Where’s the trial lawyer bringing a class action on behalf of all of the people who were defrauded when they gave money to John Edwards’s presidential campaign? It’s certainly a much more plausible claim of causation, reliance, and financial injury than the typical class action.
More seriously, I hope someone somewhere is investigating whether Fred Baron violated federal campaign finance law when he set aside tens of thousands of dollars to pay Rielle Hunter hush money without disclosing the payments on behalf of Edwards. Edwards said he was in the Beverly Hilton to help keep the story from becoming public, which makes it seem unlikely he’s telling the truth when he said that he had no knowledge that Baron moved Hunter to California. Alas, ABC didn’t ask the right follow-up questions, such as how Edwards thought meeting Hunter in a hotel room would help keep the story quiet. And “Fred Baron” appears nowhere in the New York Times story, even as he is a major fund-raiser for Barack Obama today. Obama is still running for president, right?
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In Barack Obama; campaign regulation; class actions; Fred Baron; John Edwards; media bias; Rielle Hunter
[...] And see Ted’s follow-up post. [...]
do not give them ideas!!
http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/8/john-edwards-affair-hush-money-laundered-through-youtube-
John Edwards - You Tube - Hush Money
Wonder if Dickie Scruggs is looking for a roommate?
I don’t find hush money laundered through disclosed campaign expenditures legally problematic, though I’d be kind of upset to learn that my campaign contribution to John Edwards was going to fund his sexual flings. But one can find hundreds of thousands of dollars of frivolous expenditures in any presidential campaign if one pores through the filings.
The undisclosed in-kind payments to Hunter and Young, however, seem potentially problematic.
[...] DBKP, as always, has much more on this story. And Overlawyered has a few very pointed questions. And now, if it’s okay with everybody, I’m going to step away from the computer and [...]
You’re gonna make me wish I’d donated - NOT!
What about all the North Carolinians who were “defrauded” by our Senator’s peculiar brand of “representation”?
did he lie during all the malpractice cases
[...] Per Marisa Guthrie at the magazine Broadcasting & Cable, ABC News was able to force John Edwards’ hand in part because it had been tracing the Baron money trail (which, it will be recalled, Edwards supposedly had nothing to do with). “According to multiple sources, Edwards was apoplectic that ABC News broke the story on its website and began promoting it early on Friday” because the former North Carolina senator — who, y’know, was beating up on himself so bad and wanted nothing more than to come clean with the American people — “had hoped to control the news cycle by making his admission late on a Friday night when the country was watching the Olympics and the long weekend yawned ahead.” Earlier here and here. [...]
I’m not entirely certain of the circumstances, but hush money would likely not be an “electioneering” expense, and thus not necessarily required to be reported.
@9, that doesn’t seem dispositive. For example, wouldn’t it be illegal for Fred Baron to rent a $19,000/month house for Edwards personally? That’s not electioneering, either.
Why isn’t Travis County DA Ronnie Earle looking into this potential campaign finance violation with the same zeal he did with Republican Tom DeLay’s alleged misdeeds?
hmmm….what could be the difference?
If Baron gave Hunter (and Young) as much money as the news media is saying, it’s a taxable gift. If memory serves, you can only give someone $10k per year before it’s reportable and taxable. The idea is to keep parents from avoiding the estate tax by “giving” their entire estate to their kids, on their death bed.
Wonder if either Baron or Hunter or Young acknowledged these taxable gifts?
What I like the best is the lefts attempts to spin this.
Typical of the left, they see no problem with Edwards and his behavior.
They certainly don’t care about Edwards screwing his own children over. Oh and the kid is his. Bet on it.
The left really saw no problem with Clinton’s behavior, so why would Edward’s disturb them?
I agree JAG. The child is Edward’s.
Leslie
http://www.legaledpro.com
[...] must be feeling prescient regarding his speculations about an Edwards-contributor refund class action now that Warren Buffett has weighed in on the idea [Kaus]. And in fact the Edwards campaign does [...]
[...] of Walter Olsen, Overlawyered: Ted must be feeling prescient regarding his speculations about an Edwards-contributor refund class action now that Warren Buffett has weighed in on the idea [Kaus]. And in fact the Edwards campaign does [...]