John Edwards Indicted

John Edwards apparently hasn't suffered enough defeat and humiliation. The Obama Justice Department has brought a 6-count indictment against him for conspiracy, illegal campaign contributions and making false statements. Bill Clinton committed far worse crimes trying to use the power of the presidency to cover up the serial extramarital affairs in which he engaged. I'm no fan of Edwards, but it bothers me that the power of the federal government is being used in this way against a guy who held no public office that he abused to subvert the judicial system. Should there be legal consequences as far as his ability to practice law? Certainly. Should he be criminally prosecuted? I think not. If the Justice Department had investigated the campaign finance law violations by the 2008 Obama presidential campaign with the vigor it pursued this investigation, you can bet there would be far more serious criminal wrongdoing uncovered than what this investigation produced. I'm more concerned about how foreign money poured into the Obama campaign to influence an American election than whether a candidate used campaign resources to cover up an extramarital affair.

UPDATE: I couldn't help but notice the hypocrisy in the reaction of a former big supporter of John Edwards, State Rep. Ed DeLaney, as reported by WISH-TV political reporter Jim Shella:

John Edwards campaigned in Indiana during both of his Presidential campaigns and had considerable support here. He’s a former trial lawyer and he got a lot of backing from trial lawyers here in Indiana, both Republicans and Democrats, as well as support from Democratic Party leaders.

For example, in March of 2007, Edwards held a fundraiser at the Ruth’s Chris downtown where he collected $75,000 for his campaign. At the time he was the first of the Democrats running for President in the 2008 cycle to come to Indiana.

His wife, Elizabeth Edwards, had already been diagnosed with incurable cancer but Edwards told reporters that day that he would push forward.

State Representative Ed DeLaney was one of the sponsors of that event. We caught up with him following the news of indictments this morning and DeLaney said he’s angry. “Politics is serious and he (Edwards) did something that is seriously wrong,” said Rep. DeLaney. “Notice I’m not using the word mistake, he didn’t commit a mistake. He did something that is wrong, you know, immoral, how’s that?

Representative DeLaney went on to say that he feels betrayed and that Edwards has taken politics to new and lower levels.

DeLaney and his wife, Ann, stood loyally behind Bill Clinton throughout the Monica Lewinsky scandal and condemned those calling for Clinton's impeachment. I guess you can only feel betrayed by someone who is incapable of dispensing political favors to you.

UPDATE II: It looks like there is an Indianapolis connection to the Edwards' sex scandal. The Daily Mail is reporting the he and his lover, Rielle Hunter, made a sex tape in an Indianapolis hotel room during a campaign stop in the state:

Mr Edwards and Miss Hunter supposedly filmed the raunchy tape in a hotel room in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 2007. 

It was filmed during his campaign and Miss Hunter was several months pregnant at the time.   

The video ended up in the possession of Andrew Young, Mr Edwards's once loyal aide who says he found the tape discarded in a guest room once occupied by Miss Hunter.

Hunter has sued Young in a North Carolina court in an effort to get the videotape returned to her.