Edwards funneled $124,000 to Hunter through his anti-poverty non-profit

[cali]

Edwards Used Nonprofit to Funnel Money to Hunter
Michael Isikoff

A nonprofit group that John Edwards set up to fight poverty paid $124,000 for Web videos and photos to the former Democratic presidential candidate’s mistress, say four lawyers familiar with the payments. The Center for Promise and Opportunity wrote the previously unreported checks to videographer Rielle Hunter in late 2006, the same year Edwards acknowledged he started a “liaison” with her. (Edwards contended originally that he cut off the relationship that year. He admitted more recently he’s the father of Hunter’s daughter, born in February 2008.) The checks have since been subpoenaed by federal prosecutors in North Carolina as part of a sprawling criminal investigation into nearly $1.5 million in payments from various Edwards entities and campaign contributors that were for Hunter’s benefit, say the lawyers, who asked not to be identified talking about an ongoing probe.

Edwards established the center in 2005 to conduct a variety of public-minded programs, such as “leading a nationwide effort on college campuses to involve young people in the fight against poverty,” according to the group’s tax returns. The center collected $2.2 million in 2006—more than half, $1.2 million, from a single donor, Bunny Mellon, the 99-year-old heiress to the Mellon fortune, says Alex Forger, Mellon’s lawyer (who says his client knew nothing about any payments to Hunter). In the summer of 2006, the center signed a contract with Hunter to document Edwards’s work for the group’s causes, says Patricia Fiori, a lawyer for the nonprofit. Fiori says the contract was “completely appropriate” and “not based on a personal relationship.” Hunter provided “rough footage and photographs,” including videos of Edwards taken during a trip to Africa. When asked for examples of how the center used Hunter’s work, Fiori told NEWSWEEK, “It would be impossible to have that evidence at this point” because the center is now defunct and its Web site is no longer operational. In any case, she added, “you frequently hire people to write speeches and the speeches are never given.”

The payments to Hunter were made at the same time that Edwards’s political action committee was separately paying her a similar amount to produce Webisodes promoting Edwards as a political figure. (The Webisodes became a source of controversy within the campaign; some aides thought they were “goofy and unpresidential,” says a former top Edwards aide who also asked not to be identified due to the ongoing probe.) But the payments from the tax-exempt center could raise separate issues if federal prosecutors determine that Edwards misused the group’s assets, since the rules for such tax-exempt groups are stricter than those for political committees. Jim Cooney, an Edwards lawyer, says: “We strongly believe he didn’t violate any campaign-finance laws, and we be-lieve and the center were run in accordance with all applicable laws.”

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/declassified/archive/2010/03/12/edwards-used-nonprofit-to-funnel-money-to-hunter.aspx

[babylonsister]

1. What a P.O.S. Public-minded? Ugh. nt

[Botany]

2. Dear John

I want my money back.

botany

only $100 but I could still use it ASAP

BTW I don't know who I am pissed off @ more John E. or Ms. "Freeze Frame" Hunter

[polpilot]

44. Ms. Hunter: 'Show and ye shall reap.'

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. quite the class(less) act. "Oh, Johnny". GAG!

[Canuckistanian]

4. He was just trying to end poverty

One single mother at a time.....

[marions ghost]

5. As much as I hate this kind of corruption

I bet he gets off. :thumbsdown:

[The Hope Mobile]

26. Didn't that already happen?

Did I say that out loud? LOL
:shrug:

[frazzled]

6. You know what is so disgusting about it?

John Edwards is a multi-millionaire. If he wanted to pay his mistress out of his own bank account, I'd have no problems with that. But to set up a phony foundation for poverty, and then take people's donations and give them to his squeeze ... that is unforgivable.

He cheated poor people as well as his wife and children.

[karynnj]

12. that was likely incidental

It seems pretty clear that this foundation and the Center he set up at UNC were designed as places to develop his anti-poverty platform and to give him the credentials he didn't have on poverty - from his life as a lawyer or his stint as a DLC Senator, who voted like Bayh.

The sham worked and many have posted that no one but Edwards cared about or understood poverty - when the truth is both Obama and Clinton had done work on different aspects of poverty as soon as they left college. The same with his 2004 opponents - Dean instituted many programs in VT. Kerry was the sponsor for Youthbuild and did a lot of work on both healthcare and affordable housing, and of course a huge amount of work for veterans needing help. In fact, Edwards did THE LEAST of the viable candidates in both years.

[XemaSab]

62. Word

n/t

[inna]

15. Agreed. This is really bad.

What a blow to the movement, too. :( :(

[DJ13]

7. Well it DID get her out of poverty

(someone had to say it)

:hide:

[cornermouse]

8. Not even Elizabeth Hasselbeck was this gullible today.

[grantcart]

9. Ironically it will cost him more than 124,000 out of jail

[karynnj]

10. This is truly outrageous and sick

Now, I know he explained that his hedge fund job that paid him $500,000 for a practically no show job off as studying poverty, but this is using money to fund real work on poverty to take irrelevant videopods of him. I can see an argument for creating video to put on the web as part of a campaign - paid at market rates by the campaign - but how can this be defended?

I am really upset to hear this because if he is indicted the trial will be near the elections or still pending when the elections happen - making good fodder for Republicans wanting to say Democrats are corrupt - and in this case, I think they are right.

[DFLforever]

11. But the Dems have kicked him to the curb

...that should help.

[cali]

14. thankfully, he's been kicked to the curb

some of us were trying to do that years ago when we saw what a freakin' phony little fuck he was. I always knew he didn't give a rat's ass about poor people- except to use them politically. If he's prosecuted for this slimy shit, I sure won't be shedding any tears.

(And yeah, yeah, bushco should be prosecuted)

[karynnj]

42. What would you want them to do? Defend him?

He is absolutely indefensible. If he misused funds as suggested here, I would hope that not one Democrat suggests that that is ok. There is no reason that any of them should sacrifice one scintilla of their own reputation to defend him.

Not to mention - what official Democrat has said anything negative - most have been silent.

[DFLforever]

52. No. I was saying that should mitigate .

damage to the Dems.

Personally, I think he belongs in the ditch.

[karynnj]

70. Sorry - my misinterpretation

[apocalypsehow]

13. 'Hunter provided “rough footage and photographs,” - Leno's writing group just took the night off.

Appalling as all this is, what's even more appalling is how close this man came to being the Democratic nominee in 2008. Or even the VP nod - the Republicans would have had this story before the election (it broke in the mainstream media right after the conventions IIRC), and that would have been a disaster.

[1776Forever]

16. It is so true what you said, and so tragic to so many. Those who believed in him & his own family.

Makes one wonder how many more phonies are out there.

[apocalypsehow]

20. To my shame, I was not astute enough to see through the phony act and supported Edwards right up

until it became obvious that the primary was going to come down to Clinton or Obama. Then I switched my support to Obama. As an initial Edwards supporter I was flabbergasted by these revelations when they turned out to be true.

Definitely not one of my Higher-IQ moments, for sure. Hundreds of thousands of us were taken in. The real tragedy is what it's done to his family, for sure, not the resentment of some former supporter who got taken in. But still, it was an humbling experience realizing that I'm not quite as sharp as I thought it was when it comes to recognizing such phoniness.

[leeroysphitz]

25. Way to own it. Very classy.

(BTW I'm not being sarcastic(isn't it sad how I have to point that out?))

[Jennicut]

40. Con men are very good at what they do and Edwards was a phony but not

obvious about it. I liked him in 2004 but by 2008 was more interested in other candidates. He did this to a lot of voters out there that just wanted a good candidate to stand by and someone to believe in. It was not your fault. It was his.

[karynnj]

43. Take comfort in knowing that people like Senator Kennedy worked closely

with him (on Kennedy's patient bill of rights) and he thought highly of him.

[Forkboy]

50. We're all suckers for what we want to hear.

He was my second choice. I saw stuff I didn't like about him but fell for the populist stuff anyways. You're not alone.

[anigbrowl]

60. It takes guts for you (and others) to admit to being wrong

And as you say, he fooled a lot of people with his 'champion of the poor' image. It's really sad that his political success was based on exploiting people's better nature rather than greed or prejudice.

[Dorian Gray]

68. There is nothing low-IQ

about supporting him. You liked his message and trusted him. Like many, you found hope in his message, and that's nothing to be ashamed about. Only he and his mistress should feel shame about what they did.

[fishwax]

27. yep -- he put the party at risk

and the country, having to deal with a mccain administration :scared:

[Whisp]

17. geeze Johnny, who'd a thought you were that stupid.

good lord.
I'm starting to feel sorry for the pathetic idiot.

[nashville_brook]

18. i was a big Edwards supporter...not anymore.

[Raine]

39. So was I

now he makes me want to hurl! :puke:

edit: typo

[upi402]

19. Just another rich guy politician who needs to get sued

I want my money back. After Kucinich was shut out by Edwards and the rest, Edwards was the only one close to addressing urgent issues. I just wanted Obama and Hillary out for certain.

[NNN0LHI]

24. Sued? He probably will get prison over this

[timo]

59. i wish

but it will never happen, he is waaayyyy to connected and high up in the food chain for that, were it a commoner, they would get fried!!

[patrice]

21. Oh dear, what a sad disappointment John Edwards is. Really, I feel like an idiot for

believing that he cared.

[pecwae]

28. I hate admitting

that I actually once thought he'd make a decent POTUS. Absolutely snookered is how I feel.

[naaman fletcher]

30. Personally I thought it was pretty obvious he was a phony..

multi-millionaire trial lawyers with perfect hair and a perfect smile are rarely sincere, if ever.

[patrice]

32. Well, for me, it was also how he was positioned in the pack: Populist with Southern appeal.

The South is a problem and he seemed a step in the right direction and he at least came out ahead early on messaging about Economic Justice, which turns out to be fraud on his part, but at least the message would hav ebeen focused where I wanted it.

[naaman fletcher]

37. That's the problem with a good con..

It hits right at your heart.

[Dappleganger]

38. Seriously?

If this was a republican presidential candidate we'd be having him for BBQ already.

Screw that SOB, he fucking LIED to his supporters and would have (not could have but WOULD HAVE) set back the Democratic Party another two elections, at least.

[Forkboy]

51. I don't, and I'm still not sure he DIDN'T care.

Some failing rise above some positives. And he had one Hell of a big failing to rise above. I don't feel bad that I was wrong, I feel bad so much was on the line when doing so.

[marions ghost]

56. he was very convincing

and people want to believe in the positive. But when politicians do this it feels like betrayal of trust. We have nothing much to go on but an image and a bunch of rhetoric, after all.

I feel the same :pals:

[ChicagoSuz219]

22. If this is true...

...he should be in jail.

[Glimmer of Hope]

23. I would like my contributions back too. Someone told me he was a sleaze

back in '04 and didn't believe them. Boy was I duped.

[anigbrowl]

54. I'm beginning to wonder if this forms a basis for a class action lawsuit...

Given Edwards' legal background, it would be an amusing irony if that were the case.

[tritsofme]

29. Not surprised. Par for the course for hedge fund Johnny.

He will have plenty of time to learn about poverty from his cell.

[cali]

31. he'll get out of it. and he'll never be poor

[spanone]

33. how low can he go?

[FrenchieCat]

35. He was always low.......

I couldn't stand him and knew why.
I posted about his "poverty Center" and that it was a shell,
that his Hedge fund work was nothing but a fraud,
that his "so sorry" was timed to the "t",
that he totally flipped on all of his positions from 2004 to 2008,
and that he was using his wife's cancer to advance his career.

His eldest daughter graduated from law school last year,
and I was at that graduation (for my daughter),
and I saw him walking around playing with his hair,
and I said....Yuk!

[karynnj]

45. He does seem very obsessed with his hair

I wonder which he would fear more male pattern baldness or jail.

[FrenchieCat]

46. I barely looked his way.

Normally, I'd have told my husband and my parents....Hey, there's John Edwards,
but I didn't think the hubby would be that impressed, and of course, my parents
would have asked..."who?"

[karynnj]

47. LOL

By the way congratulations on your daughter's accomplishment. His daughter and the younger kids are really the people I feel very sorry for.

[FrenchieCat]

58. Thanks, and yes, true.........

And the sad part is that it ain't over yet. :(

You know they will be making a movie about this, right?
The Corporate media loves this story.

[karynnj]

69. In this case, the constant media might have oversaturated the interest here

Even in the good days for the Edwards, the media was far more interested than the people at large. The media was in love with them in 2003/2004 and again in 2005/2006 - until JRE turned into angry JRE rather than sunny JRE.

Now, we have all heard far more than we ever wanted to know.

But who knows, that same media fascination may lead them to have a movie. I know I will not watch it.

[Ocracoker16]

34. disgusting

[Arugula Latte]

36. I'm gonna puke. Can't believe I once supported that sad excuse for a man.

Ugh.

[undeterred]

41. For that they should have been able to produce at least one good sex video.

All he did was rob his supporters.

[anigbrowl]

55. Be careful what you ask for...

I don't feel too bad since I never felt drawn to his campaign, but this trainwreck seems like it might not have come to a complete halt yet.

[UTUSN]

48. What's REALLY pertinent is OUR Democratic VETTING or lack thereof. WHY did he get BY us HERE?!1 n/t

[unc70]

61. How well vetted were our other candidates? Any of them?

During the primaries, that was one of my concerns in general; that we we might have to wait until the general election when I fully expected the Repubs would do the vetting for us.

But I was wrong. For the first time in many decades, the RW attacks were not picked up by the MSM and the late-night comics and a major Dem candidate did not get labeled as a liar, as not who he claimed to be, as someone to make fun of. But still not vetted.

I am reminded of Sherlock Holmes and curious incident of the dog that didn't bark.

[cali]

66. people here would not listen to those of us who pointed out his record

and such things as his house, his work at Fortress and his lack of any work for poverty in his past as indications that he was a self-serving phony. In fact, people here reacted to such posts with fury and indignation.

[RB TexLa]

49. Did she produce the videos? What's the problem

[anigbrowl]

53. $1.5 million is the problem

Not very much appears to have been provided in return. As a video pro myself, I can say $1,000 a day would be a very reasonable rate of pay for a skilled producer; if you were employing other people (camera technicans, editors and so on) $10,000 a day might be reasonable budget for campaign commercials or other material produced to a high standard by an experienced team, including hire of equipment and so forth. However, there seems to be a distinct absence of high-quality product delivered in exchange for this large sum of money.

[RB TexLa]

57. That's why it's called funneling money. You can always claim, "oh well, looks like we overpaid."

[David Zephyr]

63. Gag me. I loathe this man. I really do.

Thanks for the story, cali.

[inna]

64. you may want to consider exploring other/less biased sources.

[karynnj]

72. At this point, there are no sources that show him in a good light

On this story, the question is was she given additional payment from the Foundation. As there is a direct quote from the defunct foundation it appears there is some foundation here - unless you want to accuse Newsweek's Isakoff with making up that quote.

[Regret My New Name]

65. So is he Edwards pretty much done for?

[karynnj]

71. In politics, yes

He also can't really return to his law practice and have the results he had before he quit, as his strongest skill was that he could make people believe him. That is now damaged. Would you want JRE as a lawyer, knowing that many might already have a negative view of him?

Now, Rielle says that his true role is as a humanitarian. Here, I don't think he could lead a foundation that raises money and does good work - like Clinton - and he does not have the resources to use his own foundation's money like Teresa Heinz Kerry or Bill and Melinda Gates. His Haiti efforts were treated negatively as JRE trying to redeem himself, but if he were to continue working without going to the cameras, he might be able to redeem himself to some degree.

[Dorian Gray]

67. I can't stand reading anything about him anymore

He showed his true colors ages ago, but they keep getting worse and worse.