John Edwards has admitted to having an extramarital affair with filmmaker Rielle Hunter, and lying throughout his Presidential campaign. ABC News will run the Edwards interview tonight, in which he admits to the affair, but says he never loved the woman. Although he has not taken a paternity test, Edwards says he knows he is not the father based on the timing of the affair. He also denies making payments to the woman, but says his friends or supporters may have done so without his knowledge.
The former presidential candidate says his wife Elizabeth and other family members learned of the affair in 2006.
Update: Following the news of his admission, John Edwards released a statement.
In 2006, I made a serious error in judgment and conducted myself in a way that was disloyal to my family and to my core beliefs. . . . 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. . . . It is inadequate to say to the people who believed in me that I am sorry, as it is inadequate to say to the people who love me that I am sorry. In the course of several campaigns, I started to believe that I was special and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic. If you want to beat me up — feel free.
For the rest, read his full statement.
No Romeo
La Petite S*****
GUESS
this makes me so sad. i fully supported edwards during his campaign and was really disappointed when he dropped out of the race.
1Ugh- so sad. While his wife is battling cancer??? Question- why was he recently visiting her in this hotel room IF he didn't love her AND he wasn't the father? Well, this just ruined his political career. Come clean before the Inquirer gets you- that's sad. I actually really liked him-ugh!
2How sad. And his wife took him back. Oh well, that was her decision, and it was her perogative.
3Of course I don't know everything that's going on in the marriage but dang, dude. Why you gotta do that to Elizabeth?
4Doing it was bad enough, lying just killed any further political career and made it a juicier story.
5So it was lied about and covered up all this time so that he could go after the presidency and perhaps he thought it wouldn't come up again after he dropped out of the race?! I feel so incredibly sad for his wife and kids. How can you believe anything he says now? Sorry, but it's in the poorest taste and just shows, his need to be president was greater than spending time with his ailing wife and family. What a selfish a..
6Boo John Edwards, boo!!!
7I like that he announced it on a Friday, when Saturday newspapers are the least read, there's the Olympics to distract us, etc. Way to try to avoid people noticing.
8Just a gut feeling that I had but I never trusted this man. I do respect his wife, Elizabeth, and I feel so sad for her. Not only is she battling cancer but now she has to battle this. His political life is over. So, he said he never loved this woman that makes me dislike him even more. He also says he is not the father? Really, he lied about having THE affair. He's toast.
9It is very sad. I am a liberal but I don't care what political party you are from, cheating on your spouse is disgusting. I hope the news media goes easy on the family and doesn't make it worse for them.
10This makes me so sad, I really liked Edwards and his wife (esp. after reading her book.) I can't imagine what would drive a man to do that to his dying wife. I'd also really like to see him take a paternity test, he's denying he's the father but still saw Hunter within the past month...something's fishy here
11Well, well, well... Mr. Perfect is not so perfect afterall. What a disgrace he is. He should be ashamed of himself.
12this is awful. his poor wife! he should have just admitted to this entire thing earlier. or, he should have just behaved himself and either remained faithful or got a divorce
13mama8699 - I'm not saying he's not a "selfish a" but Elizabeth had a lot to do with his continuing to run for president even after she got sick again. I think maybe she pushed him to stay in the race so that she could use that as a larger platform for her crusade for better national health care. And if he somehow became the nominee and this came out, they'd deal with it when it came out? Even if she wanted to leave him, maybe she felt that her fight for better national health care was more important than her personal life?
Either way, I hate that he did that to her. Boooo!
14I kind of wish that some day one of the wives will chose to walk away from their cheating spouse. I don't get it.
15This still smells funny. Why would he be in a hotel room with this woman 2 years after the affair ended?
Oh, and I just looove the quote about him not paying her to keep quiet, but perhaps his friends and/or staff did. You KNOW that was all done behind closed doors. Ugh.
As with all other instances of betrayals like this, it's the lying that bothers me much more than the act itself. What you do with your sex life is your business, but once you come out there and vehemently deny it and try to put down the people making the claims as liars, then you're done in my book.
I can't say I'm so surprised about this though.
16I'm actually not that surprised that he had an affair. I felt terrible for his wife and the fact that she is going through cancer, but she always seemed much older and less attractive than John. Not that it is an excuse to cheat...I'm just surprised they got married in the first place. He always seemed gay to me, but I guess I'm the only one who thinks that
I wonder if that really is his baby, I would take a paternity test if I was him. Poor Elizabeth
Edwards...
17Oops I mean "I feel terrible" not "I felt."
18I don't know that Elizabeth should automatically leave him, but I'd drive his sorry butt to that paternity test - Elizabeth, their children and the other woman's child all deserve to know and since he's lied already, his word wouldn't matter one bit.
19What's even worse is he's gonna have to do this all over again once it comes out he's the father of that child. Boy won't that look stupid. Notice how he put this out on the same day the Olympics started so this would be buried under all the Beijing garbage.
20Terribly sad and disappointing. You have to wonder what's going through his mind to cheat on his wife in the first place, much less the mother of his children who is battling life-threatening cancer. Morality issues aside, even, it's just a piss-poor decision in the world of politics.
21You know, if Elizabeth has known about the affair since 2006 (I think that is what is being sated), I bet she has already made him take the test. For him to be visiting the hotel room two weeks ago- of a woman whom he didn't love AND who happens to have an infant people claim is his-it's got to be his kid. Why risk getting caught if the affair is over and he didn't love her. He just seems like a big dumba$$ right now. Like his wife needed this attention now that she is ill again.
22>Doing it was bad enough, lying just killed any further political career and made it a juicier story.
I never understand this sentiment. Do we really see having an affair and NOT keeping it a secret as something someone will do?
23Affairs always come out it seems and they don't and they end, people think it's alright and go on to have more affairs.
What I never understood is, how can you marry the guy or girl who you're having the affair with? You now they are likely to cheat. Once a cheater always a cheater. That's just the way it is.
24Never like the man, I love ye olde “I never loved her” phrase, that means what? You risked STDs, pregnancy, your marriage, your kids, and your career for some poon? He probably did love her, but she mussed his hair up during a romp and that quickly changed his mind.
25You know he could have saved himself a hell of a lot of trouble if he had simply admitted to inquiring reporters in 2007 that he had the affair given the fact that his family already knew in 2006. Elizabeth had apparently dealt with it and stood by his side so as a united front they should have just said yeah it happened, it's dealt with and steel the glorification away from the media. However, now after nearly a year of denials and possible back door hush payments his image is pretty tarnished and he's definitely put the spoil on any nomination to a cabinet position.
26> he's definitely put the spoil on any nomination to a cabinet position.
Which is unfortunate since I doubt any of the cabinet job descriptions require the person in the position to only put his penis in things he's married to.
27I know, when it comes to a cabinet position I can care less about the affair. He would make one hell of an Attorney General.
28Can you imagine if you were interviewing for a job and were asked who you like to have sex with?
"So, what are you into? Your wife? Your girlfriend? Random drunk girls? We need to know for your HR file."
29how do you say dumbasss in french?
30un derriere stupide?
31Once I knew other people knew and the press was likely to find out Torg, I'd tell it first. It shouldn't keep him out of the Cabinet, but probably will for a while at least.
These stories come out often enough that he would know the denial wasn't going to hold. Had they sat down in 2006 or early 2007 and told Diane Sawyer how devastating this had been blah blah blah, it could have been handled as a defining moment. Now its all damage control and what else does he lie about. Edwards knows that you can lie about WMDs but not sex in this country.
32That's a good point sofi unless he was just going back for another cookie.
33Total loser....
34Yet another man that has no respect for his wife or his children. Having an affiar while your wife has cancer? That's low.
35nooooooooooooooooooo! This makes me so sad.
36What an idiot!!!! He could have had such a bright political future and I was really rooting for him. *sigh*
37To think that I once really liked and supported his as a candidate makes me very sad. Wonder if the whole truth will ever be revealed?
38I think that most men are going to tell their wives that they didn't love the other woman, even if they did, unless they are leaving their wife for them. The fact that he was back with her 2 years later says that they are bonded by something...if not love then the child.
39Sorry but it just shows that we're all human. I didn't support him as a presidential candidate but regardless this has no effect on me. The president can't be perfect, we all make mistakes, and I just can't sit there and be judgmental enough to say that he is disgusting for what he did. I just feel that, while cheating is "wrong," it's just based culturally. Years ago if mankind had decided that we each should have multiple partners, it wouldn't be seen as wrong but as normal. He didn't do anything criminal so the only thing that I am bothered by is the lying part...but then THAT is human as well! I wouldn't want to admit to the world that i cheated on my partner, I'd lie to my dying day just the same:)
40When the USA freaked out that the worst they had on Billy boy was his affair, the world laughed about it.
I think what John did was tacky, cruel, and reprehensible. But he is not my husband, she is not my sister, mom, or daughter, and if we keep choosing our politicians based on non-political issues we will keep screwing up.
Look..JFK is lauded, he was a known philanderer. Martin Luther King..ditto. Is it right? Not really, but we need to stop and think about the things we actually condemn here, and what we have allowed to pass over the past 8 years.
Think about it.
41I don't care about the sex, it's lying when you know exactly how that's going to play out. Just own what you do.
42That I actually agree with.
Nothing annoys me more about ANY politician than when everyone but him seems to know the truth and we have to wait for 5 years (or massive wastes of taxpayer time and cash, Mr. Kenneth Starr..) to get him to say what we already knew.
All the same, I had hoped we were over the "sex" thing. LOL at me.
43I guess I just don't see any politician, or anyone really, being like, "Bye, honey. I'm off to boink my girlfriend! If the press calls, tell them that's where I am."
(I hope boink is appropriate language.)
44How about a politician that instead of denying it says: "My private life is just that - private." The problem is that if someone hasn't had an affair then they look guilty. I guess there is no winning is there?
It does seem to ALWAYS come out in the end though. Maybe it's better to be truthful up front and just be a philanderer and not also a liar who pays people off. Although I'm not sure you can philander without lying. Hmmm.
And speaking of paying people off, I have a strong hunch that he made some deals through some people to do just that.
And I would NOT want someone as attorney general that would stoop that low.
45Oh, I would love, love, love to have someone say that. "What goes on in my bedroom is private." He would look guilty, but he'd get my vote.
46WOAH good thing he wasn't our candidate.
Not because I give a lick if he cheats on his wife..because I really don't. That's between the two of them. I have my own problems. BUT it would've handed the election to the Republicans on a silver platter. I can't believe he tried to run for president knowing this would come out.
47But I wonder if he ever really thought he had a serious shot or if he just wanted to raise awareness on his issues.
48I don't expect people to blandly offer the info, but if you're called on it, channel Cheney: 'yeah I did it, f-you!'.
If you decided that there was good cause for screwing around, even if that good cause was nothing more than 'cuz I felt like it', then admit it. Telling the truth pulls the rug out from under a lot of misplaced righteous indignation. If more people told the truth instead of acting like naughty kids, we might then get over the whole 'oooh hehadsex' thing.
49
Steph! You are on fire today!!!
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