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Subscribe to RSSDuring another emotional day at the John Edwards trial, Edwards' former press secretary recounted how Elizabeth Edwards angrily confronted a donor who was helping Rielle Hunter. NBC's Lisa Myers reports.
Updated at 6:40 p.m. ET: President Barack Obama's deputy communications director testified Wednesday that she knew former Sen. John Edwards was lying about his affair when she served as his presidential campaign spokeswoman.
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Lisa Myers, Michael Austin and Stacey Klein of NBC News and Ben Thompson of NBC station WCNC of Charlotte, N.C., contributed to this report by M. Alex Johnson of msnbc.com. Follow M. Alex Johnson on Twitter and Facebook. |
The aide, Jennifer Palmieri, told jurors that she intentionally scheduled Edwards' interview with ABC News in August 2008 during the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympic Games to limit the potential audience for what she feared would be Edwards' intentional misstatements.
Palmieri's testimony — a rare appearance by a sitting White House official in a criminal trial — came on the 13th day of Edwards' trial in U.S. District Court in Greensboro, N.C., where he is charged with six felony counts of accepting about $1 million in illegal and unreported campaign donations from two wealthy supporters.
Palmieri related a heated exchange in an Iowa hotel room in 2007 during which Edwards' wife, Elizabeth, confronted the campaign's finance chairman, the late Fred Baron, over his payments to Edwards' mistress, Rielle Hunter. Baron and billionaire heiress Rachel "Bunny" Mellon, spent about $1 million to help Edwards cover up his affair.
Palmieri said "Elizabeth was very upset" when she learned that Baron and his wife, Lisa Blue, were in contact with Hunter. Blue had even taken Hunter to Los Angeles on a shopping trip.
Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards has faced public and private challenges throughout his life and career.
Elizabeth Edwards was worried that spending time and money on Hunter "makes John look even more guilty."
"Lisa was saying 'you gotta hold your friends close and your enemies even closer,'" Palmieri said, and that "Rielle was a loose cannon" who might go to the press.
"It was a very emotional scene," she said.
Palmieri broke down in tears on the stand recounting the death in December 2010 of Elizabeth Edwards, her close friend. She recalled that when the Edwardses split, Elizabeth Edwards was worried that when she died, there would be no man there to love her.
John Edwards was at his wife's side when she died and was in court to hear Palmieri's emotional story. But his daughter, Cate, had left the courthouse.
Prosecutors were nearing the end of their witness list and could wrap up their case as early as Thursday. so far, they have given no indication that they intend to call Hunter to testify.
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I frankly do not understand the zeal with which the government is pursuing John Edwards. I happen to believe most of these politicians are doing whatever they can get away with regarding money. They are wheeling and dealing while pretending to be performing on behalf of Americans. We all know they are egomaniacal, egotistical, self-serving, self-absorbed twits with no one's interest at heart other than their own. Edwards made a mistake. The billionaires tried to help shield him and his dying wife from public scandal. Let it go. The government should use its time and resources for more pressing and vital needs of Americans. Leave the Edwards matter alone. It's a hunt by Republicans. A witch hunt. They want to misdirect our attention from the real matters they are clueless about and don't want to tackle. They are ruthless and vengeful individuals wasting all this money and time going after a guy who made a mistake and was helped by people with more money than they know what to do with. They evidently care about Edwards. I'm sick of these Issa-like pursuits. They are sickening and misguided.
While I agree with many of your points, I don't think you can minimize Edwards' conduct by calling it simply a mistake that needs to be let go. I don't think he'll be found guilty of using campaign funds for his mistress, but what he engaged in was a huge fraud from the voters point of view. I can't figure out what the heck h & his wife were thinking.
This is all really tawdry stuff. People who knew him could clearly see this guy wasn't equipped to be president, yet they said nothing, participating in the Great Fraudulent Campaign. It's disappointing.
The money to cover up his mistress is inexcusable and those who paid and covered it up while he ran for President are disgusting. Buy a President is basically what it comes down to. Everyone knew and didn't say anything. Rielle Hunter is just dispicable - she had a biological clock and an opprotunity to get a man in power. I hope the two of them are happy for what they did to Edwards wife and children.
The government went after Tom Delay for the same thing, even though Delay did not pork a bimbo while his wife was dying. For a bunch of reasons, there are very specific rules regarding campaign contributions. Most of these laws were passed by dems unhappy about what they perceived as money buying elections. Some of these were a result of Nixon, some much more recent.
If you are going to have contribution laws, you have to enforce them, even if it means ensnaring a charming, good looking evil democrat.
Sorry, no more free passes for these guys, especially one that was almost VP... Throw the book at him if found guilty.
Tom Delay was convicted of Money laundering, not using campaign funds for personal use. And, it was the state of Texas that convicted him.
well, on the bright side, it was a woman.
The money deal was bad enough but to do it when he did it was awful.............
Oh that's right, when democrats do slimy stuff, we should all just look the other way, ignore it.
Do you realize how little media coverage this is getting in relation to the scope of the importance of it, meaning this guy was incredibly close to being the VP of the USA??
Do you see the word "Democrat" mentioned in the article? He's just referred to as "former Sen. John Edwards".
Also, no where is John Kerry ever mentioned. We wouldn't want to highlight the fact that he picked this SLIMEBAG as his VP running mate!
Typical leftie hypocrite. Look how the press annihilated Sarah Palin. She didn't cheat on her dying husband, and try to cover it up by having an aid lie for her. Her only crime was giving a bad interview or two, and not being the smartest person on worldly events. One more example of the left leaning press and the double standard.
Kerry/Edwards ran in 2004. So what does that have to do with Edwards in 2008? You act as if only Democrats do slimy stuff, but the Republicans are just as bad, just ask Newt Gingrich and John McCain about leaving sick and dying wives. Edwards political party is not the issue, but whether or not he took illegal campaign funds. I could come back at you with "typical rightie hypocrite". Oh, I just did!
The simple fact is Edwards (and the democrats) are getting soft coverage in the media. Compare it to what Herman Cain went thru.... a firestorm of outrage! If Edwards were a Republican this would be a major story...! That's a fact!
Edwards is a well known Democratic politician. It is not needed to mention that he is one. And Free Market, putting "that's a fact" on the end of an opinion, does not make it a fact.
Also, Cain was currently running for President, when his scandal broke. Edwards was not. Everyone knows what a scum Edwards is and his political career is over.
@ FreeMArketfag
This is a major story, what are you talking about? Are you doing drugs?
Waddell You are mis-guided. This guy was running for president of the United States. What if he had won? The scandalous affair would be a huge embarassment to the country.
Further, if the characteriszation that you make about 'all of the politicians' is as you say, then we owe it to ourselves to 'out' them. Who knows, maybe it will serve to curtail their behavior?
It's beginning to look like this snake is getting boxed in, e.g.Evidence/testimony is building aginst his arguments. He is a slippery dude who wil try to exploit any crack in the prosecution.
I,for one, hope he gets the maximum jail sentence!
Obama's people seemed to know about the affair but said nothing and allowed the American public to be fools?
Why would I ever trust this Obama?
It's not just this - The only thing he did that he said he would is overturn Don't Ask Don't Tell, of course we should have done that 20 years ago when Canada, and most of the world did. But other than that - debt is higher under his admin., health care - god only knows what the Supreme Court is going to do with that, His change is still over 8% unemployment and the worst housing market since the depression. This isn't the change I was hoping for.
Been There, the reason we have "the worst housing market since the depression" and over 8% unemployment were all due to policies of the prior administration.
Obama's people? She was working for Edwards at the time.
What astounds me is a article about a man running for VP who flat out lied. some seem to think it is ok.
I do not think it is OK, nor for the one currently in office...
Now it turns into a George Busch they did it thing.
FACT: Glass Stengal act repealed under Bill Clinton Adminidtrsation.. Do fact check on it
Fact Busch tried to get Fanny and Fredie fix, denied and blocked by Democrats; Do fact check on it.
This allowed banks and Freddie and Mac to bundle garbage to re sale as AAA.
Now Obama was a street organizer with Acorn. They tought people how to get no doc loans; the same type loans that were being bundeled as AAA for sale on world markets.
The game was; if we do not get a no doc loan we go to the Federal Govt, Black mail.
Then Barney Frank writes laws for Banks ands Wall Street. The same Guy who led the charge to block Busch from exposing it. Do fact check on it.
Bull S, re enact the Glass stengal act it was put there because of the problems we now have with banking and investing.. It was written because of the big Crash in the 20; ies. It closed those loop holes now they are open again because Frank does not go far enough. Franks needs to be tried in court right along with some others.
This is a tough one... first of all, jw101, I know everyone on the right wants to connect Obama to anything and everything they don't like. Pay attention now... Obama ran against John Edwards not with him. He hired a communications person who was well qualified and she is now doing her duty by testifying about what she saw when she worked for Edwards. I bet you liked Scooter Libey didn't you?
Waddell, of course the government needs to prosecute. Chuck Case is right, we need to call these slim balls out on things... republican or democrat. Is it our business if someone cheats on their spouse.. not at all. But using campaign money? We have to have some rules, and its bad enough PAC money is being used the way it is, lets go after anyone that we can on distorting the use of these funds.
JGB... come on. Remember Ken Starr? I don't think Democrats have gotten anymore free passes than Republicans. Bill got caught getting his nob polished in the oval, and so it turned into an impeachable situation because he lied about it. I don't recall the media ignoring that story.
Frankly, I think what he did was horrible and I wish they would determine if a law was broken and then punish him appropriately. Not sure 30 years is appropriate given he'd get less time if he raped someone. But no matter what, he will have to live the rest of his life with his children knowing what he did to their mother. You don't heal those wounds in 30 years. He'll serve his time... trust me.
Jay... Well said. It astounds me how a simple article can become political in the time it takes to make a post. And it goes completely off course after that.
Agreed... this was a family tragedy and a human failing... politics had nothing to do with it, other than being the context under which the human who was failing felt the need to lie and coverup. Thanks for making the point about Newt and John M. Not exactly stellar humans themselves when it comes to personal lives.... but memory can be short term can't it?
Jay,
If politics have nothing to do with it, why do you bring up two politicians from the different party? Better stated would be "politics, mine excluded have nothing to do with it, other...
Good day.
Maybe a valid point there... however, I stand by my point that what Edwards did and what the courts are doing about it should have NOTHING to do with politics. This blog, however... becomes political when people on the far right or the far left try to turn it into such. I am a progressive Democrat... shocking isn't it? But when I hear all the self righteous rantings on either side of the spectrum, it gets my blood pressure going. You better believe when someone tries to tie Obama to something sordid like this, I'm going to get defensive and political. He has shown himself to be nothing other than a decent family oriented leader... like his policies or not.... and when people who you know damn well would support Newt or John M over him, try to liken him in any sort of way to John Edwards they are just plain stupid. Both of those men had failures of fidelity nearly as bad as those of John Edwards. So... I'm a hypocrite and I will defend my President, and in fact in a case like this would have likewise defended George Bush, and Ronald Reagan... both dedicated family men. Whew... glad I got that off my chest!
There should not be one penny of tax dollars spent on this tawdry affair. Why is this even in Court as the end result will result in nothing.