John Edwards is a creep, not a criminal [View all]

[cali]

By David Horsey

April 27, 2012, 5:00 a.m.
The more I read about John Edwards’ shenanigans during the 2008 presidential campaign, the more I’m convinced he is a mirror-gazing, fork-tongued, tramp-chasing weasel. But the more I read about the federal case against him, the more sure I am that he does not deserve to go to jail.

The trial to determine if Edwards broke campaign finance laws has begun and it promises to be as lurid and titillating as Ken Starr’s vivid account of President Clinton’s fling with Monica Lewinsky. Edwards’ mistress, Rielle Hunter, is likely to take the stand. Expect her to add juicy details about how she and Edwards conducted a trans-continental affair right under the noses of the candidate’s cancer-stricken wife and the entire national press corps.

Already, we have heard several days of testimony from former Edwards aide Andrew Young. Repeating the story he had already spilled in a tell-all book, Young told how he found rich donors to pony up more than $900,000 to pay for Rielle’s house, BMW and silence. Aiming to hit a big payday by loyally clinging to Edwards’ coattails, Young funneled the hush money through his own wife’s checking account while claiming it was he, not Edwards, who fathered Rielle’s baby.

Young’s sometimes shaky testimony was pounced upon by the Edwards defense team. They contend Young did much of the dirty work on his own and that a big chunk of the money went to pay for his $1.5-million house. Whatever the truth may be, one thing that appears reasonably clear is that Edwards and Young are both conniving creeps.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-john-edwards-20120426,0,5155519.story