Conservative Politics Today

I’ve wondered who it might have been that tipped off the National Enquirer. I speculated it was Rielle Hunter via someone else. My money is on Bob McGovern. He is the “friend” of Hunter’s who booked two hotel rooms in his name, at the Beverly Hilton. He is the one that drove Hunter to the Hotel, then picked up Edwards and transported him there as well.

Edwards claims the affair occurred in 2006. He felt guilt over what he had done. He confessed to his wife Elizabeth. He ended the affair. And, the child is not his though he is willing to take a paternity test. He claims to know nothing about the $15,000 monthly payment to Hunter.

Twice in the interview Edwards claims this recent visit with Hunter was not a pleasure trip. He was attempting to stop Hunter from going public about their affair. He states:

” And it led to this most recent incident at the Beverly Hilton. I was at the Beverly Hilton. I was there for a very simple reason, because I was trying to keep this mistake that I had made from becoming public.”

“I wanted her not to tell the public what had happened. Very simple. That’s the reason I went.”

Obviously, according to Edwards, Hunter was threatening to go public. Why? Is she playing the woman scorned? Did she have hopes of Edwards leaving his dying wife? Is she tired of having to live in the posh shadows of the elite and wealthy? Was it a shake down? Did she want more than the $15,000 reportedly being paid to her each month? Did she want Edwards to acknowledge her child? Whatever her motive, if what Edwards claims is true, then there remains no doubt who tipped off the Enquirer.

After claiming he was there only to prevent Hunter from going public about the affair, Edwards went on to state that Elizabeth did not know about the meeting between her husband and his “former” mistress.

WOODRUFF: In terms of the Beverly Hilton, did Elizabeth, your wife, know you were visiting the Beverly Hilton?

EDWARDS: I did not.

I find myself questioning the truthfulness of his claim that he was there only to stop Hunter from going public. If Elizabeth already knew of the affair, the affair had ended, Elizabeth and Edwards had worked it out, why would he jeopardize the healing that may have taken place in their marriage and go meet this woman without his wife’s knowledge or consent? Why would he not explain to his wife that this woman was threatening to go public and he is going to try and shut her down?

Add to this the fact that Edwards had met with her a least one month prior in the same hotel, under the same circumstances, and it becomes even more questionable. If the threats of publicity had been going on for this long, and required more than one meeting, then certainly it would behoove Edwards to inform his wife so she would not be blind sided as she was this time.

Stemming from all of this is the possibility of criminal acts that may have occurred. Fred Baron, Edwards finance chairman, and long time confidant, admitted to giving Rielle Hunter and Andrew Young financial assistance. Andrew Young is the married father of three that claimed to be the father of Hunter’s baby. Young, like Hunter, lives in a multimillion dollar home and has no job or viable income.

The reported monthly payment to Hunter is $15,000 per month. Was this hush money? Baron says no. In the interview Edwards claims to have no knowledge of any payments made to these two.

WOODRUFF: So when you see this now and you see the reporting about it and you see the information about it, are you going to try to look into this? That this is somebody doing this to cover up what happened with your affair?

EDWARDS: If you’re talking about Fred Baron, I do know Fred Baron. I also know that Fred Baron knows both of these people who are involved and has worked with them for years. So he has the relationship with them independent of me. So what he chose to do or not do, I can’t explain, he’ll have to explain. I don’t know what he did or why he did it. And what his reasons for, were, for doing it. Is it possible that he wanted to help them because they were in a difficult time? Of course. Is it possible that he was worried that in fact something had happened with me, and he wanted to help? Of course that’s possible. I think all these things are possible.