Ex-candidate Edwards indicted

Former vice presidential nominee John Edwards was indicted yesterday on charges of violating federal election law for allegedly using nearly $1 million in illegal campaign donations to conceal an extramarital affair during his 2008 run for the Democratic presidential nomination.

In a brief statement to reporters yesterday afternoon, Edwards admitted that he has "done wrong" but denied breaking the law.

The former U.S. senator from North Carolina was charged in a six-count indictment with conspiring to receive the contributions from political donors and using them to hide his mistress, Rielle Hunter, and her pregnancy from the public so his campaign would not be damaged. Edwards lost the nomination to Barack Obama, then a senator from Illinois, and the affair's subsequent exposure destroyed Edwards's once-promising political career.

The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in North Carolina, says the illegal contributions paid for Hunter's living and medical expenses, along with travel needed to shield her from reporters. Prosecutors said this violated federal election laws that limit individual contributions to a campaign and require reporting of donations.

"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," said Lanny Breuer, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "Our campaign finance system is designed to preserve the integrity of democratic elections - for the presidency and all other elected offices - and we will vigorously pursue abuses of the kind alleged today."

Appearing before reporters outside U.S. District Court in Winston-Salem, N.C., yesterday afternoon after he was released on his own recognizance, Edwards said: "There's no question that I've done wrong, and I take full responsibility for having done wrong. And I will regret for the rest of my life the pain and the harm that I've caused to others. But I did not break the law, and I never, ever thought I was breaking the law."

He did not take questions from reporters. Standing behind him as he spoke was his eldest daughter, Cate Edwards, 29.

Although Edwards was not required to post bond, he was ordered by the court to surrender his passport and to stay in the continental United States. The judge also ordered him to have no contact with Rachel "Bunny" Mellon, a wealthy 100-year-old heiress who prosecutors said gave Edwards money that was used to conceal his extramarital affair.

Lawyers for Edwards indicated they will vigorously fight the charges. Edwards lawyer Gregory Craig last week strongly denied any illegal activity by Edwards and accused prosecutors of exaggerating the strength of the allegations.

"The Justice Department has wasted millions of dollars and thousands of hours on a matter more appropriately a topic for the Federal Election Commission to consider, not a criminal court," Craig wrote.

In response to the indictment, Craig said yesterday that Edwards "will tell the court he is innocent of all charges, and will plead not guilty." He denied that Edwards broke the law and said he "will mount a vigorous defense."

Speaking to reporters later outside the Winston-Salem courthouse, Craig said: "No one has ever been charged, either civilly or criminally, with the claims that have been brought against Senator Edwards today. This is an unprecedented prosecution."

Craig added: "No one would have known, or should have known, or could have been expected to know, that these payments would be treated or should be considered as campaign contributions. And there was no way Senator Edwards knew that fact either."

The Edwards legal team yesterday also released statements from his 2008 campaign counsel and a former Federal Election Commission chairman disputing the charges. (next page »)