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Wade Smith and Jim Cooney; are Edwards lawyers....
Topic Started: Jan 29 2010, 05:50 PM (5,224 Views)
Joan Foster

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Jan 29 2010, 09:03 PM
~J~ is in Wonderland
Jan 29 2010, 08:44 PM
Joan, its not just about a divorce. How Edwards spent his campaign funds is a huge issue in all this mess. I suspect that's where Jim comes in.
Good point, J. I had not thought of that issue and it is a big one. In fact, it's an issue that could potentially cause Edwards far more trouble long term than a divorce.
Yes, good point. That would be worthy of these too fine attorneys. This statement...not so much:

"While we have not had an opportunity to view the interview or read the book, we urge extreme caution by everyone involved. From media reports, it is obvious that there are many allegations which are simply false. It appears that Andrew Young is primarily motivated by financial gain and media attention,"

Dear Wade and Jim...

Still worship you but...

1. Read the book first. Don't begin by dissing something you admittedly have not read.

2. YOU taught us in the Lacrosse case...do not EVER rely on "media reports." Therefore, nothing is "obvious." Remember?

3. Let's be cautious about any comments referencing... media gluttony... when your client just swanned into Haiti last week every hair curled and poufed.

Very interesting post about the purloined wallet by the way.






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Texas Mom

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Jan 29 2010, 09:03 PM
~J~ is in Wonderland
Jan 29 2010, 08:44 PM
Joan, its not just about a divorce. How Edwards spent his campaign funds is a huge issue in all this mess. I suspect that's where Jim comes in.
Good point, J. I had not thought of that issue and it is a big one. In fact, it's an issue that could potentially cause Edwards far more trouble long term than a divorce.
You're so right. The Fred Barron money to Hunter is an issue, as is the money that she was paid for her "work" as a videographer. Edwards has lots of "issues" right now.
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"3. Let's be cautious about any comments referencing... media gluttony... when your client just swanned into Haiti last week every hair curled and poufed."

Good admonition, indeed.

The facts would reveal that most of the politicians who swooped into Haiti did so with a team of publicist, videographers and media crews of all types. Unfortunately the lines between DC and Hollywood have become more and more obscure.
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chatham
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The Smith statement is pretty generic. Rielle is all about the money also. If not she would not have hung around with this rich man running for president. I am sure John Edwards thought more of himself than Rielle did. We m ay never know what the truth is because Edwards has lied so much to date, anything he says will be in doubt. Hos lawyer may be trying to remake his credibility. Even though the courts put a restraining order on the sex tapes or whatever they are, Young did not hand them over. They may not be Rielles property, just her and Edwards pictures of whatever fun they had. Edwards has a lot to worry about. He has lied so much he may not know what the truth is anymore. Sort of reminds me of a crying Jim Baker when he was sent to prison.
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cks
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Here is a possible reason why our favorite (and good ) lawyers may be involved. The local news here (in Cincin) are reporting that Rielle has filed a restraining order - she wants the sex videotape back. My guess is that Edwards is trying to quash that tape as well. That combined with the grand jury investigation could mean some real problems for Edwards. All citizens, even scum like Edwards, are entitled to a lawyer. And, if I were Edwards, I would want to get the best possible lawyers.
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Texas Mom

cks
Jan 29 2010, 10:28 PM
Here is a possible reason why our favorite (and good ) lawyers may be involved. The local news here (in Cincin) are reporting that Rielle has filed a restraining order - she wants the sex videotape back. My guess is that Edwards is trying to quash that tape as well. That combined with the grand jury investigation could mean some real problems for Edwards. All citizens, even scum like Edwards, are entitled to a lawyer. And, if I were Edwards, I would want to get the best possible lawyers.
Agreed, and, in Wade Smith and Jim Cooney, he has the best- though I still confess to having a crush on Joe Cheshire!
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Concerned
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Quote:
 
I still confess to having a crush on Joe Cheshire!


I still miss his press conferences! Cheshire was just so charming.

John Edwards did the wrong thing with the wrong woman but got the best lawyers. It will be interesting to see how it all turns out.
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Baldo
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There goes the neighborhood! Seriously I have no problem with an attorneys representing anyone as that is their profession. If attorneys only represented vestal virgins they would have no clients.

However on the sex tape

The religious belief that a photograph can steal a soul, imprisoning it within its amalgam of polyester, celluloid, salts and gelatin (or perhaps a CCD if you are into digital photography) is still shared by many cultures across the globe. From Native Americans to the Aborigines of Australia, there are those who refuse to be photographed.
http://www.weddingphotographydirectory.com/wedding-photo/for-wedding-photographers/bleeding-edge-column/art-of-stealing-souls.aspx


Perhaps those "primitives" were ahead of their time?
Edited by Baldo, Jan 30 2010, 01:45 AM.
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Sherp

I have great respect for Jim Conney and sorry he does not choose to post here anymore. I was totally unimpressed with Wade Smith on the few occassions I saw him. Even a guy as scummy as Edwards deserves representation.
OMG, a sex tape of Edwards? UGH!!!!!!!
Edited by Sherp, Jan 30 2010, 01:36 AM.
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cks
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Sherp
Jan 30 2010, 01:35 AM
I have great respect for Jim Conney and sorry he does not choose to post here anymore. I was totally unimpressed with Wade Smith on the few occassions I saw him. Even a guy as scummy as Edwards deserves representation.
OMG, a sex tape of Edwards? UGH!!!!!!!
A sex tape of anyone rather makes the stomach turn - but a sex tape of Edwards with (as it has been reported) a visibly pregnant Rielle - yech.

All of this still begs the following questions - who made the tape, for what reason, why was it partially destroyed, and then left behind for someone to find. Why also did Young feel that it might have something on it (thus paying the money to restore it) that he could use?
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~J~ is in Wonderland
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~J~ is in Wonderland
This is one reason Edwards needs good lawyers.


http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local_state/story/312253.html

Aide: Mellon's cash hid Edwards affair

An interior decorator's visit to a country church set in motion events that led a wealthy heiress to meet John Edwards, bankroll his pet projects and, at least inadvertently, subsidize the cover-up of his affair.

The decorator, Bryan Huffman of Monroe, eventually became the conduit for as much as $700,000 from Rachel "Bunny" Mellon - what the Edwards camp called "Bunny money" - to help cover the expenses of Rielle Hunter and Andrew Young, the aide who claimed to be the father of her baby.

Mellon's money was part of more than $1.5 million that Young told ABC News was used for the cover-up. He said the money paid for a coast-to-coast odyssey that included trips on private jets, expensive lodging and even a BMW for Hunter. Some of the money, he said, even came in cash from the late Fred Baron, a Texas lawyer and Edwards' friend.

Federal prosecutors in Raleigh are looking into whether Edwards misused campaign money to pay for the cover-up of his affair and the child he finally acknowledged is his.

Details of the affair, and costly efforts to conceal it, were described this week in Young's book "The Politician." Young publicly described those efforts for the first time Friday night on ABC's "20/20."

In a statement earlier in the day, Edwards' attorneys, Wade Smith of Raleigh and Jim Cooney of Charlotte, urged "extreme caution" with the claims.

"It is obvious that there are many allegations which are simply false," they said in an e-mail. "It appears that Andrew Young is primarily motivated by financial gain and media attention."

What Huffman calls his and Mellon's innocent role in the scandal first came to light in Young's book.

"I knew nothing about what that money was used for, nothing about Rielle Hunter, nothing about the senator's personal life or the child, (and) Bunny knew nothing about it," Huffman said. "To have her get tainted ... by her connection to Sen. Edwards is very upsetting to me, because I introduced them."

Young writes that when Hunter found out she was pregnant in 2007, Edwards, a multimillionaire, couldn't access his own money "without his wife finding out." So, Young's book says, they scrambled for help.

Young approached Edwards' former law partner David Kirby.

"I told him no," Kirby said Friday.

So they turned to Mellon.

A wealthy widow

Now 99, she was the widow of billionaire philanthropist Paul Mellon and herself heir to the Listerine fortune. She'd been a close friend of Jackie Kennedy and helped design the White House Rose Garden.

Young writes that Mellon's checks "were made as payment to ... Huffman so that she wouldn't have to offer an explanation to the professionals who handled her accounts.

"These funds ... were gifts, entirely proper, and not subject to campaign finance laws. She did not know that the money was being used in part for Rielle."

Young writes that Huffman sent him the checks, which he deposited into his account "to be used to keep Rielle happy and hidden from the media."

He told ABC News that Mellon's checks amounted to $700,000.

While Young describes the money transfers as "entirely proper," others aren't so sure.

"Whenever people try to circumvent campaign finance laws, they often try to argue that it was a gift instead of a political contribution," said Jack Knight, a former assistant U.S. attorney from Charlotte. "That's the kind of thing that will certainly pique the interest of federal prosecutors in Raleigh."

Huffman and Young have testified before the grand jury.

A chance encounter

The connection might never have happened had Huffman not visited a church a few years ago that Mellon designed in Upperville, Va., in the shadow of the Blue Ridge mountains.

Impressed, he wrote her a note. She replied with an invitation to lunch on her 4,000-acre estate.

Huffman learned she was interested in Edwards' candidacy. Because Huffman's sister was a law school classmate of Young's, he called the Edwards aide.

A profitable tea

As a result Mellon invited Edwards for tea at her farm. She went on to give the Edwards-related Alliance for a New America $3.48 million in 2008 and more to other groups tied to the then-Democratic presidential candidate.

Her attorney told the New York Times last year that when Young later told her Edwards needed money for personal use, she agreed.

Huffman said he agreed to forward the money to Young. He said both he and Mellon are disappointed to be dragged into the scandal.

"She's a fascinating person," Huffman said. "And I just hate that she's getting all this tawdry association at this point in her life. She's been drawn into something that neither of us knew. ... She just thought he was going to be great for the country."

Edited by ~J~ is in Wonderland, Jan 30 2010, 08:16 AM.
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brittany

Who owned the house the tape came from? Could be meaningful regarding ownership.
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Joan Foster

"All of this still begs the following questions - who made the tape, for what reason, why was it partially destroyed, and then left behind for someone to find. Why also did Young feel that it might have something on it (thus paying the money to restore it) that he could use?"

IMO, Edwards was foolish not to realize that secrecy may have been in HIS best interest, but not necessarily in Rielle's. I suspect Rielle tired of waiting for Elizabeth to leave this mortal coil. Who tipped off the National Enquirer as to his meeting with her and the baby? How were they able to take pictures in HER ROOM? Remember the shot of Edwards holding their baby that confirmed the story? How was that set up? Maybe with a little help from an impatient Mommy?

Also Rielle was hired as a videographer. Surely she knew how to dispose of a tape. Obviously she didn't want to. She left it in a house and moved away.

I watched the interview with ABC last night...a full hour. The Youngs' spent many, many months secluded away with Ms. Hunter. I wonder if at some point they didn't collude on some of this...realizing Edwards was losing interest in all of them...that he had manipulated them royally and now was tired of the lot of them. Young and his wife admittedly began to save voice messages, etc....they were not going to go way quietly. Edwards had promised them ALL this was temporary. Elizabeth would conveniently die and he would marry Rielle and claim the baby and clear Young's name.

At some point, they smartened up.

The tape was supposedly found in a house that had been unoccupied and was up for sale for several months. That's the story. Interesting to me that right after the Youngs reveal it...Rielle files papers to stop the release...THEREBY CONFIRMING IT.

Good luck to Cooney and Smith with this one. I just hope they do not allow themselves to be manipulated and lied to by their client and their own reputations sullied.
Edited by Joan Foster, Jan 30 2010, 09:13 AM.
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Mason
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Rielle was in Cary, NC and doing a very bad job of hiding, well after these two were rumored to be together.

The media is complaining that they really could've done nothing to undercover this but that is just plain bullsh*t. The truth is they couldn't have done anything more to ignore the story and ignore the possibility.

Rielle Hunter's speciality was video and it wouldn't be uncommon for the prominent public person to be let known or to conveniently find that there is proof of the relationship.

That tape could've been insurance in case she had lost that baby. If she lost that baby, where is the absolute proof of them having a sexual relationship?


.

Edited by Mason, Jan 30 2010, 09:14 AM.
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Joan Foster

Mason
Jan 30 2010, 09:12 AM
Rielle was in Cary, NC and doing a very bad job of hiding, well after these two were rumored to be together.

The media is complaining that they really could've done nothing to undercover this but that is just plain bullsh*t. The truth is they couldn't have done anything more to ignore the story and ignore the possibility.

Rielle Hunter's speciality was video and it wouldn't be uncommon for the prominent public person to be let known or to conveniently find that there is proof of the relationship.




Exactly! The media deliberately avoided this story. They protected Edwards. Sensing this...the Youngs and Hunter probably planned carefully how to proceed to protect themselves.

And they had the last laugh at Edwards and the media. (who are now on this like flies on honey)

My feeling is they have a LOT of proof. Young says he told Edwards in their last meeting (in a car on a back road in N.C.) that he had collected stuff to expose him ....and Edwards told him "You can't hurt me."

What say you now, John?

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