Could someone remind me why John Edwards got away with similar crimes?

[LAS14]

Or maybe it's just tell me for the first time. I didn't pay a lot of attention to the Edwards thing.

[shanny]

1. IIRC prosecution did not prove

to the jury's satisfaction that Edwards paid the woman in order to influence the election.

[hlthe2b]

2. "Stop Comparing Donald Trump's Campaign Finance Fraud With John Edwards's Case"

The following article goes through it in detail.

I get it. One-time Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards was once accused of campaign finance violations arising from hush payments to a mistress, but was not convicted. That makes people say maybe Donald Trump didn’t commit any crimes for which he can be convicted? That’s a take that makes a person sound “smart” and “lawyerly” and not tempted into hyperbole.
It’s also a surface-level analysis that ignores key differences between the Edwards case and the mounting evidence against Donald Trump. Comparing the two is like saying “Fran is sitting there drinking her third cup of coffee right now, so why are you on my case?” as you ram two lines up your nose in the break room.

The cases of John Edwards paying off his mistress and Donald Trump paying off his mistresses are easily distinguishable. Let’s roll through the three highlights:

https://abovethelaw.com/2018/12/stop-comparing-donald-trumps-campaign-finance-fraud-with-john-edwardss-case/

[LAS14]

5. Thanks.

[marylandblue]

3. It helps when your lawyer doesn't testify against you.

[mercuryblues]

4. Ok

Campaign donation vs Personal loan

Donors for Edwards paid 1 Million. The prosecutors said that equaled a campaign finance violation as he benefited from it. The affair was exposed in late 2007. Edwards didn't win the primary, but was hoping for the VP slot.

trump paid the money through his attorney. Tried to say it was a retainer. If the money was not a loan to the campaign, then it was to trump, which he failed to claim it on his disclosure form. he didn't claim that debt as a personal debt.

No money passed through or out of Edwards hands, making it easier to claim he had no knowledge of the payments.

Rudy & Cohen's public statements, coupled with trump on tape talking with Cohen on how to set up the payments

Timing of the payments


Edwards defense was it was not a campaign donation. trump tried to argue the same thing. Edwards was acquitted, but trump has not gone to court to decide the matter. it would be harder for him to prove because the payoffs began 2 weeks before the election.


The funny thing is that if trump had paid out of the campaign, he would not be in the trouble he is over it. He most likely would have had to pay a fine. It's the coverup that made it a crime.

And like I said, Edwards went on trial presented evidence and was acquitted. Not so with trump. Quite the opposite, he has obstructed the investigation.

[LAS14]

6. Thanks.

[unc70]

7. The campaign money did not go to Edwards or his mistress

Almost all the funds, the Bunny Money, actually was scammed by and went to Edwards's aide Young who used it to build his dream house here in Chapel Hill. Bunny Mellon thought she was slyly helping Edwards deceive everyone, but actually she was being scammed by Young and his wife. They were the sources for nearly all the scandalous claims. Unfortunately, the Young's is received immunity from the Feds and escaped with all their ill gotten gains.