Where did the money come from? Who paid, and why?
It looks like Federal campaign finance laws have been violated by Edwards' moves to hush up this scandal over the past two years.
From what I've read and heard so far, Edwards' campaign finance chief wrote the checks for these homes from the campaign's funds.
Unfortunately for John-boy, that makes the purchases of those homes a potential violation of Federal campaign finance laws, because no campaign activity was performed pursuant to the purchases.
It's not a big stretch to imagine the deal Edwards offered his mistress. It may have been something like,
'I'll get you out of North Carolina and buy a very nice home for you and your/my/our baby, plus provide you with a form of regular child support. In return, you are never to take a paternity test for the baby. If you do, the deal is off, and will be unwound.'
The other home? Probably to provide plausible evidence for the cover story that a campaign aide fathered the mistress' child.
But Edwards has a problem, if this is remotely close to the truth. If his mistress did have a paternity test taken, and the baby proved to be Edwards', then pulling the trigger on the arrangement makes him look heartless. He'd be putting his own child out on the curb in Santa Barbara.
On the other hand, if his mistress had the test administered, and it was negative for Edwards, then he might renege on the deal, as he bore substantially less public ignominy if he was clearly not the woman's baby's father.
Suffice to say, John Edwards' web of deceit is growing more and more tangled and potentially dangerous to him by the day.
But for prominent members and Presidential candidates of the Democratic party, it seems to be pretty much par for their behavior.
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