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John Edwards Lawyer: He Didn't Break the Law

John Edwards has added some heft to his legal team: former White House Counsel Gregory Craig. Craig released this statement today:

“John Edwards has done wrong in his life – and he knows it better than anyone but he did not break the law. The government’s theory is wrong on the facts and wrong on the law. It is novel and untested. There is no civil or criminal precedent for such a prosecution. The government originally investigated allegations that Senator Edwards’ campaign’s funds were misused but continued its pursuit even after finding that not one penny from the Edwards campaign was involved.

The Justice Department has wasted millions of dollars and thousands of hours on a matter more appropriately a topic for the Federal Election Commission to consider, not a criminal court.”

Craig says Edwards is prepared to fight. My translation: If the Government offers a misdemeanor, there's still room to talk, particularly before the Indictment is returned. [More...]

The Grand Jury in Charlotte Raleigh returned some indictments on May 10, May 18 and May 24. Since the grand jury meets monthly, there must be more than one grand jury sitting at a time. The Court's website says:

Our grand juries typically meet 1-2 days each month. ...Monthly reminders are mailed approximately one week prior to each scheduled meeting.

If reports are correct that DOJ just signed off on proceeding to Indictment,it sounds like an Edwards' indictment won't happen before the June grand jury sessions and the first or second week of June. Which would mean Edwards has a few weeks to make up his mind.

(Edited: Charlotte changed to Raleigh because CBS reports that's where an Edwards Indictment would be returned. CBS says it could be Wednesday, June 1.)

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  • Display: Sort:
    Shows where Obama's priorities are (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by scribe on Thu May 26, 2011 at 04:13:42 AM EST
    People who could be a political threat (actual or perceived) to Obama get prosecuted, hounded and persecuted:  Blago, Edwards.

    People who he agrees with get a walk:  Cheney, Bush, Ashcroft, banksters, the list goes on.

    There is no end to the ingenuity expended in prosecuting those his DoJ chooses to prosecute, and (as we see in Clarence Thomas' "forgetting" hundreds of thousands of dollars of income on his disclosure statements) no end of the ability to overlook obvious, easy cases for those he chooses not to prosecute.

    a political threat??? (none / 0) (#2)
    by markw on Thu May 26, 2011 at 04:50:46 AM EST
    John Edwards is a political threat to Obama?  That's a laugh.  At this point Edwards ain't a political threat to anybody, actual OR perceived.

    as a legal matter (none / 0) (#3)
    by desmoinesdem on Thu May 26, 2011 at 06:07:20 AM EST
    Does it make any difference whether the money used to take care of Hunter was campaign funding or money donated to his One America Committee (I think that's what it was called)?

    I think when the attorney says "not one penny" from the campaign went toward these purposes he is glossing over the big money from the One America Committee that was solicited and used in order to keep this matter quiet.

    One America (none / 0) (#4)
    by jbindc on Thu May 26, 2011 at 08:34:10 AM EST
    What he did was sleazy (none / 0) (#5)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Thu May 26, 2011 at 09:29:37 AM EST
    .

    What he did was sleazy, but illegal?  What harm was visited upon the state by John using gifted money to pay for a hush up to avoid embarrassment?

    .