Stupid News - John Edwards Admits Affair -- Denies He Is Father of 'Love Child' -- Offers To Take Test
Politicians don't lie! Come on!
John Edwards Admits Affair -- Denies He Is Father of 'Love Child' -- Offers To Take Test
By E&P Staff
Published: August 08, 2008 3:20 PM ET updated 5:30 PM
NEW YORK John Edwards, in an interview for ABC News' Nightline to air tonight, admits that he had an affair with videographer Rielle Hunter, but denies he is the father of her child.
He said his wife Elizabeth had been aware of the affair since 2006 and that it took place while her cancer was in remission. He lied about the affair, however, during his recent race for the White House.
The National Enquirer first reported the affair last autumn but the story remained dormant until the Enquirer broke a story two weeks ago about Edwards visiting Hunter at a Los Angeles hotel. It has also charged that he is the father of the child and printed a blurry photo this week of a man it says is Edwards holding a baby at that hotel.
Edwards has not taken a paternity test but says the baby can't be his due to the timing of the birth (February 2008) and the timing of his affair.
A former campaign aide, Andrew Young, has said he was the father of the child.
Edwards said late this afternoon, after news of the ABC interview circulated, "I am and have been willing to take any test necessary to establish the fact that I am not the father of any baby, and I am truly hopeful that a test will be done so this fact can be definitively established. 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."
ABC's Brian Ross said today that Edwards had come clean only after the network had started prodding him with evidence. The interview was conducted today in North Carolina. The first excerpts will appear on the ABC early evening national news report with Charles Gibson.
Some Democrats had urged this week that Edwards fully deny or confirm the allegations immediately, as his role at the party's upcoming national convention was up in the air. The two McClatchy dailies in his native North Carolina have kept tabs on the story closely in the past week. E&P reported on their finding that the baby's birth certificate did not have the name of a father listed.
Edwards' statement this afternoon explained: “It is inadequate to say to the people who believed in me that I am sorry, as it is inadequate to say to the people who love me that I am sorry. In the course of several campaigns, I started to believe that I was special and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic. If you want to beat me up - feel free. You cannot beat me up more than I have already beaten up myself. I have been stripped bare and will now work with everything I have to help my family and others who need my help.”
ABC reports today on its site, "Edwards today admitted the National Enquirer was correct when it reported he had visited Hunter at the Beverly Hills Hilton last month. The former Senator said his wife had not known about the meeting.
"Since becoming pregnant, Hunter has lived under assumed names in a series of expensive homes in North Carolina and, more recently, in Santa Barbara, California. Edwards denied paying any money to Hunter to keep her from going public but said it was possible some of his friends or supporters may have made payments without telling him. He said he would ask questions about any possible arrangement."
