BREAKING… JOHN EDWARDS INDICTED

Facing a six-count indictment that includes the charge of making false statements.

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Unless a last-minute deal comes through, John Edwards will be indicted today on criminal charges after a two-year investigation seeking to connect the former senator to an allegedly illegal scheme to cover-up his extra-marital affair, ABC News has learned. – John Edwards to Face Indictment Today

It’s always the cover-up that gets you. From the Washington Post:

“Any kind of a plea is based on how much you can accept and how far you can go,’’ said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plea talks — and the likelihood of criminal charges — are not public. “Clearly, what was on the table was not something that both sides could agree on.’’

Lawyers for Edwards have indicated that they will vigorously fight any charges. Craig, a former White House counsel for President Obama, issued a statement last week strongly denying any illegal activity by Edwards and accusing prosecutors of exaggerating the strength of the allegations.

“John Edwards has done wrong in his life — and he knows it better than anyone — but he did not break the law,” Craig wrote. “The Justice Department has wasted millions of dollars and thousands of hours on a matter more appropriately a topic for the Federal Election Commission to consider, not a criminal court.”

The notion that John Edwards is going to be indicted because of what Andrew Young has said seems absolutely preposterous to me.

Jeralyn, a lawyer, over at TalkLeft has done some interesting unwinding of what’s likely at the bottom:

I think the Government is intending to go after Edwards for the PACs. Particularly, Alliance for a New America (check out the contributions and disbursements here — Oak Farms, aka Bunny Mellon, gave $3.4 million in 2008.) It’s been reported that Edwards also set up an entity called Alliance for a New America, LLC (AFNA, LLC) (not a PAC) and the funds went from the PAC to the LLC. The LLC is not under reporting requirements. What’s up in the air is whether this is allowable through a legal loophole, or illegal.

The machinations and manipulations of the the funds inside these PACs and the lengths to which John Edwards worked to keep his double love life from his supporters and the public are a more serious a vein to mine. An indictment would be unlikely to come down based on the flimsy story that’s been circulating in the news, which sounds a lot more like another episode of the Edwards saga instead of nefarious cash handling.

There’s a lot still in the wind on this one from all reports, none of it good, though quite a few people are stunned Justice is going for an indictment.

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