Reuters: Politics: Government wraps up case against former Senator Edwards

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Government wraps up case against former Senator Edwards May 10th 2012, 20:52 Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Ex-Senator Edwards' wife wanted mistress gone: witness Wed, May 9 2012 Ex-Senator Edwards knew donor supported mistress, witness says Tue, May 8 2012 North Carolina voters look set to pass same-sex marriage ban Tue, May 8 2012 Heiress money for Edwards wasn't political: government witness Mon, May 7 2012 Edwards acknowledged secret payments "for his benefit": heiress's lawyer Fri, May 4 2012 Analysis & Opinion In Gupta case, new filings crystallize prosecution's challenge What happened to 'Yes we can'? Former U.S. Senator John Edwards, 58, walks to the federal courthouse in Greensboro, N.C., May 7, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Davis Turner By Colleen Jenkins GREENSBORO, North Carolina | Thu May 10, 2012 4:52pm EDT GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) - Prosecutors rested their case against former Senator John Edwards on Thursday after presenting nearly three weeks of evidence and two dozen witnesses in an effort to prove he violated federal election laws during his 2008 presidential bid. The government's case ended in dramatic fashion. Prosecutors played a video of a national TV interview Edwards gave in August 2008, during which the married politician said he wanted to tell the truth about his affair with videographer Rielle Hunter. But Edwards lied to Nightline reporter Bob Woodruff, denying paternity of a child he later admitted having fathered with Hunter. The former North Carolina senator said he knew nothing about money having been used to hide his mistress as he was seeking the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination - the same stance he has maintained during his trial on campaign finance charges. "Nothing has been done at my request," he told Woodruff in the interview. "I had nothing to do with any money being paid." The government accuses Edwards, 58, of soliciting more than $900,000 in illegal campaign contributions from two wealthy supporters in an effort to conceal his pregnant mistress from voters. Prosecutors say the candidate knew his bid for the presidency would be doomed if the affair was exposed. Edwards' defense says he did not seek the money. The supporters' payments were meant to shield the affair from his cancer-stricken wife, Elizabeth, not to influence the election, his lawyers argue. (Reporting By Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Xavier Briand) Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above.

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