The man who was nearly elected Vice President of the United States in 2004 has been indicted by a federal grand jury:
Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards has been indicted on criminal charges that he broke campaign finance laws to cover up his extramarital affair with Rielle Hunter, the Associated Press and ABC News are reporting. The indictment was handed down by a federal grand jury in Raleigh, N.C. Edwards' lawyer, Gregory Craig, was reported to be in North Carolina today.
A warrant has been issued for Edwards' arrest. At issue is hundreds of thousands of dollars given to Hunter and Andrew Young by Edwards' supporters, Rachel "Bunny" Mellon and Fred Baron, to keep the pair in hiding. Prosecutors argue that the money amounted to illegal campaign contributions because they allowed Edwards to continue with his 2008 presidential bid.
Craig said in a statement last month that the federal government's case against Edwards, the 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee, is "wrong on the facts and wrong on the law."
For an excruciating account of Edwards' degeneracy, hubris, and myopia, read this jaw-dropping excerpt from the must-read book, Game Change.
UPDATE - Here's the six-count indictment, four of which are related to alleged illegal campaign contributions.
UPDATE II - Edwards says he's done wrong, but has broken no law:
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