- John Edwards was indicted in 2011 for campaign finance violations in connection with the 2008 presidential election.
- He was accused by the Justice Department of donating nearly $1 million to his pregnant mistress.
- Edwards was acquitted of one count of campaign finance violations, and the rest were dropped.
As indictments loom over former President Donald Trump over allegedly paying hush money to Stormy Daniels to silence their case, legal experts say Trump was indicted in connection with campaign finance violations. I’m guessing what the outcome would be.
When the last presidential candidate was indicted for campaign finance violations, John Edwards faced up to 30 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine.
Edwards was John Kerry’s vice presidential nominee in the pair’s 2004 loss to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney before launching his own presidential campaign in 2008.
The felony faced by a former North Carolina senator in 2011 included one count of violating federal campaign finance laws, lying to the Federal Election Commission, and accepting and receiving illegal campaign funds. and one for hiding those illegal donations from the Electoral Commission. FEC — Originated from his 2008 campaign of his own. Each was sentenced to up to five years in prison and he was fined $250,000.
“Mr. Edwards allegedly received more than $900,000 to publicly conceal what he believed would undermine his candidacy,” Assistant Attorney General Breuer told the Justice Department. statement about prosecution.
A year-long investigation and trial led to Edwards being accused of conspiring with campaign staff to cover up the fact that he had a daughter with his mistress in 2007 while his wife was battling breast cancer. One thing became clear.
Edwards later acknowledged the incidentHis wife, Elizabeth, filed for separation after Edwards admitted the child was his, but criminal charges were filed. She died of her illness before being killed.
In the lawsuit against him, Justice Department officials allege that Edwards organized a series of illicit contributions to pay hush money to his mistress, then conspired with his staff to lie about the incident, and use the “chair.” He claimed to have concealed the illegal donations with a simple check memo. “Antique table” and “bookshelf”.
Legal experts considered the case precarious because the charges were not based on any specific federal law, but an advisory opinion written by the FEC held that gifts to political candidates were not elected. argued that it should be considered an offering. CNN and Washington Post reported at the time.
After nine days of deliberation, a jury acquitted Edwards of one count of accepting illegal donations. ABC News It was reported, but was hopelessly stalled on five other counts, leading to a miscarriage of justice. Politico report.
“It’s not illegal to be a pig,” said Washington campaign finance expert Brett Kappel. Washington Post at the time he was indicted. “Was what Edwards did slimy? Of course. Everyone would agree that it was condemned. But it’s not a crime.”
Edwards did not immediately respond to a request for insider comment sent to his law firm.
Former President Donald Trump will be arrested next week on Saturday in connection with an ongoing investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney for allegedly paying adult film actor Stormy Daniels $130,000 in hush money before the 2016 election. He said he expected
Trump said he would be arrested, but his attorney said it was speculation and it remains unclear what action the DA office will take and when.
