster Kellyanne Conway has an answer for those who think Palin, Bachmann, or other women with children don't have enough time to raise them while serving in public office...

<p>John Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign must repay $2.3 million in federal campaign funds, the Federal Election Commission ruled Thursday.</p> <p>The funds had been paid to Edwards' campaign committee by the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, which matches funds privately raised by a campaign. An FEC audit found that the Edwards campaign received more than it should have because of accounting errors.</p>

(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.