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Subscribe to RSSThe jury delivered a unanimous verdict on one of the six felony counts and found Edwards not guilty of receiving illegal campaign contributions from heiress Rachel 'Bunny' Mellon. The judge declared a mistrial on the five other counts. Edwards later told reporters that he knew he had not done anything illegal but that he was accountable for his behavior. NBC's Lisa Myers reports.
Updated at 4:34 p.m. ET -- Capping a day of dramatic turnarounds, the jury in the campaign finance trial of former presidential candidate John Edwards found him not guilty on Thursday on one count of accepting illegal campaign contributions and said it was deadlocked on the remaining five charges.
U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles then declared a mistrial on the remaining charges. It was not immediately clear if prosecutors intend to seek a retrial on those charges.
In a statement outside the federal courthouse in Greensboro, N.C., Edwards acknowledged that he had behaved poorly, but said he had not acted illegally.
Read Thursday's court transcript
“I want to make sure that everyone hears from me … that while I don’t believe I did anything illegal, I did an awful, awful lot that was wrong and there is no one else responsible for my sins,” said Edwards, who did not testify at the trial and took no questions.
The count on which the jury reached a "not guilty" verdict involved contributions from Edwards' contributor Rachel "Bunny" Mellon.
NBC station WNCN of Raleigh, N.C., reported that when the decision came, Edwards closed his eyes, rubbed his face and smiled at his daughter, Cate. He then hugged his daughter and his elderly parents while whispering to them, "I told you this would be OK," WCNC reported. Earlier, the jury of eight men and four women told Eagles that it had reached a verdict on all six felony accounts against Edwards. But after the jury returned to the courtroom, the foreperson stated that jurors had reached a unanimous decision on only one count. Eagles then sent them back to the jury room to resume deliberations.
The charges against Edwards, 58, arose while he was in the midst of the 2008 race for the Democratic presidential nomination, and were focused on about $1 million in donations from two wealthy donors, Fred Baron and Mellon, a billionnaire banking heiress. The money was used to support and hide Edwards' pregnant mistress, Rielle Hunter.
NBC News' Gabe Gutierrez reports on John Edwards' campaign finance trial after the jury found him not guilty on one count. The judge declared a mistrial on the remaining five counts. NBC News' Pete Williams, Savannah Guthrie and former prosecutor John Q. Kelly provide analysis on the case.
Prosecutors argued that the money amounted to illegal and unreported campaign contributions at a time when federal donations were capped at $2,300; the defense said the money was a "gift" intended to allow Edwards to hide the affair from his ailing wife, Elizabeth, and the public. Elizabeth Edwards, who had previously been diagnosed with breast cancer, separated from John Edwards in early 2010 and died later that year.
If found guilty of all six counts, Edwards could have faced up to 30 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine. Each individual count carries a maximum sentence of 5 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
- Full trial coverage on msnbc.com
- Full transcripts of closing arguments
- Analysis by Hampton Dellinger
Attorneys for Edwards, a former U.S. senator from North Carolina and the 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee, and prosecutors alike painted him as a liar and a bad husband. Where they differed was whether the scheme to hide his affair amounted to a crime.
The jurors were charged with deciding if Edwards "knowingly and willfully" violated a 1971 campaign finance law by orchestrating the scheme to support and hide Hunter.
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Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards has faced public and private challenges throughout his life and career.
Prosecutors alleged in their closing arguments that Edwards manipulated the campaign finance system to conceal the affair with Hunter, a videographer on his 2008 presidential campaign staff.
He "clearly knew the law and decided to violate it in order to salvage his campaign," Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Higdon said, accusing Edwards of cynically seeking to "keep her quiet" until the election was over "and his wife (had) passed away."
Lead defense attorney Abbe Lowell admitted in his closing arguments that Edwards had committed many "moral wrongs," but he insisted that none of the misdeeds was "a legal one."
"John's conduct is shameful, but it's human," Lowell told the jury.
Letters and other notes from Mellon appeared to be crucial to the jurors' deliberations — from their first day of discussions, they requested a stream of exhibits related to the nearly $750,000 she contributed.
Mellon, who is 101 years old, didn't testify during the trial, but her attorney and financial adviser, Alex Forger, offered extensive testimony that Mellon knew that her donations were intended to fund the "Hunter problem" and weren't given as campaign contributions.
A possible turning point came in mid-May, when Judge Eagles barred most of the defense's planned testimony from current and former members of the Federal Election Commission about a federal audit that concluded that the money didn't amount to campaign contributions subject to federal regulation.
Eagles ruled that evidence about the FEC audit was inadmissible because it couldn't be determined exactly what the commission knew or was told at the time.
NBC's Savannah Guthrie examines how the legal terrain of political campaigns has changed since John Edwards ran for president in 2008.
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Remember folks. there is two kinds of justice in America. Rich people get justice while middle class get law and order. What a fare system, RIGHT? Now which justice do you think the courts will bestow on a very rich lawyer??
What a joke, they want to convict him on petty campaign fraud, yet now a days corporate greed mongers can throw billions into the pot to buy elections and suppress the vote and crash the economy and get bail outs from hard working tax payers, yet no one is after their anti-American corrupted asses. What a sorry, discusting state of affairs this country's election laws have come to thanks to the teabaggers and the bigots.
Yeah Jeff, Liberals are angels right? Unions and Corporate greed mongers as you called them are only to the right of the aisle. Wake up Dude...the corruption is all over. Edwards is a liberal but his actions are ok right? No morals..no accountability.
John Edwards reminds me of Bill Clinton.
Bill Clinton is a Dog he didn't do anything but hurt his family and himself, cheating on your spouse is not a crime, and Hillary stood by him.... that's her business.
John Edwards on the other hand is a Dog, he had a sick wife, and he was lying to America and still trying to run for office. The people that helped him are just a Low as he is to try and pull something like that off.
Dem or Repub it doesn't make any difference, look at Newt he was cheating on his wife with the one he has now.
I find it funny that the liberals are crying foul when you catch an adulterer Democrat illegally using money to fund his play thing and bastard child. If there was not probable cause to try this case as some of the socialist here are claiming the grand jury would not have approved it. One thing the liberals don't tell you about this rat bastard is he lied to America, his wife, his children and everyone involved in this. This is the true moral character of Democrats politicians like this guy and Clinton. They tell America that telling the adulterer lie is OK. What outstanding examples of character and leadership they provide for out youth.
The liberal socialist rat bastards have given America a taste of change and America is ready to throw up.
No wonder USA is the all time prison capital of the world when a dude can get 30 years for some technicality. Not guilty next case.
Man!! I can't believe the judgemental crud that for the most part, you are putting out. Get called for jury duty often?
If edwards is found guilty he will go to a country club prison and probably get on the work release program where the only time you spend in jail is from 6pm-7am and the rest of the time he will be committing more corrupt political acts with other DC politicians.
we need to bring back hard manual labor for all prisoners, breaking big rocks into grains of sand with a 2lb hammer daily as part of their punishment.
Just another Politician getting busted. It seems like, this is all we hear about, crooked Politicians getting caught doing something wrong. What else is new. Of, course, don't count on Edwards being guilty of doing anything wrong. they have good lawyers who can really twist the law around in their favor. so, we'll see what happens. To me, Edwards did nothing wrong. it was just nosy people starting something they shouldn't have known in the first place.
Yup, I'd let him walk. I get real tired of people saying the hunter lady is a tramp. Plenty of us out here that do things we either regret or think about all the time particularly when we get caught.
Another crooked Demosplat
I just discovered one thing Barack Obama has done right.
He didn't select Edwards as his VP candidate.
angry mom wow what are you the moral voice of the south every one should mind there own bisness and keep your morals to your self
Using the powerful siren song of sex tawdry women have entrapped men into marriage since time began. Men, high and low succumb. Edwards is certainly most guilty of stupidity. He was going for the most high profile of jobs in politics, yet cheated on a wife who was dying. Wow! And....he was caught by the dying wife and the world. Double Wow!
Guilty of a 'crime' punishable by law and a jury? No.
Guilty of being the biggest cad in at least a century? YES!
Let him live out his life without friends and being avoided by the public. In his loneliness he can long for the life that could have been but will not be, due to his unforgivable personal behavior.
Definately a good attorney, look at what he has....just can't cheat good.
Another liberal piece of crap!!! Uh, no wait... Newt Gingrich cheated on his sick wife and stole money... okay, okay... another conservative piece of crap. Uh, hold it, Anthony Weiner was a liberal and he was sending pics of his dick to girls he never met and lied about it and... damn liberals... wait, wait... that toad from Nevada (conservative) was screwing his best friends and #1 aide's wife during the campaign and denied it... how about that Minnesota Senator playing footsies trying to hook up for a gay quickie (liberal bastard!) in the airport... but then there was the conservative governor of South Carolina on state business on the Appalachian Trail in Brazil with his mistress... Bill Clinton was messing with an intern and lying about it and gets impeached (liberal) Richard Nixon lies to the world and has to resign (conservative)...
WHOA FOOKIN' NELLIE. You're both right... they're ALL scumbags!!! Hey, don't forget about all them PACS and PARTY CAMPAIGNS and all the money they're spending to buy your vote... make sure you use it.
Oh I am totall awake and on to all the BS. Typical, because of the big bucks, this is nothing more then railroading of petty theives so to speak of, and letting the Felons off.
This stupid sumbitch wouldn't want me on that jury---I'd hang his worthless a$$ as high as possible.
The hang part be right, I'd let him go so we'd be hung if I was on the jury with you.
When they fall they fall hard
Holy Crap! These are the jurors that are being trusted to make the best judicial decision? They had no clue that they had 5 other counts they had to reach a verdict on? They were probably too busy working on a future payoff from Edwards and his cronies for finding him not guilty. What a complete joke - just like Edwards.
this fag screwed around on his wife...which is no big deal??
...but then he was using taxpayers $ to cover it up..
seriously??
i hope the fuker goes prison and gets free sex his whole life :)
Okay people, get off of your holier than thou soap boxes, the man is a politician, of course he is going to try to hide who and what he really is. He is a POLICTIAN, AND LAWYER, so therefore it is in his genetic coding to lie. Also please do not get on the "Poor, poor Elizabeth" or his "poor dying wife" band wagon. After all of the years that they were married, she knew her husband, better than anyone. I don't think she was surprised by the affair, I would be willing to bet that Hunter was not the first, and her child is probably not the first "love child" that he has had. However that being said, in my opinion he did not break any laws, this is just people trying to punish him for his indiscretions being discovered. After all of the brouhaha over Republicans and their misdeeds, they had to make an example out of Edwards. Oh and by the way I did not like the man from the beginning, I am a libertarian
Doh.... did he knowingly accept funds into his campaign fund, then use for something else. Now isnt that simple? Forget the scumbag he is by cheating on wife, $400.00 haircuts etc. None of that should figure into this. He broke the law when he used funds for something other than campaign. I dont care if he used campaign to hide expenses from wife or whatever. fact is he used campaigns for something other than what fund was set up and classified for. There is also conspiracy with Mrs. Hunter`s representitive stating she wanted money used to cover up a personal matter and she should be charged as well.
He's a class A jerk, but I don't think he's a criminal. Adulterer, yes. Criminal, no. I believe that there is a special place in hell for him, Gingrich, Clinton, and all the other powerful (or not so powerful) men who are adulterers.
He be a democrat so NOT GUILTY. If it were a Repuglican it would be guilty and would be put away for a hunnert years. That only be fair.
guilty
Scariest thing is John Edwards looks exactly like Jack from Young & the Restless.....who would also pull a stunt like this. Anyone thinking "how does he know about Y&R", screw you. Quality time w/ my lady.
hell yeah.
i would fuk him hard.
They could only reach a verdict on one count by the judge ordering them back they will probably find him not guilty so they can go home, and to their graduations.
He's should be glad that being a scumbag isn't a crime. I know I am.