Edwards Moves to Dismiss Case

Candidate allegedly demanded 'crazy slut' Hunter abort child

(NEWSER) - Andrew Young's new tell-all book about his ex-boss John Edwards piles on the creepy details of the disgraced former candidate's dalliance with Rielle Hunter. Some highlights from the New York Daily News 's peek inside Young's The Politician:

• While terminally ill Elizabeth was away, Edwards had sex with Hunter in his wife's bed, then promised to someday marry her on a Manhattan rooftop.

Reclusive donor is at heart of campaign finance indictment

(NEWSER) - Why did millionaire philanthropist Rachel "Bunny" Mellon give John Edwards $725,000 : to save his presidential campaign or to hide his extramarital affair from his wife? That question, at the heart of Edwards' indictment on charges of campaign finance violations, has thrust the reclusive Mellon into the spotlight. But her motivations may have been quite simple: "It's a crush," her upset grandson, who testified before the Edwards grand jury, tells Meryl Gordon in an in-depth Newsweek profile of the heiress. Mellon herself, who hadn't given an extended interview in more than 25 years, tells Gordon she and Edwards were "great friends," and that she was "so surprised when this thing came up." More»

Sources say candidate acknowledged payments to pregnant mistress

(NEWSER) - Prosecutors possess evidence from John Edwards' own emails that help prove a key part of the case against him and make his decision to opt for a trial instead of a plea bargain look even riskier, sources tell AP . In the emails, Edwards and his former speechwriter, Wendy Button, discuss a draft statement in which he acknowledges paternity of his child with Rielle Hunter and knowledge of payments to keep her in hiding, the sources say. More»

Rolls dice on jury trial once again

(NEWSER) - The near-certainty of six months behind bars led John Edwards to scotch a plea bargain and take his very significant chances on a jury, reports the News & Observer in a look at the last-minute wrangling that took place behind the scenes. Prosecutors put on the table a deal in which Edwards would plead guilty to three misdemeanor charges—allowing him to keep his law license—but his lawyers wouldn't even be allowed to argue for alternatives such as a halfway house or house arrest that would let him care for his young children. More»

He pleads not guilty to charges

(NEWSER) - John Edwards says his behavior was stupid but not illegal. He pleaded not guilty today to charges that donors illegally funneled nearly $1 million to mistress Rielle Hunter and campaign aide Andrew Young to cover up an affair and keep his 2008 campaign alive. Edwards did not have to post bond, but he had to surrender his passport and promise not to contact a wealthy benefactor who figures in the case. More»