whatever else it is, the Edwards trial is a damning indictment of how we fund campaigns

[frazzled]

1. Well, no individual is allowed to give more than $2,500 per election to a candidate

You can give $30,800 to a political party in a calendar year; but this clearly wasn't a donation to the party.

If it WASN'T a campaign contribution (and therefore breaking a law on several levels), and was a private "gift"--my question is, were gift taxes paid on it? Usually the donor pays those taxes, but the donee can pay it too. Mrs. Mellon was writing checks to this dandy named Huffman, making them out ($750,000 of them in all) for "furniture." He in turn was sending the money on to the Youngs. Does that sound like the way one gives a gift? Were taxes paid on it?

Whatever else it is, someone was involved in criminal activity somewhere.