Nothing is simple in politics, is this trial politically motivated or did John Edwards commit campaign fraud?

No one is questioning that John Edwards received money from two donors, neither of which will testify, about the money or Edward’s mistress, Rielle Hunter.

First announcement before opening statements began with a WTF moment when U.S. District Court Judge Catherine C. Eagles said former Edwards aide Andrew Young called the three other witnesses in the last two weeks. Eagles ruled that lawyers for Edwards could mention the improper contact to jurors in opening arguments Monday, but barred them from using the term “witness tampering” or telling the jury that Young had a one-night stand with one of the other witnesses in 2007; a possible violation of federal law.

The Court seated 12 jurors and four alternates Monday morning. The panel is made up of nine men and seven women.

“It wasn’t just a marriage on the line,” prosecutor David Harbach said. “If the affair went public it would destroy his chance of becoming president, and he knew it. …He made a choice to break the law.”

Edwards’ defense team told the jury that most of the money at issue in the case went not to support Hunter, but was siphoned off by Young and his wife to build a $1.5 million “dream home” near Chapel Hill. Edwards’ lawyers contend the payments were gifts from friends intent on keeping the candidate’s wife from finding out about the affair. Elizabeth Edwards died in December 2010 after battling cancer.

A key issue will be whether Edwards knew about the payments made on his behalf by his national campaign finance chairman, the late Texas lawyer Fred Baron, and campaign donor Rachel “Bunny” Mellon, a now-101-year-old heiress and socialite. Each had already given Edwards’ campaign the maximum $2,300 individual contribution allowed by federal law.

Abbe Lowell, the well-known Washington lawyer who is representing Edwards, has said that even had Edwards known about the secret payments, his actions wouldn’t amount to a crime under federal law. Lowell has said in court that the government’s case relies on flawed legal reasoning, that the grand jury process was tainted and that the Republican federal prosecutor who led the investigation was motivated by partisanship. Lowell has derided what he calls the government’s “crazy” interpretation of federal law whereby money that was never handled by the candidate nor deposited in a campaign account is being defined as campaign contributions.

Follow the money and the mistress is my initial take on this! Cate Edwards, John Edwards eldest child and an attorney herself has been with her father entering court every day.

I will do a short article every night and catch all of us on the trial and what has lead all of us to this.

Here are the documents from June 3, 2011 through September 6, 2011. I will load the rest of the September documents right after we get this up and then I will have the witness list and the exhibit list up tomorrow night. So we finally have a good trial with sex, alleged criminal actions to cover it up, and witnesses in trouble with the judge already. What a great start.

June 3, 2011 John Edwards Indictment for Criminal Acts in Handling Campaign Funds (281)
June 3, 2011 Conditions with Release on Bond of John Edwards (281)
June 21, 2011 Transcript of Hearing in Pre Trial Motions for John Edwards (303)
June 27, 2011 Protective Order by Court in Regards to John Edwards (293)
July 14, 2011 Transcript of Pre Trial Hearing for John Edwards (300)
September 6, 2011 John Edwards\' First Motion to Dismiss (226)
September 6, 2011 John Edwards\' Exhibit A with First Motion to Dismiss (227)
September 6, 2011 John Edwards\' Exhibit B with First Motion to Dismiss (235)
September 6, 2011 John Edwards\' Exhibit C with First Motion to Dismiss (228)
September 6, 2011 John Edwards\' Exhibit D with First Motion to Dismiss (222)
September 6, 2011 John Edwards\' Memorandum of Law in Support First Motion to Dismiss (223)
September 6, 2011 John Edwards\' Attachment 1 Memorandum of Law in Support First Motion to Dismiss (239)
September 6, 2011 John Edwards\' Attachment 2 Memorandum of Law in Support First Motion to Dismiss (223)
September 6, 2011 John Edwards\' Attachment 3 Memorandum of Law in Support First Motion to Dismiss (231)
September 6, 2011 John Edwards\' Attachment 4 Memorandum of Law in Support First Motion to Dismiss (234)
September 6, 2011 John Edwards\' Attachment 5 Memorandum of Law in Support First Motion to Dismiss (224)
September 6, 2011 John Edwards\' Second Motion to Dismiss (231)
September 6, 2011 John Edwards\' Memorandum of Law in Support Second Motion to Dismiss (236)
September 6, 2011 John Edwards\' Third Motion to Dismiss (235)
September 6, 2011 John Edwards\' Memorandum of Law in Support on Third Motion to Dismiss (224)
September 6, 2011 John Edwards\' Fourth Motion to Dismiss (227)
September 6, 2011 John Edwards\' Memorandum of Law in Support Fourth Motion to Dismiss (242)

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©Rose Turner
April 24, 2012
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