Former North Carolina senator John Edwards was charged Friday with illegally using campaign funds to cover up his extramarital affair and love child with former mistress Rielle Hunter. A federal grand jury indicted Edwards, 57, on six counts, including four counts of illegal contributions, one count of conspiracy and one count of making false statements.
"As this indictment shows, we will not permit candidates for high office to abuse their special ability to access the coffers of their political supporters to circumvent our election laws," Assistant U.S. Attorney General Lanny Breuer said in a statement.
Edwards is accused of paying out more than $900,000 to Hunter and former aide Andrew Young to hide the affair while he was running in the 2008 presidential election. The politician later came clean about the affair and child. His admission of guilt ultimately ruined his political career and marriage to late wife Elizabeth Edwards. Elizabeth died in December 2010 after a 6 year battle with cancer.
Edwards plans to fight the charges. “John Edwards will tell the court he is innocent of all charges, and will plead not guilty,” Edwards’ lead attorney, Gregory Craig, said Friday. “He did not break the law and will mount a vigorous defense."
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