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John Edwards Reportedly Brought To Tears By Former Spokesperson Jennifer Palmieri's Testimony

Posted: 05/10/2012 11:37 am

John Edwards Tears

Emotional testimony provided in the John Edwards trial on Wednesday appeared to strike a chord with the former senator and two-time presidential candidate.

The New York Post reports that Edwards was brought to tears as his former campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri discussed the late Elizabeth Edwards and the final moments of her life.

The AP reports:

Palmieri broke down as she described how her friend wasn't able to speak in her final days, but had earlier told her about one of her greatest fears.

"She was concerned that when she died, there would not be a man who loved her there," Palmieri said.

The statement caused Edwards, who had showed no reaction for much of his former spokeswoman's testimony, to drop his head and put a hand to his face.

Asked by one of Edwards' lawyers if the husband was also at Elizabeth's bedside in her final hours, Palmieri dabbed away tears with a tissue.

"John was there," she replied.

The New York Times reports that Palmieri was by Elizabeth Edwards' side at the end of her life in 2010 and that Edwards appeared to be shaken as he listened to what his former spokeswoman had to say.

Prosecutors were expected to conclude making their case on Thursday.

Below, a slideshow of highlights from what Rielle Hunter, the mother of Edwards' love child, had to say in a 2010 interview with GQ about falling in love with the former senator.

Loading Slideshow...
  • Love At First Sight?

    "And when they left, my friend went over and asked Tony if that was John Edwards, and he said yes. And my friend turned to me and said, 'See, I told you it was John Edwards.' And then I came over to the table, and I said, 'I can't believe that was John Edwards; he's so hot. He's really got it going on. He's got something unusual about him, and I never would have recognized him.' And Tony said, 'Oh, my God, you should have come over and told him that. He would have loved to have heard that.'"

  • An Extraordinary Night

    "We had an extraordinary night, and I did know that this was unlike anything either of us had ever experienced. And as we have all learned, that was accurate! [laughs] He in fact did say to me the first night, 'Falling in love with you could really [screw] up my plans for becoming President.' And of course I said, 'If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.'"

  • The Oddest Connection He Had Ever Felt

    "Well, what Johnny later told me was, he went to dinner and could not stop thinking about me, like, 'Who was that woman, and why didn't I go over and talk to her?' ... So when he walked around the corner and saw me standing there, he lit up like a Christmas tree. And I thought his reaction when he saw me was just so cute. I mean, he looked like a little kid at Christmas. And I just uttered to him, 'You're so hot.' And he said, 'Why, thank you!' And he almost jumped into my arms. Literally. And um, that's how we met. On the corner of 61st and Park Avenue."

  • 'I Had To Sleep With Him'

    "I used to make a joke that I could have helped save the world, but I had to sleep with him. You know? It was kind of like that."

  • Falling In Love

    "I fell in love with Johnny ... He called me the next day. We talked on the phone almost every night for four hours. We met on February 21. On February 25—on the phone, from Davenport, Iowa—I fell in love with him. Head over heels in love. I was a goner."

  • Here's ... Johnny!

    "Isn't that funny? You know, when I first met him, the first week of our relationship, I said to him, 'For some reason I cannot call you John, it doesn't come out. Could I call you Johnny?' And he said, 'That's my name.' And I didn't know that, but that's his actual birth name."

  • Knight In Shining Armor?

    "I had this thing in my head like a lot of women, where you want your man to stand up on a cliff and scream, 'I LOVE HER.' You know, the knight in shining armor. And that wasn't what was going on."

  • On Her Relationship Status

    "I am not engaged."

  • Why She's Talking Now

    "I feel comfortable talking now, because Johnny went public and made a statement admitting paternity. I didn't feel like I could ever speak until he did that. Because had I spoken, I would have emasculated him. And I could not emasculate him. Also, it is not my desire to teach my daughter that when Mommy's upset with Daddy, you take matters into your own hands and fix Daddy's mistakes. Which I view as one of the biggest problems in all female-and-male relationships."

  • Not A Gold Digger

    "I mean, just for starters, I never 'hit on' Johnny. I'm not a predator, I'm not a gold digger, I'm not the stalker. I didn't have any power in that way in our relationship. He held all the power."

  • 'The Wrath Of Elizabeth Is A Mighty Wrath'

    "And I believe what happened in his marriage is, he could not go to his wife and say, 'We have an issue.' Because he would be pummeled. So he had a huge fear. Most of his mistakes or errors in judgment were because of his fear of the wrath of Elizabeth. He's allowed himself to be pushed into a lot of things that he wouldn't normally do because of Elizabeth's story line. And the spin that she wants to put out there. He was emasculated. And you know, the wrath of Elizabeth is a mighty wrath."

  • 'I Was A Bit Promiscuous'

    "I was never, as it's been reported, a drug addict. The word addiction means inability to stop. I stopped doing drugs in my twenties. As for being promiscuous, I would say that I was a bit promiscuous for about six months. But it was because I was partying, and there were a lot of very good-looking available 20-year-old men around that you'd be partying with, and there was a lot of, you know, hooking up going on."

  • A Toxic Relationship

    "[Elizabeth] was in denial about a lot of facts. And I say she was in denial because, you know, their relationship has been dysfunctional and toxic and awful for many, many years. And she was aware of, um, problems and chose to ignore them."

  • 'I Don't Really Believe He Was A Politician'

    "Well, I don't really believe he was a politician. I believe his ego and ambition drove him to that field. I believe he's more aligned with being a humanitarian. That suits his true nature. Just like I wasn't a mistress. You know, I'm not a mistress, but I played the role? I believe he played the role of a politician. It's not who he is. Being a politician was a path of transformation for him, I believe. It's not really what he was put on the planet to do."

  • Not A 'Home Wrecker'

    "And, well, first of all, infidelity doesn't happen in healthy marriages. The break in the marriage happens before the infidelity. And that break happened, you know, two and a half decades before I got there. So the home was wrecked already. I was not the Home Wrecker."

  • Naming Frances Quinn Hunter

    "Her name is Frances Quinn Hunter, and I love the name Frances. Johnny wasn't over the moon about Frances. So I was coming up with names, and Quinn is a name that I loved, and that was the only name that he thought was cool. And so I named her Quinn because Daddy really liked it."

  • Was Andrew Young In Love With Edwards?

    "Andrew [Young] was in love with Johnny...In love with him. Beyond. And I believe he loved Johnny more than he loved Cheri. So Johnny was the third person in their relationship. And I'm sure she hates Johnny, because Andrew took a lot of obvious actions that were for Johnny and not for Cheri. But Cheri went along with them. And they both have a way of spinning things. But a lot of their motivation is money."

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Emotional testimony provided in the John Edwards trial on Wednesday appeared to strike a chord with the former senator and two-time presidential candidate. The New York Post reports that Edwards wa...
Emotional testimony provided in the John Edwards trial on Wednesday appeared to strike a chord with the former senator and two-time presidential candidate. The New York Post reports that Edwards wa...
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11:16 PM on 05/12/2012
Do not try to put Mr.John Edwards in the same category as President Obama. They are two different Men..My symparhy is with those children.
HopeWFaith
We the People
11:36 AM on 05/12/2012
Sex drive is a really dangerous drug. He was overcome with it clearly, to have fallen prey to this woman's complements and attention, when he had one of the most wonderful women in his life and dedicated to him and the family, all along. It would be so good if a lot of people could see this for what it is, sex drive on steroids. It takes many a person down. John has allowed it to ruin his life.
04:52 PM on 05/11/2012
The tears were probably genuine, but that guy can cry on cue...
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ALittleBitCrazy
You have to be a bit crazy, to understand reality.
03:42 PM on 05/11/2012
Now he shows a soft side, when before he was off with some floozy while his wife lays dying on her deathbed.

Give the guy an award and a round of applause! Some fine acting there, Edwards.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
cherylhaass
stubborntothebitterend
03:36 PM on 05/11/2012
How sad that Elizabeth focused so much love and energy on this miserable lying weasel. He did not deserve to have her in his life. He is not worthy of being included in her dying thoughts and words. He should go to jail for his lies and financial jiggery-pokery, but he should somehow be made to suffer as that poor woman suffered for him. He's only crying because he's GUILTY. He's soooo sorry...that he got CAUGHT. To think that THIS guy had a shot at being the POTUS is truly frightening.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ADVOCATE4ZPG
06:29 PM on 05/11/2012
Sounds like "scorned woman" flailings..... Edwards shared many, productive (and poss. happy) years with Elizabeth. They earned a fortune together. He strayed...., but he's not on trial for any imagined or perceived "insults" to his former wife...!!!!
07:09 PM on 05/11/2012
Talk about issues. You are actually defending this guy by saying he only broke laws because morality is not actionable? Oh, by the way, the insults were real.
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American Native Son
Liberals are a clear waste of their own time
02:09 PM on 05/11/2012
The envelope please......
02:01 PM on 05/11/2012
I'm betting he is not going to do the time... If it was my husband or "Joe Blo" that did something like this to a corporation or something they would be sticking close with their backs to a wall in prison, if you catch my drift. We shall see but I agree with all above... He should go to prison for what he has done and if he is as religious as he says he will meet his maker and then see Elizabeth...bless her heart!
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ADVOCATE4ZPG
06:30 PM on 05/11/2012
He's not on trial for "infidelity"; he's being pursued for apocryphal, violations of campaign finance laws...!!!
07:49 AM on 05/12/2012
I completely understand that. But I still believe he will not go to prison. Somehow "they" always seem to get out of that part when every knows the truth. I was not talking about infidelity, I was talking about the money from campaign that was used to hide what he was doing...isn't that the issue? I just mentioned Elizabeth because I felt sorry for her given everything else on her plate. She really has nothing to do with this trial and should have never even mentioned. I just said he will meet his maker for what he has done even if he does not go to jail...given his religious beliefs. Apocryphal is a good word to use for screwing the people. I believe he is lying about it, absolutely.
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10:52 AM on 05/11/2012
edwards will cry when he's crowned prom-queen of D-Block
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
hwoodude
12:44 PM on 05/11/2012
There are several words that could define Mr. Edwards but my dear mother would not approve of them nor would they be publishable in this environment.

As ye soweth so shall ye reap!
02:17 PM on 05/11/2012
I think that's what caused the tears. He may expect it to happen. What a sleezebag!
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09:44 AM on 05/11/2012
John Edwards is going to be doing a whole lot more crying when Bubba The Prison Ape takes a fancy to him and turns Edwards into a contortionist behind behind prison bars! This will be a remake of 'The Crying Game' starring Edwards as the soaking wet Hanky In Chief!
09:42 AM on 05/11/2012
there is nothing that can describe the mind of a person who would not only cheat on his dying wife but at the same time think he could run for president and not get found out. the closest i can come is "sociopath".
02:19 PM on 05/11/2012
And that's what our President has done to us himself. We knew and still know nothing of his early life, his college days and his assocoiates, including Bill Ayres.
07:04 PM on 05/11/2012
you might want to do your research about that. and there is NO comparison between obama and edwards no matter what you come up with.
07:14 PM on 05/11/2012
We all read and we all know your pants are on fire. Go back to Yahoo where the ignorant will fan you.
09:41 AM on 05/11/2012
And the Academy Award goes too .....
09:27 AM on 05/11/2012
I always felt sorry for Elizabeth, but am surprised to hear one of her deathbed fears were that a man who loved her would not be by her side. Usually a dying mother's last fears are for her children's future love, safety and security - all thoughts about self go out the window.
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09:23 AM on 05/11/2012
It's worth remembering that as a very successful trial lawyer, Edwards was known for his ability to deliver emotionally charged final arguments and bring jury members to tears with real tears of his own.

The man is as phony as a three dollar bill. He's playing this jury the same way he once played juries in all his lawsuit trials.
09:17 AM on 05/11/2012
He is crying because he can see that he is going to go to jail.
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09:45 AM on 05/11/2012
Extra grease will surely have to be brought in for his arrival. Sigh....
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ghelm92160
09:12 AM on 05/11/2012
Not only a greedy lawyer and corrupt politician but also a good actor!
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09:47 AM on 05/11/2012
And to think that this clown could have been an Obama Sectetary in The Department Of Sleaze! What a tragic loss of a golden opportunity.
02:04 PM on 05/11/2012
Didn't you read the earlier article that cited several credible sources in the Obama administration which said Edwards was never being considered for ANYthing? Why do you have this compulsion to use Edwards' despicable behavior to try to sully President Obama?