FEC says John Edwards should repay $2M in federal funds

WASHINGTON — The Federal Election Commission said Thursday that former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign should repay the U.S. Treasury more than $2 million.

The commission voted 6-0 to order the repayment after conducting an audit of the campaign.

A telephone call by AP to Edwards' attorneys seeking comment was not immediately returned. Edwards' attorneys have said the Democrat's campaign doesn't owe anything.

Federal auditors said the campaign understated its cash on hand and overstated its expenses, including money spent to wind down the campaign. Auditors also found that the campaign failed to itemize more than $4 million in loan repayments.

Such audits are required by law for federal campaigns that accept public financing, several of the commissioners noted.

"It is not at all unusual for a campaign to have a discrepancy," said Ellen Weintraub, a commissioner. "It's just a math problem and that's how the math worked out."

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John Edwards to Wed Rielle Hunter, Report Claims

John Edwards has "reportedly" asked mistress Rielle Hunter to marry him, according to tabloid magazine The National Enquirer.

The Hollywood Gossip has a screenshot of the latest issue of the Enquirer, the publication that broke the original story about Edwards's liaison with Hunter, his campaign videographer, and predicts that the two might tie the knot this summer, if at all.

While the Enquirer gained some credibility for its coverage of the Edwards affair, it is worth noting that they posted nearly the exact same story regarding an Edwards-Hunter nuptial and a "luxury $3.5 million beachfront home" last year, a report that was later denied.

John Edwards's wife, Elizabeth Edwards, passed away last month after a battle with cancer. In her will, she left her possessions to her three children, while leaving out her estranged husband entirely.

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Rielle Hunter 'cried for two hours' upon seeing her 'repulsive' pictures in GQ magazine

Rielle Hunter's revealing interview in the new issue of GQ isn't the only thing raising concern. The baby mama of disgraced politician John Edwards is apparently not pleased with how several suggestive photographs turned out in the magazine spread.

On "The View" Monday morning, co-host Barbara Walters said she had already spoken to Hunter, who had "cried for two hours" after seeing what she called "repulsive" images.

According to Walters, Hunter, 45, said she had trusted photographer Mark Seliger to capture classy photos for the shoot.

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John Edwards proposes to mistress Rielle Hunter, buys $3.5M beach house

John Edwards is going to make his mistress his missus, according to a report in the National Enquirer.

The disgraced 2008 presidential contender has proposed to his baby-mama, Rielle Hunter, and is even setting her up in a swank $3.5 million beachfront mansion, The National Enquirer reported Wednesday.

But an Edwards spokeswoman, Joyce Fitzpatrick, told CNN in an e-mail that the report was "absolutely untrue."

The supermarket tabloid - which so far has been mostly on target on the Edwards affair - says the cheatin' pol popped the question last month, shortly before he issued a statement claiming paternity of the couple's two-year-old daughter, Frances Quinn.

Six days later, Edward's cancer-stricken wife, Elizabeth, confirmed she had separated from her dog of a husband - paving the way for the ex-senator to make Rielle, 45, his wife.

"John knew Rielle had been waiting for a proposal for two long years," the Enquirer said it was told by a source. "Since they've gotten involved, she's followed every order he gave her, going on a cross-country cover-up, hiding away during her pregnancy and after giving birth for the sake of his presidential aspirations."

"Rielle never uttered a peep about their affair publicly, and remained loyal to John," added the source. "John felt she deserved to know that he wanted to raise their child together, and wanted Rielle in his life as his partner."

"John has said that when his divorce is final, he'll buy her a diamond ring. But in the meantime, he's getting them a house."

Another source told the tab: "John has proposed to Rielle, and she said yes."

The news comes as Hunter and a former Edwards aide, Andrew Young, tussle in court over an alleged sex tape that Young says he found in a box of trash. Young says the tape shows Edwards and a woman he believes to be Hunter in the middle of a sex act.

Hunter has sued to get the tape back, and a judge set Wednesday as a deadline for Young to hand it over.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/02/10/2010-02-10_john_edwards_proposes_to_mistress_rielle_hunter_buys_45m_beach_house_report.html

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