John Edwards' Two Americas:
The Fat Cats and Bundlers Who Got their Money Refunded;
The Working Stiffs Who Stayed in the Dark
* The John Edwards' campaign has already refunded $3,831,398 to contributors--many who contributed the maximum of $2300.
* 2,247 donors have already received money back from the John Edwards--many who are trial attorneys and political "bundlers"--and most received it back on March 24.
* Refunds to small donors under $100 have accounted for only 1/5th of one percent, so far, according to Open Secrets.com.
* The Edwards campaign still has $4,791,200 cash on hand, according to its July 31, 2008 filing.
* There are no instructions on the Edwards' campaign website for applying for a refund, though the campaign is still taking donations on the same site. It may be that refunds will be issued on a "first come, first serve" basis, but that is speculation. More on the refund process in a DBKP story to be published later Monday.
For any readers who gave money to the John Edwards' campaign and are now upset that perhaps that hard-earned $50 or $100 (or more) went to pay for Rielle Hunter's stay in the tony Governor's Club or Andrew Young's BWM that Hunter drove for awhile, there's hope yet to recover that money.
While searching for info on another John Edwards' story, DBKP's LBG uncovered something previously unreported in the media: the Edwards' campaign made a number of refunds to campaign contributors on March 24. Most were large contributors--trial attorneys and political contribution bundlers--and many received $2300, or more, back from the Edwards' campaign. Many not only received refunds themselves, but members of their families who had contributed also received checks from the campaign in March.
For a candidate that ran on a "Two Americas" theme, when it came time for refunds, only One America got campaign refund checks, while the other America was kept in the dark.
Until now.
Warren Buffet told CNBC last week: "I've seen a lot of class-action suits with less to it than this particular case. The facts are clear. I mean, he [John Edwards] solicited money and he wasn't telling the truth to the people he was soliciting it from."
Buffet was talking class action, but DBKP has learned that the Edwards' campaign has refunded $3,831,398--the bulk of it back on March 24, when the campaign quietly issued refunds to the vast majority of the 2,247 who've received their money back.
Many of those receiving refunds were big trial attorneys and bundlers--those political money men/women who round up boatloads of cash for a candidate's campaign.
One such bundler was Atlanta attorney, Stephen Leeds. He received $2300 back on March 24. Apparently, at least one of the contributors, who gave Leeds $750 of her money for Edwards, has not.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in a story Sunday of one such former Edwards' backer who wants her money back.
“That’s money I could have put in my children’s college fund,” state Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield (D-Atlanta) said of her contributions to Edwards.
Stuckey said she donated a total of $750 to Edwards and has contacted former Edwards backer Stephen Leeds trying to find out how to get a refund.
Leeds, an Atlanta attorney, has been an Edwards supporter since 2002 and was considered Edwards’ point man in metro Atlanta. Leeds said he now backs presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama and has no idea if there is any money in Edwards’ campaign coffers to return to disgruntled former supporters. He said he has not talked with Edwards since the scandal broke.
“John ended up dishonoring an awful lot of people in this process, from his family to a lot of his supporters,” said Leeds, who gave Edwards $2,300 for his primary run and $2,300 for the general election.
The Journal-Constitution reported that Leeds stated, "Any general fund campaign contributions will be returned to donors because he [Edwards] is not running in November".
Leeds should be able to help Benfield get her money back: Leeds received $2300 back from the campaign in March, according to Open Secrets.com.
Lee Stranahan predicted last week, in a Huffington Post article, that Democrats might want their money back from Edwards:
Some Democrats Will Want Their Money Back : It's already becoming something people are talking about informally but it's just a matter of time before lawsuits start because it's becoming clear that Edwards used campaign money to take his girlfriend on the road with him. Times are hard and this could become a new and innovative economic stimulus plan for Democrats.
Again, for the first lucky applicants, no lawsuits are necessary: just be at the front of the line and be the first on your block to get your John Edwards' stimulus check!
At least that's the speculation until later today, when a few experts in the field will give their views in a yet-to-be-published DBKP article.
More from Warren Buffett on the class-action matter:
CNBC: Did you ever give money to John Edwards along the way?
BUFFETT: No, I didn't--I didn't give money to John Edwards. And, in fact, I think if I'd given money to him, I'd probably be asking for it back now. It's an interesting situation because John Edwards essentially was soliciting money from people to further his ambitions for the presidency, and, you know, people sent him 50, $100, $200, and I would say that they sent it in while they were being misled by the person who was soliciting the money from them. And, you know, I think if I were Edwards, I might give up a haircut or two and refund at least, you know, the people that gave the 50 or $100, $200 items, because they-- if they had known the facts, they wouldn't have sent him the money, and he is the guy that didn't give them the facts. I mean, he knew that, in effect, he wouldn't be elected president. I mean, the story was out there during the campaign. He denied it, but it was out there. And, in fact, I've never heard of it, but it might be kind of interesting if somebody, some contributor, would bring a class-action suit on behalf of all these people who essentially were led to send money to a man under totally false circumstances, false pretenses, and where he knew it and didn't tell them the truth.
Mickey Kaus commented on the Buffett class-action idea:
Heh! ... I would think this would be a difficult precedent to contain--can donors sue McCain because he didn't, in fact, get "the message" from the defeat of his immigration semi-amnesty bill--and he knew it? Maybe businesses have to live with this sort of uncertain class-action threat when they dissemble. Politicians will never stand for it.
But again, why go the legal route--that seems more make-work for the bundler-types, many who've already received their refund checks--when you can apply to the Edwards campaign directly for your money back?
Time may be of the essence here: the campaign reported $4,791,200 cash on hand in its July 31 filing. Because there is no information on the Edwards' campaign website about a refund process--but one whole page dedicated to collecting donations is still active--contacting the campaign would seem to be a must.
And, "first come, first served" might be something for disgruntled Edwards' contributors to keep in mind. DBKP is still probing the matter and will have more on the process, as well as a story on who received their cash back in March, only seven weeks after the former NC senator called it quits.
One such contributor left a comment on one of our Edwards' stories just last week. Identified only as "emma", the comment may ring a bell with some former Edwards' contributors:
"...and i gave $500 to his campaign which went to pay for his whore’s meals! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!"
But, there may be hope yet for emma.
She may not be a big campaign cash bundler--42% of all Edwards' bundlers received refunds so far, most on March 24--but 125 contributors who gave under $100 have gotten refunds back from the Edwards' campaign thus far.
In a story to be published later today, more facts about the March refunds:
* Who got their money back early?
Fred Baron was one, ex-NBA player Eric Montross--who rented his Governor's Club house to Andrew Young for awhile--was another. Many trial lawyers, such as John O'Quinn, William Lerach and Thomas Girardi, were in on the Edwards' early refund program.
* Who in Hollywood got back money already from the campaign?
* What small contributors--who earned big bucks--have already gotten their money back?
Also, later today: How to apply for refunds.
As J.G. Wentworth says in his TV commercials, "It's your money."
by Mondoreb
notes: LBG
images:
New sox
Confessions of a Wannabe Adman
Hiphop Republican
John Edwards, Rielle Hunter, Andrew Young, Fred Baron:
"They're all still hiding, but they're hiding in plain sight. We can see them! Don't they know we can all see them hiding?"
--DBKP's LBG on the continued subterfuge in the John Edwards Scandal
Why is everyone in the John Edwards' scandal still hiding?
As LBG emailed recently, "They're all still hiding, but they're hiding in plain sight. We can see them! Don't they know we can all see them hiding?"
In what's likely to be the last story, before the National Enquirer publishs more baby pix to nail John Edwards' confessional lies to the barn door, a few observations and questions about the "99% honest" man:
*** Rielle Hunter continues to be jetted around the country, in an attempt to be kept out of sight of a suddenly-awakened MSM.
Why?
After the Edwards PR appearance on ABC's Nighline on August 8, the Enquirer released this information a week afterwards:
And now The ENQUIRER has uncovered that Edwards' political operatives are still paying his mistress Rielle Hunter - and she was whisked away on a private jet two days before he confessed their extramarital affair on national TV!
Again, we ask, "Why?"
Are these the actions of a "99% man"? Perhaps Edwards, who offered gallantly to submit to a paternity test, doesn't know anything about this? Perhaps it is just the actions of Edwards' finance chair, the equally-gallant Fred Baron?
The Enquirer's latest print edition reported, however, that "Trapped like a rat, John Edwards spoke those soothing words to his mistress Rielle Hunter after admitting to their illicit affair." The "soothing words Edwards spoke?
"Of course, I still love you. Don't worry, we'll get through this."
This was not widely--if at all--reported in a MSM that is now chasing the Enquirer's leads in the story after building an impressive wall of silence for months. Perhaps the MSM still handles the Enquirer's leads like days-old garbage?
The Enquirer is good enough to investigate the story, report the story, stay with the story for months and continues to be light-years ahead of the MSM in the quest for the "truth".
Big Media can now report the story of John Edwards, Fred Baron, Rielle Hunter, Andrew Young and details of the cover-up, not because the story was under their noses for the better part of a year: but because John Edwards gave them permission to investigate and report it when he went on ABC's Nightline August 8 and admitted his affair. BM (Big Media, though other, more earthy thoughts are brought to mind by the initials) will be taking its investigative marching orders from the National Enquirer for a while yet.
And likely seething the entire time.
*** John Edwards and Fred Baron's statements belie their actions. If the affair was over and John Edwards is not the father, then why are all the principals in the matter still acting like they have something to hide?
Andrew Young, the man who fell halfway on his sword for Edwards--he claimed in December he was the father, but didn't put his name on the birth certificate--has scooted back to North Carolina with his family.
Why doesn't Andrew Young issue another statement declaring his paternity of Frances Quinn Hunter? That wouldn't settle any questions, just as his December statement failed to settle any--except for decidedly un-curious MSM editors and reporters, most notably, CBS's Bob Scheiffer.
Scheiffer was rewarded for his infamously un-curious nature by getting a phone call from John Edwards shortly after his statement was released for the press on August 8. Edwards apparently knew he could count on good, ole Bob not to ask any unpleasant questions during that phone conversation.
In his statements, Baron is still treating the press like he's on trial with his carefully-parsed sentences. Who know? Perhaps Baron can see into the future?
John Edwards' carefully-crafted statement and interview answers are his last comments on the affair. It's hard to see how he can say anything at this point that would improve his situation.
Perhaps that's why John Edwards has been hard to see during the last 11 days: Edwards is still in the self-imposed seclusion he entered on July 30, after reporters attempted to question him about his "incident" at the Beverly Hilton on July 21.
*** Rielle Hunter is keeping mum, except to issue a statement through her Baron-suggested attorney that she's not willing to call for Edwards to take a paternity test. Hunter's sister, however, was not as close-lipped and did ask for Edwards to step up to the paternity plate.
Apparently, Melissa and Rielle did not consult on that point. Edwards and Baron did not consult about Rielle Hunter and her living arrangements and numerous private jet trips--according to their statements. [John Edwards Cover-up: Press Releases a Carefully-Orchestrated Affair?]
So, John Edwards, Andrew Young and Rielle Hunter have remained inaccessible to the pleadings of the press for more information.
*** Fred Baron has clarified, but hasn't exactly been a Pigeon O'Brien about appearing before the press to clear up matters, in the last few days.
"The bottom line to it is John Edwards and Elizabeth Edwards had no knowledge of anything I did," Mr. Baron said. "I did it as a friend."
That was Fred Baron's last known utterance on the matter, reported by the Dallas Morning News.
It may be the last for awhile. The Enquirer is expected to publish this week more baby pictures, including, it is supposed, some that also feature John Edwards.
Which may force everyone involved to continue hiding in plain sight.
Deceiver channels the spirit of 19th-century French psychotherapist, Emile Coue: Every Day, in Every Way, the John Edwards Story Gets Better and Better. If you're short of time, a better John Edwards' go-to source is hard to find.
Oh and a shout out to Doc Sanity's latest edition of Carnival of the Insanities: she included pat's Christians in Muslim Countries: Saudi Girl Burned Alive for Being Christian in her weekly roundup of the bizarre and insane.
by Mondoreb
image: Amazon.com
Three Press Releases
An Orchestra of Remarkable, Similarly-Worded Statements
* John Edwards * Elizabeth Edwards * Fred Baron
Who Discussed What with Whom When?
DBKP took a look at the statements released by John and Elizabeth Edwards, and Edwards' money man, Fred Baron. Their three statements never mention Edwards' mistress, Rielle Hunter. Instead, all three refer to her and her child as "mistakes".
We found some curious features in the press releases of the principals involved. In December, 2007, there were many curious features about the John Edwards' scandal that excited no curiosity among the Mainstream Media. [Curious Circumstances Excite No Curiosity in the Mainstream Media]
August 2008 is a completely different ballgame, however.
Let's take a look at these curious features.
[Background information: access over 90 DBKP stories on the John Edwards scandal and cover-up: DBKP John Edwards Love Child Scandal Library.]
JOHN EDWARDS, ELIZABETH EDWARDS
For convenience, the statements of John and Elizabeth Edwards will be examined first.
John Edwards went into seclusion after a July 30 speech in Washington, D.C., when reporters attempted to question Edwards about his confrontation with reporters from the National Enquirer. [John Edwards Scandal: Edwards Bolts from Reporters Once Again]
He then had the better part of ten days to craft his statement, which he released on August 8 before his appearance on ABC's Nightline. Elizabeth Edwards also released a statement on August 8 on the website, DailyKos.
"2006" was prominent in the opening part of John Edwards' statement: he used it three times in the first eight sentences.
In 2006, I made a serious error in judgment and conducted myself in a way that was disloyal to my family and to my core beliefs. I recognized my mistake and I told my wife that I had a liaison with another woman, and I asked for her forgiveness. Although I was honest in every painful detail with my family, I did not tell the public. When a supermarket tabloid told a version of the story, I used the fact that the story contained many falsities to deny it. But being 99 percent honest is no longer enough.
I was and am ashamed of my conduct and choices, and I had hoped that it would never become public. With my family, I took responsibility for my actions in 2006 and today I take full responsibility publicly. But that misconduct took place for a short period in 2006.
"2006" played a key part in Elizabeth Edwards' statement, too. She referred to the year four times.
"John made a terrible mistake in 2006."
"And we began a long and painful process in 2006, a process oddly made somewhat easier with my diagnosis in March of 2007."
"The pain of the long journey since 2006 was about to be renewed."
"But now the truth is out, and the repair work that began in 2006 will continue."
The Edwards don't say when in 2006; apparently, from the photo DBKP obtained on August 15, it had to have begun on December 31.
The picture is backstage at a rally in Chapel Hill, NC that ended on the evening of December 30. As LBG pointed out in John and Elizabeth Edwards: New Info Casts Doubt on Couple’s Claim Affair Ended in 2006:
It’s clear in the photo that Hunter is there in her “official” capacity, capturing the event for use in the documentaries she was allegedly producing for the Edwards’ 2008 presidential campaign. Not only was Hunter there in Chapel Hill on the evening of December 30, but she was also along with Edwards at the end of 2006 on his “Presidential Announcement Tour” which culminated on the evening of December 30 in North Carolina.According to the Washington Post, Hunter was along when Edwards filmed his Youtube announcement in New Orleans on December 28. Hunter was by no means, “hidden”, as she was photographed and seen by various people in the course of the “trip”.
On December 31, 2006 the Edwards also had a busy day.
The next morning, the last day of 2006, the Edwards were interviewed on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos“. Remember, the night before Rielle Hunter was still in the picture, captured in photos filming the Chapel Hill event. In one photo Hunter can be seen along with John and Elizabeth Edwards.
...
The discovery of Hunter’s appearance in Chapel Hill on the evening of December 30 raises some questions about the timeline posited by both John and Elizabeth Edwards as to when the affair truly ended, when Edwards confessed, and when the “repair” work began.
On the morning of December 31, Edwards described his wife to Stephanopoulus as someone who was not only “meek and mild” but “very strong-willed”. Hardly the sort of person, who, upon learning her husband had an affair, would allow the “other woman” to hang around her husband, even in an “official” capacity. Hunter was photographed filming the Chapel Hill event. Elizabeth was fully aware Hunter was there. In fact, Hunter was on the plane, along with other campaign staffers and various other people for the presidential “pre-announcement” trip that led up to the Chapel Hill event.
If Edwards hadn’t yet confessed to the “awful truth” that he was cheating on Elizabeth with Hunter by December 30, then the clock was ticking down to the end of 2006. By the time the Chapel Hill event ended, Edwards had less than 26 hours to tell his wife.
Besides the repetition of "2006", the word "mistake" is also repeated: thrice by Elizabeth ("terrible mistake", "mistake" and "mistakes") and twice by John Edwards ("serious error", "mistake", as well as "misconduct").
There seems little doubt about the careful coordination between the Edwards' two statements.
If it is learned, at some future date, that December 31, 2006, was indeed when John Edwards "first began revealing the truth", this is not the impression that the Edwards left after reading their statements.
Why?
Others will have to speculate at the present moment. DBKP may well do so later.
JOHN EDWARDS, FRED BARON
From John Edwards' statement:
I only know that the apparent father has said publicly that he is the father of the baby. I also have not been engaged in any activity of any description that requested, agreed to or supported payments of any kind to the woman or to the apparent father of the baby.
During John Edwards' appearance that same day on ABC's Nightline, he again repeated his denial of his knowledge of any money being paid.
Uh, this is what I can tell you. I've never paid a dime of money to any of the people that are involved. I've never asked anybody to pay a dime of money, never been told that any money's been paid. Nothing has been done at my request. So if the allegation is that somehow I participated in the payment of money -- that is a lie. An absolute lie, which is typical of these types of publications.
Later in the same interview, Edwards was insistent.
WOODRUFF: I do need to tell you though through ABC investigation there has been evidence, or we've been told that there, about $15,000 a month has been paid to Miss Hunter, so that she could actually live out in California. In fact that money was from Fred Baron, who was your national finance chair. Is that correct?
EDWARDS: I don't know. I told you just a moment ago, I know absolutely nothing about this.
WOODRUFF: You never even heard about that before?
EDWARDS: I've heard about it from reporters like you just in the last few days. It's the first I hear anything about it.
The next exchange between Edwards and ABC's Bob Woodruff is particularly curious.
WOODRUFF: So when you see this now and you see the reporting about it and you see the information about it, are you going to try to look into this? That this is somebody doing this to cover up what happened with your affair?
EDWARDS: If you're talking about Fred Baron, I do know Fred Baron. I also know that Fred Baron knows both of these people who are involved and has worked with them for years. So he has the relationship with them independent of me. So what he chose to do or not do, I can't explain, he'll have to explain. I don't know what he did or why he did it. And what his reasons for, were, for doing it. Is it possible that he wanted to help them because they were in a difficult time? Of course. Is it possible that he was worried that in fact something had happened with me, and he wanted to help? Of course that's possible. I think all these things are possible.
WOODRUFF: Do you think it's possible he was trying to protect you?
EDWARDS: Do I think it was possible he was trying to help me?
WOODRUFF: Yes.
EDWARDS: Yeah, of course I think it's possible.
[Note: We'll leave aside for the moment, Edwards' claim that Fred Baron worked with Hunter and Young "for years". Baron did work with Andrew Young for more than a year. Rielle Hunter's involvement with the campaign, by her own statement of October 2007, states that her work with the campaign ended at the end of 2006--a period of only six months that Baron could have "worked" with her.
Unless Baron hired her afterwards, which has not been reported--and which neither Baron nor Hunter have mentioned in any public statements.]
Woodruff lets Edwards change the question--without follow-up: from "protect" to "help". Edwards uses the word "help" three times in that short exchange. Why might he have done that?
Perhaps, Edwards was trying to help his finance chair, Fred Baron, with his statement, which would be delivered with minutes of John and Elizabeth Edwards' statements.
At that time, Baron stated spontaneously--and without consulting John Edwards-- that his magnanimous gestures toward Andrew Young and Rielle Hunter stemmed from his need to "help.
"I decided independently to help two friends and former colleagues rebuild their lives when harassment by supermarket tabloids made it impossible for them to conduct a normal life," Baron, a Dallas trial lawyer said in a statement, Rob Christensen reports.
"John Edwards was not aware that assistance was provided to anyone involved in this matter," Baron said. "I did it of my own voilition and without the knowledge, instruction, or suggestion of John Edwards or anyone else. The assistance was offered and accepted without condition."
Later the following day, August 9, it was reported that Baron stated, "I made a decision on my own, without talking to Edwards or anybody, to try to help them move to a community to try to get away from those folks."
"I feel sad because I know John Edwards so well," Mr. Baron said. "In life we all make mistakes. ... It breaks my heart if this is going to disqualify him from being a public servant, because he would be a great one."
Mr. Baron said he had also talked to Mrs. Edwards.
"It's a hard time," he said. "This has been a trying couple of weeks."
Baron also used the word "mistake" to refer to John Edwards' affair with Rielle Hunter, just as John and Elizabeth Edwards' both did.
Baron admitted talking to Elizabeth Edwards, but not John Edwards, who he knew "so well". John and Elizabeth Edwards were apparently talking, and consulting, with each other while preparing their statements. But, what were they all talking about?
Apparently, if John Edwards and Fred Baron are to be believed, they were discussing anything but the mistake which had them all preparing statements in the first place: Rielle Hunter and her living arrangements.
Oh, and the living arrangements of long-time Edwards' aide and operative, Andrew Young and his family. Nothing was discussed about him, either.
All three--the two Edwards and Fred Baron--were busy preparing carefully-worded statements which were all released within minutes of each other on August 8, concerning events extremely important to all three of them. Yet, one of the central subjects--the "hush money" the Enquirer reported on July 30 was being paid to both Hunter and Young--never came up.
Baron also apparently forgot to mention to the Edwards that an Enquirer reporter showed up asking questions at his Dallas estate four days earlier, on August 4.
Three lawyers, taking days to meticulously prepare statements about explosive events in their lives and the subjects of Rielle Hunter, where she was, where and how she was living, and the questions sure to asked about "hush money", were never broached.
Baron's help, and John Edwards suggestion to Woodruff that perhaps Baron was helping, were the product, not of consultation or conversations between seasoned attorneys, but were--like so many events in the Edwards' cover-up story--just another set of curiously-striking coincidences.
by Mondoreb
images: corbis; dbkp
Updated John Edwards Scandal Library includes additional stories added since the original stories from December 2007 through May 2008 were posted to DBKP@Blogger John Edwards Scandal Library.
UPDATED: August 16, 2008
August 16, 2008
* John Edwards Affair: When Private Lives Become Public Lies
August 15, 2008
* John Edwards Scandal Photo: John and Elizabeth Edwards with Rielle Hunter Dec 30, 2006 - Exclusive DBKP Photo!
* John Edwards Scandal: Silly Edwards’ News Before Things Turn Serious
* John Edwards Scandal: Enquirer, Blogosphere Vs. Mainstream Media
August 14, 2008
* John Edwards Affair: The Strange Behavior of Rielle Hunter and Andrew Young
* John Edwards Scandal: Bob McGovern the Enquirer’s “Inside Man”?
* John Edwards Scandal: Rielle Hunter, Edwards Photos from December 2006
August 13, 2008
* John Edwards Scandal: Who is ALJDJDD, Mystery Editor of Rielle Hunter’s Wikipedia Page?
* John Edwards Scandal: Copying Continues As Rielle Hunter Web Info Keeps Vanishing
* December Ross, DBKP Edwards’ Story Confirmed by MSM
* John Edwards Scandal: Who in the Edwards’ Campaign Ran the Cover Up? UPDATED
* John Edwards Scandal: Enquirer Pounds More Nails in Edwards’ Coffin
August 12, 2008
* John Edwards Scandal: Lost Nightline Video Footage?
* John Edwards Scandal: NY Times’ Info Theft Noted
August 11, 2008
* John Edwards Affair: Fred Baron - The Ties that Bind
* Mainstream Media Uses Blogosphere as Unpaid Research Wing in Edwards Scandal - UPDATED
August 10, 2008
* John Edwards Scandal, Left Blogs: No Edwards, None of the Time
* Edwards Affair: Edwards Claims Enquirer Love Child Photo a Fake
* John Edwards Scandal: Edwards Continues Deception in Interview
* John Edwards Scandal: The Many Faces of Contrition
August 9, 2008
* John Edwards Scandal: Sister Asks Edwards to Stop Bad-mouthing Rielle Hunter - UPDATED
* John Edwards Scandal: Edwards Statement, Interview Admits Little
* John Edwards Scandal: Edwards Defends Affair with Supermarket Tabloid Credibility Card
August 8, 2008
* John Edwards Scandal: Edwards Releases Statement to Press
* John Edwards Scandal: Edwards Admits Affair, Lies, to ABC News
* John Edwards Scandal: WSJ Ties Media Woes to Scandal Non-Coverage
* John Edwards Scandal: LA Times Lifts Embargo on Edwards Scandal News
August 7 2008
* John Edwards Scandal: Is Fred Baron the Enquirer ‘Hush Money Man’?
* John Edwards Scandal: The Myth of the Edwards’ Denials
* John Edwards Scandal: Enquirer Alleges Reille Hunter Resided with Youngs in CA
* John Edwards Scandal: Money Man is Wealthy Dem Fundraiser
* John Edwards Scandal: Dems Worry, Call on Edwards To Come Forward
* John Edwards Scandal: Where in the World is John Edwards?
August 6 2008
* John Edwards Scandal: Enquirer Photos Give MSM a BIG Smoking Gun
* John Edwards Scandal: Enquirer Print Trumps Digital- JOHN Edwards Photos
* John Edwards Scandal: Enquirer Releases Photos of Edwards and Love Child
August 5 2008
* John Edwards Scandal: Whatever Happened to Andrew Young? - UPDATES
* John Edwards Scandal: Media Coverage Mixed; MSM Waits on Enquirer
August 4 2008
* John Edwards Scandal: June 2007 a Month of Coincidence for John Edwards
* John Edwards Scandal: DailyKOS Bans Stranahan for Writing About Edwards
August 3, 2008
* John Edwards Scandal: March Mystery of Edwards’ Non-Endorsement Revisited
August 2, 2008
* John Edwards Scandal: DailyKOS Readers Now Know; Others Remain In the Dark
August 1, 2008
* John Edwards Scandal: “Scandal Brewing” First TV Mention in NC
* John Edwards Scandal: KC Writer Cites “Veiled Threats”, Denials as Likely
* John Edwards Scandal: Did Hillary Use Scandal to Force Edwards Out of the Race?
July 31, 2008
* John Edwards Scandal: Birth Certificates, NBA Players and the Waking of the MSM
* John Edwards Scandal: Bob McGovern, International Man of Mystery
* John Edwards Scandal: Edwards Bolts from Reporters Once Again
July 30, 2008
* John Edwards Scandal: Enquirer Editor, David Perel “We Drew the Media a Road Map”
* John Edwards Scandal: Love Child’s Name, Sex Revealed; Hush Money Paid
* John Edwards Love Child: Wikipedia Editor Defends Go-Slow Policies On Edwards Entry
July 29, 2008
* John Edwards Love Child Scandal: Debate at Wikipedia Rages
July 28, 2008
* John Edwards-Rielle Hunter Love Child Scandal: The Video
* John Edwards, Rielle Hunter Love Child: U.K. Papers Help Break Media Blockade
July 27, 2008
* MSM Stealing Blog Content: Times Online Joining Growing MSM Trend?
July 25, 2008
* John Edwards-Rielle Hunter Love Child: Fox New Confirms Natl. Enquirer Story with UPDATES 1, 2 and 3
* John Edwards-Rielle Hunter Love Child: Fifteen Quotes to Watch a Coming Media Circus By
* John Edwards Love Child: Natl. Enquirer Reporters File Criminal Charges
* John Edwards, Bill Clinton, Gary Hart: Video Denial Trifecta
* John Edwards-Rielle Hunter Affair: Love Child Scandal Jokes
* John Edwards-Rielle Hunter Love Child: LA Times Censors Reporters on Story
July 24, 2008
* Edwards Love Child: Worst Denial Video Ever
July 23, 2008
* John Edwards, Rielle Hunter Love Child: Houston Reporter Asks Edwards - Video
* John Edwards Affair: Interview with David Perel, Editor-in-Chief of the National Enquirer
* John Edwards, Obama VP Chances: From the Short List to the Sh*t List
* John Edwards-Rielle Hunter Love Child: Story about to Enter MSM? UPDATES #1 & 2
* John Edwards, Rielle Hunter Love Child: What if they Gave a Scandal and Nobody Came?
July 22, 2008
* John Edwards and Love Child Mom Rielle Hunter Rendezvous in LA
* John Edwards Love Child, Rielle Hunter: Edwards Runs Into Men’s Room Fleeing Enquirer
* John Edwards, Rielle Hunter Love Child: Edwards Caught but MSM Just Now Catching Up
* John Edwards Love Child Scandal: Edward Caught with Mistress and Love Child
by Mondoreb
Source: John Edwards Love Child Scandal Library
John Edwards Scandal News
TV Movie Parts, Gary Pearce, 3 Stooges, Fred Baron Blurbs, Mickey Kaus, Kathy G, and Faith
"All work and no play make Jack a dull boy."
It's going to get serious in the immediate future for all involved in the John Edwards Love Child Scandal: Rielle Hunter, Andrew Young, Fred Baron, and of course, John Edwards himself. So, before it does, we thought we'd present this collection of odd and ends in the John Edwards Scandal.
Deceptive Nuggets
Deceiver has bits and pieces--but what nuggets they are!
That Moneyed Fred Baron Is in a Fix* contains a quick view of Edwards' Big Wallet, Fred Baron.
The New York Times has a story just out that has Baron bobbing and weaving, while spewing words that would make Bill Murray in Wild Orchids proud. (It's after this item.)
We bring this up because tagged onto the end of the Deceiver piece, Simon Scowl posed the question of who might play the role of Edwards'
Gob!
[Background information: Access almost 90 DBKP John Edwards-Rielle Hunter Scandal stories since December: John Edwards Love Child Scandal library.]
Fred Baron Forgets to Order Memorite
Fred Baron is asked more questions about the money trail in the Edwards scandal and seems to remember something about about someone sometime. And just exactly how did Rielle Hunter and Andrew Young procure the high-priced legal help that issued their infamous December denials claiming Frances Quinn Hunter was a joint effort between the two? From Lawyers' Ties in Edwards Case Suggest Extent of Hiding Affair:
On Wednesday, Mr. Baron said he might have directed Ms. Hunter to Mr. Gordon.
"I have this recollection of somebody asking me for lawyers in New York, and I remember naming three or four, and he must have been one of them," Mr. Baron said. Referring to Ms. Hunter, he added, "It was either her who called or somebody on her behalf."
And how did Andrew Young's legal representation in December come about?
"I remember getting a call from Pam and her telling me that she was representing him," Mr. Baron said. "I may have sent him over there, but on the other hand I may not have. I don't have an accurate recollection."
Sounds like Baron forgot something else--like his Memorite.
The Scoop From Snoop at Political Party Poop
Snoop at Political Party Poop has resurrected a post from April 2007: John Edwards Cynically Exploits His Wife’s Cancer To Get Fund Raising Emails.
Short and sweet and a reminder all politicians have no shame--and Edwards was a politician. As anyone who's visited PPP knows, there's so many hilarious things there, you won't know where to begin. We'd suggest Obama...Fame... and Blog Watch: Time to Clean out the Gene Pool.
Gary Pearce Wants to Give Edwards the 'Niagara Falls' Treatment
Gary Pearce, the Democratic strategist who ran John Edwards 1998 Senate race, isn't at all pleased with his former client. Pearce most probably believed Edwards--before a crush of Enquirer facts forced Edwards to a new defensive perimeter.
One almost can hear him join the Three Stooges as they performed their "Niagara Falls, slowly I turned..." routine.
Edwards even continued disparaging “supermarket tabloids.”
Earth to John: The National Enquirer now officially has more credibility than you do.
He said we can’t beat him up more than he’s beat himself up. Well, we’ll sure try.
By comparison, Richard Nixon’s Checkers speech was Churchillian in its dignity and honesty.
It’s not clear who gets the gold medal for biggest phony Friday night: Edwards or the Chinese who organized the Olympics’ opening ceremony.
Edwards’ performance in the interview was a disaster from the start. Woodruff hit him head-on: Did you have an affair?
Instead of saying “yes,” Edwards smiled and thanked Bob for coming by. He did everything but welcome Bob to his lovely home.
But wait! There's more... at the The Verdict is In].
We Made the Headlines!
And it was at Ace of Spades HQ, not the MSM!
On the left sidebar, under "Headlines", Hmmm...; Pseudonymous Wikipedia Editor with Great Interest in Rielle Hunter's Bio Seems to Know a Lot about the Limited Movie Career of Rielle Hunter, as Well as Unpublicized Facts about Hunter's Family
John Edwards, You Gotta Have Faith
Doug Ross: Faith Guiding our Votes
More Like The B-spot
Kathy G. sounded a bit bitter about Mickey Kaus bringing up the John Edwards scandal--at any point.
A Gentle Reader asks:
So when's Kathy going to apologize to Mickey Kaus?
Here's what I say to that: Mickey Kaus can kiss my royal Irish ass.
I said that the story about Edwards was dubious, but I never said that it wasn't or couldn't be true. However, I did argue that Kaus's obsession with it was bizarre and unseemly, which it was and is.
Kathy G. ends up with this observation: "The only thing it could do was to hurt and publicly humiliate Elizabeth Edwards and her two young children -- and I think you'll agree that that family has enough on its plate as it is. The only people clamoring for this to go public were heartless, vicious assholes like Kaus."
She then invites Kaus to partake of her left one.
Kathy G's really gonna be bitter with all the speculation that Elizabeth Edwards may have been an accomplice.
Guess Kathy G will get the right one ready at that point.
And when we publish a photo that we just received from a reader [and one would guess former Edwards supporter] later this morning?
Well...
I guess we'll get ready for the double whammy?
by Mondoreb
images: deceiver; michelemiller
DougRoss@Journal, DBKP December stories Confirmed:
Eric Montross Angle Valid
[The following is published not to toot our own horn. Okay, okay--maybe a little. The impetus is to record where this information was first published; as well as how much time elapsed before a member of the traditional media confirmed it.]
Another part of the John Edwards story uncovered by bloggers was confirmed--almost eight months after it was first reported at DBKP and DougRoss@Journal.
The Raleigh Telegram--which didn't let readers in on the scandal until days ago, and which ran an editorial citing Edwards' "continuous denials" as a reason for its non-coverage--confirmed, in a pair of stories yesterday, that ex-NBA star, Eric Montross was indeed involved in the scandal--most likely, unknowingly.
Rielle Hunter Stayed In Chapel Hill Last Year and UNC's Montross Rented House To Edwards Worker both confirm that Andrew Young was staying in Montross' house--in the same Governor's Club gated community that the Enquirer reported that Rielle Hunter was staying.
Although it is not known by this newspaper who owned the house that Rielle was living in, it has been confirmed that Young was renting his house from former UNC basketball star Eric Montross.
Montross is well-known to Tarheel fans for being the star center of the UNC NCAA Championship team in 1993, before going on to a ten year professional career in the NBA.
[The Telegram's earlier "continuous denial" quote was one, among others, that prompted DBKP to write John Edwards Scandal: The Myth of the Edwards’ Denials on August 7--one day before John Edwards quit denying the affair. It seems that the Telegram was stung by taking Edwards' October denial of the affair--when it was deniable, since the Enquirer had published, at that point, only some unnamed sources about an unnamed "other woman"--at face value and has been busy making up for lost time.]
On December 27, DBKP published "John Edwards Scandal: Rielle Hunter Housed by Former NBA Player". It left details of a tip we'd received from someone describing themselves as, "someone who partied with Rielle in LA".
We'd hoped that by publishing the info, that it would excite the curiosity of just one reporter in the MSM--maybe who was also a sports fan.
But, it was a blogger, Doug Ross, who responded to our article within minutes [John Edwards Love Child Saga, the NBA and the MSM] with the name of Eric Montross.
Doug did some detective work--work that any MSM reporter could have done in December, as The Telegram proved just yesterday--and ran down Montross. As Ross related:
"Okay, so I was curious. Went to OpenSecrets and did a donor lookup."
The only ex-NBA player and heavy Edwards donor I found is Eric Montross, who is listed in Chapel Hill. That's not to say Montross is hosting Rielle, but if the DBKP story is accurate, he's someone for the MSM to check into.
As Doug Ross, DBKP and the rest of the world was to discover: no one in the MSM did check it--until The Telegram did.
Now, for the first time, we can tell a bit of the story behind our December 27 story.
We received a credible tip about Rielle Hunter living in Eric Montross' house at the Governor's Club. LBG, after about 10 hours digging, discovered in December much of what The Telegram published yesterday, and from many of the same sources. From yesterday's Telegram:
Young and his family rented the substantially large house at 32340 Archdale Drive owned by Montross and his wife in the Governor's Club subdivision. Montross actually lives in another house over the county line in Orange County, according to tax records.
An online newsletter for the Governor's Club community called "Ginny's Community" welcomed the Young family to the neighborhood and mentioned them by name along with their new address.
According to a real estate listing on the Chapel Hill Realty Group's website, Montross' house at 32340 Archdale Drive that Young rented was formerly up for sale at an asking price of $1,425,000, although according to Chatham County, the assessed tax value is $1,658,822. Although the property is listed as "sold" on the real estate website, the Chatham County records do not indicate that a sale took place and Montross has owned the house since 1993.
DBKP's efforts were redoubled on December 26-27 in an effort to locate exactly which house Rielle Hunter was living in. It wasn't known if the Youngs had relocated to another nearby house when Hunter appeared in the Governor's Club, or if, more likely, our tipster had some of the info right.
We just could not tell.
So, we left messages in the comments sections of several NC blogs--including one in the Chapel Hill, NC area--appealing for someone nearby to do some legwork. The comments and emails went largely unanswered.
The decision was made to publish our story the way we did. We knew from the Enquirer's December reports and LBG's digging that Hunter had been in the house at 32340 Archdale, but we couldn't say for sure she was living there. It was hoped that by posting something, it might excite a reporter in the Raleigh area to check the information out.
As it happens, that occurred--over eight months after our story and Doug Ross'--was published; after John Edwards' Nightline appearance green-lighted the Edwards scandal for the major press organizations. to cover.
ENTER RADAR
Several weeks ago, in the wake of the Enquirer's reporters' confrontation with Edwards at the Beverly Hilton, interest in the Montross angle was renewed. On July 31, Radar published John Edwards’ Money Man: Fellow Tar Heel Eric Montross?. In the story, Radar took a look back at Ross' and DBKP's stories seven months earlier:
In a follow-up story published on December 19, the Enquirer reported that after word of the affair got out, Hunter moved into a home owned by an Edwards supporter in the exclusive Governors Club, a gated community less than five miles away from the Edwards HQ in Chapel Hill and only a few blocks away from the Young residence.
Here's where things get weird: five days later, a right-wing blog called Death By 100 Papercuts received a tip that the house Hunter had moved into was owned by a former NBA player who had contributed money to the Edwards campaign. Doing some digging, Doug Ross reported that the only former NBA player who had donated money to Edwards was Eric Montross, a UNC graduate who was drafted by the Boston Celtics back in 1994 and ended his NBA career in 2003. Montross gave $4,600 to Edwards during the 2008 election cycle; he was described as a "big backer of John Edwards' White House bid" by CNN. (Edwards went to UNC law school.)
We took note of the Radar reference in John Edwards Scandal: Birth Certificates, NBA Players and the Waking of the MSM the same day.
Less than a week later, Radar seemed to be backpedaling, however [Eric Montross Would Like You to Know He's Never Met Rielle Hunter, Thank You Very Much]. Radar then said:
Last week, we culled together some thinly sourced material from around the Internet and posted an (admittedly) wildly speculative theory about how Tar Heel and former professional basketball player Eric Montross was the guy paying off both John Edwards' alleged mistress Rielle Hunter as well as Andrew Young, the professed father of Hunter's (Edwards?) kid. Which would be news to Eric Montross! "I don't have anything to do with this," Montross told Radar by phone. "Whatever is going on with Edwards, I can tell you unequivocally that I am uninvolved."
Both Doug Ross and DBKP were relegated to the ranks of the "thinly-sourced". A letter was dispatched to Radar detailing how Montross' name had come to be connected with the scandal, along with the observation that DBKP "believed Montross didn't know Rielle Hunter".
Today, Radar commented on the Raleigh Telegram story with some interesting observations: [Eric Montross Back in the Picture!]
A little while ago, we floated an admittedly crazy theory that former NBA player, UNC alum, and John Edwards supporter Eric Montross not only owned the Chapel Hill house Rielle Hunter was reportedly staying in after Edwards knocked her up, but also that Montross might have been the mystery man paying off both Hunter and professed baby daddy Andrew Young. Montross vehemently denied having anything to do with anyone involved in the scandal ("I am 100 percent detached," he said), and soon after Texas lawyer Fred Baron was outed as the money man, and we assumed that was that. But it turns out Montross isn't totally insulated from the whole scandal: the Raleigh Telegram is now reporting that Montross rented a house he owned in the exclusive Governor's Club development to none other than Andrew Young—and that the house was just a few blocks away from a home Hunter herself was living in.
Granted, that doesn't mean Montross knew anything other than that his tenant had a crazy chick for a neighbor (it's still unclear who rented Hunter her home), but it's not like Young found him off of Craigslist. How much John Edwards actually told him is anyone's guess. The Telegram also corroborates an earlier story from the Enquirer in which it was reported that Hunter was an occasional dinner guest at her neighbor Young's house. (Young is married with kids.) Given that it's not exactly common practice to have the woman you've supposedly had an out-of-wedlock child with over for supper, the most logical conclusion to draw is that Young—surprise!—isn't the father of Hunter's kid.
We're just hoping all this gets us out of that "thinly-sourced" category.
[This past Thursday, DBKP and Doug Ross again collaborated to beat the MSM to the punch on the Fred Baron story: John Edwards Scandal: Is Fred Baron the Enquirer ‘Hush Money Man’? and [Rumors Run Wild: Is Fred Baron the Wallet for John Edwards Scandal. The next day, Fred Baron began releasing his statements that he was involved in moving Rielle Hunter around the country.
Doug Ross was emailed in the early afternoon with our info; but was away at the time. In the meantime, a Radar commenter had posited the names of both Baron and ex-Dallas Mavericks coach, Don Nelson.]
DBKP knew Rielle Hunter had been in Eric Montross' house back in December: either as a guest or a lodger. Then, there was no way of knowing the particulars. Today, it's still not known if Eric Montross knew about it; in all probability, he didn't.
We're only happy that aspects of our stories were finally confirmed.
We just wonder what took so long for someone else to "get some feet on the ground" to check them out.
by Mondoreb
images: dbkp file; Radar
The National Enquirer releases more information that pounds more nails into the political coffin of John Edwards.
The National Enquirer has released more details that prove John Edwards was lying to viewers on his Nightline appearance last week on ABC.
Including this interesting point, "Edwards claimed he ended the affair in 2006, but sources say he restarted the illicit romance after confessing to his wife. Rielle soon became pregnant after the affair was rekindled, say sources."
UPDATES to follow at end of story.
UPDATE #1 - working
But wait! There's more:
Edwards' headline-making admission confirmed The ENQUIRER's blockbuster world exclusive reports detailing his affair, in articles Edwards brazenly called "completely untrue" and "tabloid trash" while running for president and afterward.
And now The ENQUIRER has uncovered that Edwards' political operatives are still paying his mistress Rielle Hunter - and she was whisked away on a private jet two days before he confessed their extramarital affair on national TV!
The ENQUIRER has also confirmed that Edwards secretly visited Rielle and their love child three separate times at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles this year - a fact that proves he is still lying to America and his wife.
ENQUIRER reporters caught Edwards, 55, making a late-night visit to 44-year-old Rielle and their daughter at the hotel on July 21 - which prompted us to release the first-ever photograph of him with his love child last week.
Other details released by the Enquirer include the following hard-for-Edwards-to-parse items:
* After Edwards confessed the affair to his wife, he restarted it, and was sexually involved with Rielle when she became pregnant.
* Despite his denials, Edwards WAS aware that his former finance committee chairman, Fred Baron, was funneling money to Rielle.
Experts are now calling for a federal investigation into Edwards' use of campaign funds.
* Edwards told ABC the affair was limited to 2006, before he confessed "the mistake" to wife Elizabeth, 59, who is battling a recurrence of breast cancer.
* The ongoing ENQUIRER investigation has also confirmed that he has been with Rielle and the baby three times this year in California.
In denying he fathered Rielle's baby, Edwards told ABC that he would "be happy" to take a paternity test to prove he's telling the truth. (He has refused numerous previous requests by The ENQUIRER to take a paternity test.)
As we stated last week, there's more baby shoes to drop in the Enquirer's shoebox.
by Mondoreb
Mystery Man Resides in Dallas, TX
The National Enquirer released more than just the photos of John Edwards holding Frances Quinn Hunter yesterday [: it also revealed more clues to the identity of the man who, the Enquirer claims, funneled the hush money to Rielle Hunter and Andrew Young.
But, the Enquirer released the details in their print edition only, which hit parts of the country yesterday. One area of the country which doesn't have the new Enquirer yet is our own. But through the efforts of one reader--who wishes remain anonymous and who purchased a copy of the newest Enquirer for us!--that went beyond and above the call of duty, we did obtain some details about the Edwards "hush money man".
We won't spill all the Enquirer's beans here; after all, David Perel, the Enquirer's Editor-in-Chief, has to recoup the investment of a year's worth of reporting on the story.
It ain't cheap chasing around people who don't want to be found.
However, we will report a few of the Enquirer's findings about a man, about whom an earlier Enquirer story would only refer to as, "a wealthy colleague who was closely tied to the Edwards’ campaign. This same man is also shoveling cash to Edwards’ pal and former aide Andrew Young – who tried to take the heat off the ex-Senator by claiming he is the father of Rielle’s baby."
The Enquirer also wrote last week on its website [EDWARDS' HU$H MONEY TO MISTRESS]: “A super-rich pal – who was closely involved with the campaign finances – is helping John. It’s likely this man doesn’t know all the dirty details of John’s extramarital affair, but is acting out of loyalty and is not asking a lot of questions – only writing the checks,” revealed a source very close to the situation."
The newest Enquirer reveals more clues to the man's identity--to entice MSM reporters who have thus far proved resistant to investigating and reporting on the story, perhaps?
A "wealthy Democratic fundraiser" from "Dallas, TX" is part of what the Enquirer reveals.
The story also states that besides the $15,000/month payments to Rielle Hunter and daughter, F.Q. Hunter, that $20,000 is being given to former Edwards' operative, Andrew Young and his family.
The details of the Enquirer's attempt to question the man, when and how much money the wealthy Edwards' backer raised?
Go buy your own copy of the Enquirer.
Any MSM reporter with an Enquirer and an Internet connection ought to be able to run down the identity of the man in a heartbeat.
Doug Ross?
by Mondoreb
image: National Enquirer
Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!"
--Famous denial, Luke 22:60
Media Circulates False Story that Edwards Denied Affair in December
National Enquirer's December Allegations NEVER Denied
The Media's "Don't Ask Edwards, He Won't Tell" Policy
Edwards' Denials After November 29: A MSM Urban Legend
Perhaps history's three most famous denials were issued by the apostle Peter on the night that Jesus was arrested. Thus, Peter issued three more denials in one night than John Edwards has made after November 29, 2007; i.e., none.
One recurring theme turning up for Mainstream Media apologists in the last several days goes something on the order of, "Edwards denied this story in December". Variations range from yesterday's Raleigh Telegram's insistent "Edwards continuously denied the accusations," [Enquirer Publishes Blurry 'Photo' Of John Edwards] to Deceiver's July 28 "The John Edwards Non-Scandal Keeps Getting Not-Weirder":
Then, last December, Edwards denied having an affair and an illegitimate child with Hunter after the National Enquirer spotted her, visibly pregnant, living in North Carolina.
One British newspaper repeated the "Edwards' December Denial" recently. Yesterday, at NRO, Byron York cited--inadvertently, no doubt--the EDD meme. From "John Edwards: The Picture of a Scandal" (emphasis added):
Last December, when the Enquirer first named Hunter, Edwards did deny it. A couple of months earlier, when the Enquirer published a thinly-sourced story claiming that Edwards was "caught in a shocking mistress scandal that could wreck his campaign," Edwards quite emphatically denied it. "The story is false," he said then. "It's completely untrue, ridiculous. Anyone who knows me knows that I have been in love with the same woman for 30-plus years."
As our own LBG put it, in "John Edwards Scandal: Where in the World is John Edwards?":
The MSM turned a blind eye to the alleged Edwards' affair so it was a surprise when the story resurfaced in November in the Daily News. On November 29, the Daily News' Rush and Molloy published "Tabloid's affair rumor dispelled, says John Edwards". The article wrote that "John Edwards believes he's stared down the National Enquirer".The article mentioned the Enquirer's promise to follow-up the initial Edwards affair story on October 10. The Daily News cited an Enquirer insider who admitted "there's a lot of smoke, but no smoking gun". The Daily News also quoted Edwards who claimed the story "disappeared because it's made up".
In December, a two-line item was tagged onto the end of one report that "an unnamed reporter in South Carolina" asked Edwards about it and he responded with the deflection, "Tabloid gossip" and "trashy lies". DBKP believes this occurred during Edwards' Christmas campaigning break, when he was back in North Carolina
Is this hair-splitting? Maybe, but that incident was no denial.
This point is important: it allows the those in the major media to excuse what was their complete failure to fulfill their adversarial duties for nearly eight months. Once the Enquirer allegations went from the general (October Enquirer story) to the specific (December), the press didn't ask, Edwards didn't tell--at least until July 23.
The Democrats could have save a pound of August headaches with just an ounce of December MSM investigative legwork.
As we stated earlier today in "John Edwards Scandal: Dems Worry, Call on Edwards To Come Forward":
It may be noted that Democrats could have avoided all of this–if just one major news organization would have investigated the easily-checked facts of the National Enquirer’s December edition of the scandal. [Curious Circumstances Excite No Curiosity in the Mainstream Media and The Edwards Scandal, The Press, The Enquirer and the Blogosphere]Back in December, in the above stories DBKP wondered why not one reporter had asked Edwards, “Do you deny you’ve been in telephone contact with Rielle Hunter since she found out she was pregnant?” Hunter, at that time, was living within five miles of the Edwards campaign HQ in Chapel Hill, NC, in the house of an Edwards’ backer, driving a BMW registered to former Edwards Director of Finance, Andrew Young–all checkable facts.
But not one reporter thought it curious enough to investigate then.
In doing the research for this article, we found several "December denials" sprinkled throughout the sparse MSM coverage of the last few days. We can find no such proof that Edwards was even asked about the Rielle Hunter affair in December.
We waited, in vain in December for that one brave MSM reporter to ask Edwards about the National Enquirer's allegations. Astonished that none did not, we wrote about it in December several times.
The waiting continued, though Edwards was in the news as a possible VP pick or cabinet selection.
Our waiting was over July 23, when Edwards gave his now-infamous video "non-denial".
[Edwards Love Child: Worst Denial Video Ever]
Edwards denials came in October, with the last one on November 29, when he felt he had covered his tracks and that the Enquirer was bluffing about the affair.
The "continuous denials" and "December denials" that are being bandied about in the press as reasons they didn't investigate Edwards eight month ago?
They have all the making of a Mainstream Media urban legend: they sound good, but they simply aren't true.
It's a matter of record--for any reporter wanting to investigate.
THE BUZZ
Speaking of denial...
A few days ago, Mickey Kaus, Slate, wrote a handy "Why write about the Edwards scandal?
Here's a short clip-'n'-save response to those (including many friends) who argue the Edwards scandal shouldn't be pursued--or at least pursued too vigorously-- even if it is true:**
In the ** footnote to the above, Kaus outlines what might be the "Six Stages of MSM/Dem/Edwards' Supporter Denial".
**--For purposes of this item, I'm assuming we're reaching the next-to-final stage of the natural progression in cases like this: 1) Too horrible and shocking; it can't possibly be true; 2) It's not true; 3) You can't prove it's true; 4) Why are you trying to prove it's true? 5) It's disgusting that you've proved it's true; 6) What's the big deal anyway? ...
A check of the comments section, on any Internet locale that has written about the Edwards scandal since December, will quickly confirm Kaus' six stages. In fact, you can tell when pro-Edwards readers learned about the story by which stage of denial they were in when they penned their outraged comments.
Don Surber, in "Dems do what MSM won’t", wonders--most reasonably, we think:
When Edwards is not in Denver later this month, I wonder how ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, MSNBC, NBC, and PBS will explain his absence.
Oh yeah: John Who?
by Mondoreb
images: National Enquirer
