Hunter & Young Financial Backer Fred Baron: Another Edwards Victim

I spent about twenty minutes on the phone Sunday morning with Fred Baron, the Dallas attorney and Democratic fund raiser whose current and unwanted claim to fame is that he helped fund the move from North Carolina to Santa Barbara by Edwards mistress Rielle Hunter and Edward's right hand man and self-proclaimed Hunter baby daddy Andrew Young.

Fred Baron struck me as a passionate supporter of Democratic causes and completely sincere defender of John Edwards. Baron says he helped Young and Hunter out of the goodness of his heart and it seems consistent to me with the support he's given for any number of progressive causes. Strange as it may sound to some people, he did know both Young and Hunter when they worked on the Edwards campaign and when he heard how the press was hounding them after the initial Enquirer stories broke back in late 2007 he felt the best way he could help was not by asking questions but by opening his checkbook to help them escape the glare of aggressive press attention.

Baron clearly believes in Edwards even now. Like many dedicated John Edwards friends and fans, he thinks that Edwards confession on Nightline was a sincere apology and contained enough detail for the press and public to move on, stop rubbernecking and let painful process of personal healing begin for the Edwards family.

The tragedy as I see it is that John Edwards continues to abuse the trust, loyalty and friendships of ardent supporters like Fred Baron. This story is far from over because what we've heard so far from John Edwards is far from the truth. There's growing evidence of contradictions in the timeline that John Edwards presented to the American public and the next few weeks will likely reveal that John Edwards was lying to us even as he swore that now he was telling us the truth. Edwards has created a situation where every National Enquirer story published will be more believable than any statement he makes.

The layers of lies that John Edwards has been living for the past couple of years is about to catch up with him. He's already lost most of the public and the press. Even his committed followers have abandoned him now, leaving only the most sincere inner circle. When the weight of John Edwards continued deception becomes clear to even them, it's hard to see how John Edwards will ever be able to redeem himself.

Crossposted at MyLeftWing where former Edwards supporter Maryscott O'Connor is furious

Follow Lee Stranahan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Stranahan

Comments

[DinSea]

Oh, what a tangled web we weave ... when first we practice to deceive. Isn't it an interesting study in character to see a person struggle with the TRUTH. Even now, John Edwards has strategy (i.e. CYA) in every word he says. He got lost deep in the abyss of attorney land, or self-importance savanna. Even when he sees corruption coming upon himself, he cannot resist. Even with all his beliefs, church people, family & friends, he couldn't resist.

It's not the dirty deed which is the lesser crime; the greater sin is the cover up and inability to tell the truth.

[Ndw]

Yes. Get started.

[ratcityreprobate]

John Edwards has self-immolated. His political career is now past tense. The question now is what motivates the continued domestic voyeurism of so many commenters? It is beginning to look like a malignant obsession with tearing someone down.

[Michale32086]

There is still the issue of embezzlement or misappropriation of nearly a million dollars of campaign funds that needs to be investigated..

You are going to see a LOT more of the Edwards saga before it's all over... Better get used to it..

Michale.....

[chumleypotts]

I really don't care who horny Johnny humped. What I want explained to me is..who paid to keep moving the babe around and putting her up in posh locations? Campaign funds/ donations? Congress has proved their expertise in conducting investigations against repubs, so now I want to see one looking into one of their own.

[Michale32086]

And THAT is the $64,000 question..

As with most scandals, it's NOT the sex.. It's the cover up... It's the multitude and endless lies.. And it's the criminality....

Edwards is up to his neck in ALL of that... And so are those around him...

This is going to get a LOT worse before it gets better...

Michale....

[PennP]

I can almost calibrate to the hour when you'll post again to slam Baron for money-laundering, deep Texanity, and corrupting the morals of a gaggle of jerks. So far, you've flipped on everyone you've gushed about, the worst being our dear, sad Elizabeth Edwards. But in terms of praising scoundrels, this is the worst yet. You might consider altering your research and reporting methods. Try going light on the trust and long on the verify, and don't give character references based on 20-minute phone conversations with people you don't know, especially when those people are pros at the art of persuasion.

[libbygirl]

Trust a lawyer? Only when he's working for you.....if then.

[teresa h]

I couldn't agree more with PennP. Glad he was able to say it.

[Bernovac]

I thought you didn't censure, Lee. So now you're even censuring Mary Scott? Okay, I'll copy this and post it on her site.

You spent 20 minutes talking to the man and you come away with this: "Fred Baron struck me as a passionate supporter of Democratic causes and completely sincere defender of John Edwards. Baron says he helped Young and Hunter out of the goodness of his heart and it seems consistent to me with the support he's given for any number of progressive causes."

OUT OF THE GOODNESS OF HIS HEART? Have you ever had money? Do you know people who do? They don't give $15,000 a month and more to help anyone "out of the goodness of their heart."There's something about this story that's causing you to lose it. P.O.'d at Kos? You're on some sort of crusade and it's getting beyond weird.

Baron is not a victim. And neither is Druck. Or Young, the petty criminal. I doubt his wife is. Or Bob McGovern. So who is? Who's left? You tell me!

[Lee Stranahan - Huffpost Blogger]

Baron disputes the $15k figure and yes, there are people that do that.

[NCYvonne]

Lee, if Baron wanted to help out of the goodness of his heart, he could have moved Hunter and Young and helped them get settled. Setting someone up in a multi-million dollar home isn't "helping" it's a pay-off.

If Hunter was moved back to NJ into a decent townhome (which was better than her situation before she moved to NC) then that would be plausible. But her living standard was so plush, it was clearly a cover-up.

Also, Young and Hunter are nobodies. So, if Young was really the father of the baby, the tabloids would have stopped bugging them pretty quickly. Running away from NC and now running away from CA proves that there's more to this story. A lot more.

[teembee]

For you shallow people that are saying it was just sex, get over it............uh, it is a little more than that now.
Old Johnny has a lot of explaining to do concerning $$$$. We are now talking between 3 and 8 million that was used. Hmmmm.
If it was campaign $$ he is going to jail. If it was personal $$ the IRS is going to be interested to see if he declared it as a gift.

[nunzia]

I await your post about McCain and his adultery and divorce?

[Lee Stranahan - Huffpost Blogger]

I've written about that before and I'm sure I'll do it again. Right now, this is what I'm working on and there's a lot of story left in it.

[teembee]

Oh, so that makes it ok?

[GretaR]

Yeah, hi, Mr. Baron. My low-class neighbors harass me constantly (for one, and I quote: "I'm a peace loving, nature lover"). Santa Barbara is nice and all...and by nice I mean reallllly f***ng nice...but if you'd like to relocate me to a trailer on even just 10 acres in rural North Carolina, I'd be cool with that.

Call me!

[dutchess2]

How long did John McCain shack up with Cindy before he told his cripled wife and five children he was gone?

[Michale32086]

Ancient history that has already been thoroughly vetted and exposed..

Give up trying to mitigate or justify what Edwards did by comparing it to what McCain did 30 years ago..

It simply won't fly...

Michale.....

[Bernovac]

It will fly because it was far WORSE than what John did. Do we want this man as president? Not in America, most moral country ever under God and sun!

[CSNS56]

I'm not a McCain supporter by any means, but did he funnel tax payers' money to Cindy? Sex is not the issue here and the reason why so many of Edwards' supporters feel decieved and betrayed by him.

[Boadicea]

The comments on that My Left Wing piece are interesting... several people are saying that there are rumors that the NE has evidence that the Edwards campaign was channeling money to Baron at the same time and in the same amounts as he was giving cash to Hunter.

[mbbythesea]

I am breaking my rule to obey EE's request to the public--to drop it-- last blog on this topic:
I think that JE had an unbearable time revealing the probable truth because he is trying to protect his wife's feelings and his family's feelings it is understandable that JE would go to great lengths to try to protect them under these circumstances.

the indication is that he made arrangements to take care of Hunter and child--gen­erously--t­his is a sign of meeting one's responsibility. I don't think it is appropriate to launch further investigat­ions--what is wrong? that a woman is receiving child support? Please save the energy for all the deadbeat dads in this country.

I think severe judgment or further intrusion is too, too much.
Was there some political misjudgment? Oh whatever, yes given the current times. However we should question the times and the grossly intrusive media ...irrelevant personal misdeeds should be private. Edwards can do what he wants, he does not need politics. He had sound policies and a good cause. We are far too fond of taking down our heroes for human imperfections We are losing our best thinkers by doing this. Privacy laws and boundaries would be a good start.

I am praying for this family and really praying for this country. I don't know how we'lll dig ourselves out from under big brother sleeze magazines and other republican mechanisms and regain our democracy.

[gba]

Which could be payments for using his jet

[gage]

Yes. That's what they're saying here:

http://patterico.com/2008/08/10/baron-received-big-bucks-from-edwards-campaign-as-he-was-paying-hunter/

[gage]

Baron says it's reimbursement for use of his jet. This is plausible, since it's a common practice. Still needs investigating though. There are all kinds of ways to check tail numbers, flight plans, etc.

[singlemalt]

"The layers of lies that John Edwards has been living for the past couple of years is about to catch up with him."

I think it already has! He's done in politics. Done.

If he wasn't completely truthful about all the details regarding his affair, I don't care.
The big thing is that he admitted to the affair and now his political career is over.

Can you now investigate someone or something that is relevant?

[elizaW]

John Edwards has boxed himself into a corner by being less than truthful. Rielle Hunter could decide at any moment to cash in and tell her story to a magazine. Right now she's still probably in fantasy about her relationship with Edwards but the day she wakes up and realizes it's never going to happen - watch how quickly all her spiritual crap goes out the window and the "woman scorned" persona takes control.

[BobLargomarsino]

What really amazes me about this story is that when caught in a lie Edwards elected to go on television and tell even more lies while pretending to come clean. Amazing chutzpah.

I guess the moral of the story is never vote for the guy who runs a campaign that is completely opposite his voting record.

[NABNYC]

He had sex. For God's sake. What on earth is going through people's minds? What explains this level of hysteria? If any of this is coming from progressives, take a breath and then move on. Lots of people have sex. Outside of marriage. Some people even have sex inside marriage. The surprising thing is that we don't all have sex every day, randomly, with whoever happens to be available, on the bus, in the elevator, in the coffee room or conference room, standing in line for lattes or at the ATM. It feels good and it's free. It releases tension. The fact that people repress their natural sexual instincts as much as they do is probably the surprising part. Not the fact that they occasionally stray.

And for all the women joining in this chorus: this repression of natural sexuality and turning it into the biggest sin of all is mostly designed to enslave us and justify men killing us when we do what feels good.

Now let's take all that hysteria over John Edward's wandering willy and put it back where it belongs: on the wall street boys, the financial institutions, the real estate developers who have destroyed our economy and left many homeless and broke; on the republicans who have squandered the lives and treasury of our youth on foreign adventures in pursuit of oil and other resources. He had sex. Get over it.

[slaxx]

true..but it's the lying people don't like more than the affair. of course people will condemn the affair though, because people like to condemn everything and everyone, no matter how trivial. and they'll also condemn it because they're actually upset about the lying.

i think it's the hyprocrisy and the perception that if you would lie and cheat on your spouse, then why not on the american public? people are upset because he was dishonest and his dinhonesty could have potentially cost the dem's the presidency if he had been the nominee. i'm sure his supporters, the people who voted for him and gave their money to him, have the right to be peeved, simply because he got their votes and money under false pretenses.

and i don't think that this was a "simple" affair, simple sex. i don't think he told elizabeth about it back in 2006, i think it's still going on, and i think he paid her off as well the other guy to say that he was the father. simply shady and it;s the shadiness that bothers people.

[Lee Stranahan - Huffpost Blogger]

I believe Young was motivated by loyalty to Edwards and money.

I believe Rielle Hunter is in love with John Edwards and expects to be with him someday.

[elizaW]

If truth isn't important to you when it comes to your politicians, why should real estate developers, wall street boys etc. be demonized for any of their deceptions. You either value truth or you don't. That's the issue here not how many sexual partners a person has. Who cares? Not me. However I do care that a guy like john Edwards, who wanted to be ATTORNEY GENERAL, is a pathological liar. We all should care about that.

[Stirner]

Unhappily, sex does generate babies (sperm meets egg?). The repression of "natural sexuality" is quite rational -- after all there is often a repression of "natural defecation". I'm glad it is "repressed". As for the red herring fuss about evil-doers throughout the world, which you use to justify "wandering willies" -- hey, tell that to any wife. Decency and honesty are not to be limited to global activities, and to be honest I think married folks (and a lot of "significant others") would rather a bump in the gas price than their spouse or "other" getting out and being bumped. Hope we don't meet on an elevator... otherwise, good dreaming.

[gage]

There's a baby, and there are questionable financial dealings, plus scores of people have told lies to the press and to the campaign donors.

You can say "it's just sex" all day long, but it won't change the facts on the ground. Wishful thinking and denial won't get you anywhere.