Rielle Hunter Rules Out Participating In A Paternity Test

WASHINGTON — The ex-mistress of former presidential candidate John Edwards said Saturday she will not participate in DNA testing to establish the paternity of her daughter.

Rielle Hunter's lawyer, Robert Gordon, says his client is a private individual who is not running for public office and that she wishes to maintain the privacy of her and her daughter.

"Rielle is therefore making no statement now or in the future," Gordon said in a statement. "Furthermore, Rielle will not participate in DNA testing or any other invasion of her or her daughter's privacy now or in the future."

On Friday, Edwards admitted to having an extramarital affair with Hunter in 2006 but denied that he was the father of Hunter's 5-month-old daughter. Edwards offered to take a paternity test to prove he is not the father.

Hunter's decision means that the issue of who the father is remains an open question.

Hunter's daughter, Frances Quinn Hunter, was born on Feb. 27 this year, and no father's name is given on the birth certificate filed in California.

A former Edwards campaign staff member professes to be the father.

Edwards, a former North Carolina senator who was the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2004, confessed to ABC News that he had lied repeatedly about the affair with Hunter, then 42, who produced videos for Edwards as he prepared to launch his presidential campaign.

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In an interview which aired on ABC's "Nightline" on Friday night, Edwards said he would be willing to take a paternity test to put the issue to rest but wasn't sure whether Hunter would be willing to.

"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," Edwards said.

The National Enquirer first reported on the affair in October 2007, in the run-up to the Democratic primaries, and Edwards denied it.

Last month, the Enquirer carried another story _ the blaring headline referred to an Edwards "love child" _ stating that its reporters had accosted Edwards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles where he had met with Hunter after her child's birth. Edwards called it "tabloid trash."

In her statement Friday, Elizabeth Edwards said it wasn't easy to find out about the extramarital affair in 2006 but indicated she did not believe that her husband was the father of Hunter's daughter.

"This was our private matter, and I frankly wanted it to be private because as painful as it was I did not want to have to play it out on a public stage as well," she said. "Because of a recent string of hurtful and absurd lies in a tabloid publication, because of a picture falsely suggesting that John was spending time with a child it wrongly alleged he had fathered outside our marriage, our private matter could no longer be wholly private."

Edwards declared his presidential candidacy in December 2006. His wife campaigned enthusiastically with him and by herself in the months that followed. She announced in March 2007 that her cancer, formerly in remission, had returned and there apparently was no cure.

Edwards dropped out midway through this year's primaries. He recently endorsed Barack Obama and had been mentioned as a possible running mate. But as rumors spread of Edwards' possible affair it became clear that he would not likely speak at the Democratic National Convention later this month in Denver.

Comments

[skycontrol]

Lost in the mulch pile of dishonesty, infidelity, arrogance, narcissism and hypocrisy is the misuse of $114,000 donated by supporters who believed that John Edwards was fighting for a better America.

John Edward's actions constitute embezzlement - a criminal action.

He must be compelled to offer a full accounting of campaign funds spent to finance his affair. Rielle Hunter's expenses: plane fares to Africa and elsewhere, the hotel and meal charges, cocktails, etc. were, I am sure, picked up by the campaign.

The total amount embezzled might approach a million dollars.

John Edwards spoke of "Two Americas" and now we are learning that there are two John Edwards. The hypocrisy of the real John Edwards is staggering!

[peacekitten]

which law school did you graduate from?

[stickNmove]

Why are you so rude?

[Elliott32]

Law school? Hah! Lawyers are the cause of ALL of America's problems. They are the most narcissistic people on Earth. Lawyers only help the rich or if they can get rich from a plaintiff, hence John Edwards.

[LorettaSingbiel]

"He must be compelled to offer a full accounting of campaign funds spent to finance his affair. Rielle Hunter's expenses: plane fares to Africa and elsewhere, the hotel and meal charges, cocktails, etc. were, I am sure, picked up by the campaign."

I'll go along with that ... as long as a full accounting of campaign funds were offered for McCain's campaign affairs...

Early in McCain's first run for the White House eight years ago, waves of anxiety swept through his small circle of advisers. A female lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, had been turning up with him at fund-raisers, visiting his offices and accompanying him on a client's corporate jet. Convinced the relationship had become romantic, some of his top advisers intervened to protect the candidate from himself.

The FBI Corruption Squad was used to delve into Client 9's bank account. I suppose where there's a will - there's a way the IRS & FBI could investigate the possibility of government corruption flowing from McCain to Iseman?

[obamagramma]

Why should she take a DNA test? She's been getting $15K a month already from the campaign. She's got everything to lose.

[Alessan]

Not forever, what is this a fairy tale, I heard on Fox, Hunter left the house she was co habitating
in with Young and his wife and children. Fox is investigating, they love sleeze and gossip.

[Agathena]

Edwards mentioned that he would be only one side of the test in the interview. I thought that was odd.

Now it seems that he knew that the other side would not agree. $15,000/ a month is not a bad pay off.

[xcrunner77]

And there you have it. Edwards is definitely the father.

And his political career is over. No VP, no cabinet spot, nothing.

I liked Edwards, but he and Elizabeth basically perpetrated a fraud on the American people. They knew this "Monica bomb" was out there waiting to drop. He ran for President anyway. Talk about the "audacity of hope"!

Imagine if Edwards had won the nomination. Dems would right now be royally screwed.

I feel most sorry for the people who donated money, volunteered for him, and for his campaign workers who gave up huge portions of their lives for a campaign that could at any moment be brought down.

I feel sorry for Elizabeth for getting cheated on, but not for going along with the scam of offering her husband as a candidate, knowing this would eventually bring him down. I mean, come on... a white southern guy with a lingering affair in his background. As Craig Ferguson would say, "Remind you of anyone?"

I hate to say it, but who knows if it was just this one woman. Guys who cheat tend to do it more than once. (again, see Bill Clinton.) It's a sad day.

[LorettaSingbiel]

"Guys who cheat tend to do it more than once."

... WITH Cindy ... ON Cindy? (or did McCain's campaign advisers SUCCESSFULLY save him from himself?)

[MadOzbo]

It really no longer matters, as Edwards's political career is in shambles.
He would have a hard time running for dog catcher, now.

As for anything else, it is no longer ANY of our business.
Where this story goes from here is private between the parties involved.

I feel sorry for the baby. She will be hounded probably, for the rest of her life, and most likely have her blood tests stolen at some point for illicit testing.

[peacekitten]

it didn't matter to start with. it was NEVER any of our business.

[katieg]

When Edwards started to pay his paramour out of campaign contributions, it became our business. And if he wasn't trying to salvage a political career, why did he go on national TV to "explain?" If he had just quietly retired from public life, all this would have quickly gone away.

[Elliott32]

Huh? I doubt people would have donated to his campaign if they knew Edwards was paying his mistress to document their narcissism.

[marymansour]

Beg to differ... he tried to pull the wool over the eyes of the entire party whose ticket he graced. Could easiy have been chosen early for Obama's runing mate. Used campaign monies to pay for ridiculous webnets contrived by his lover. That's deception that IS our business.

[peacekitten]

it never mattered to start with. it was NEVER any of our business.

[heal57]

I think we al know why Ms. Hunter will not have a DNA test done on her daughter. He's still lying about this affair and his child, but we come to expect when they get caught they get all touchy, feely, so honest. It makes me want to throw up.