John Edwards Hires Greg Craig In Endeavor To Ward Off Indictment

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's former lawyer has signed on to help former presidential candidate John Edwards as he tries to ward off a criminal indictment over payments to his ex-mistress.

Former White House counsel Greg Craig told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he wants to help Edwards because the ex-senator from North Carolina didn't break any campaign finance laws.

The Justice Department is trying to determine whether to prosecute Edwards over payments his donors made to keep his girlfriend, Rielle Hunter, and their daughter in hiding during the 2008 campaign.

Craig said he didn't discuss his decision to join the Edwards team in the last few weeks with anyone at the White House, which he left more than a year ago.

NPR first reported that Craig had joined Edwards' team.

Comments

[Longtallsally]

03:23 AM on 03/22/2011

If he didn't break any laws then why does he need a high powered lawyer?

[Chris202]

05:59 PM on 03/04/2011

I thought Edwards was against lobbying and influence peddling? I guess that's only when it's on someone else's behalf. When he wants to stay out of prison and protect his law license (like anyone would ever hire him to represent them) it's an entirely different matter!

[BravoCharlie]

03:18 AM on 03/12/2011

He was against it before he was for it. Typical politician.

[Beg4Nothing]

01:10 PM on 03/03/2011

Which John should we be talking about, Edwards or Ensign?

[schudge1]

12:12 PM on 03/03/2011

I smell a settlement...

[VoteThemAllOut]

12:10 PM on 03/03/2011

If he's lucky, he might get the cell next to Tom DeLay

[Holly Smoke]

11:55 AM on 03/03/2011

God blessed America not to have him as VP.

[oilfield]

11:38 AM on 03/03/2011

if only he had been elected president....i wonder if springer would have done a live show from the white house?

[zanzy]

10:56 AM on 03/03/2011

What a great idea, lets spend all our money going after this goof; instead of the crooks on Wall Street that destroyed this country.

[IsotelusMaximus]

11:04 AM on 03/03/2011

A crime is a crime.

[zanzy]

11:30 AM on 03/03/2011

Crimes are not all the same, even our penal code accounts for this.
What was Edward's crime, lying about his personal sex life? What was Wall Street's crime, multiple accounts of massive, nation-wide banking fraud and destoying our national economy?

[cooperone]

11:47 AM on 03/03/2011

Oh Pleaaaassse! If your comment was realistic Bush and his buddies would all be in jail!

[jdepaolo]

10:43 AM on 03/03/2011

I just wish all the people who John seemed to care for so much during his 2 presidential campaigns could afford such wonderful legal representation. John Edwards = hypocrisy at its finest.

[artsymermaid]

10:40 AM on 03/03/2011

He has to live with himself. That is punishment enough.

[Brad T Casali]

03:44 PM on 03/03/2011

Yeah, but living with yourself in combination with jail time is worse than just living with yourself in the free world. I think Edwards probably wants the latter.

[Joe Friday]

10:28 AM on 03/03/2011

John has a chance!!
Christine was accused and found not in violation of the rules. She didn't have a secret Lover, maybe that will make a difference. Whatever!, John is now the political "Poster Boy for Sex, Lies and Misdemeanors"!

John makes Newt look like Benedict XV!!!!!

[studioh!]

10:27 AM on 03/03/2011

does this craig also have a wide-stance?

[riverhead]

10:20 AM on 03/03/2011

I still wonder how he thought he was going to get away with an affair (with a child) while he was President ... that shows an incredible lack of judgment, and thank god he didn't win the nomination. On a personal level, there is no justice in sending him to prison for paying his girlfriend with campaign funds when those spots should be reserved for the administration of war criminals we voted out.

[babybecks]

10:17 AM on 03/03/2011

He's so rich, why wouldn't he just fess up and pay from his private funds? Did he really think he would be able to keep this quiet? How intelligent people can be so bumbling in their personal lives is just perplexing.

[ArkayMI]

10:39 AM on 03/03/2011

"How intelligen­t people can be so bumbling in their personal lives is just perplexing­. " - With money and power comes cockiness and over-confidence not to mention the thought "The rules don't apply to me". Bil Clinton, Mark Sanford & John Edwards are all examples.

[jujub]

10:17 AM on 03/03/2011

Where was all the Republican outrage over the Ensign, Sanford, Craig, Vitter, Foley, Armey, Thomas, Barton, Packwood, Gingrich, Hyde, Livingston, Barr, affairs?

[sammi 56]

11:18 AM on 03/03/2011

The Press baby, the press!