Edwards furious with ABC News
John Edwards’ ludicrous denials of an extramarital affair crumbled on Friday when ABC News applied enough pressure to get Edwards to agree to an interview – and an admission – finally giving the story first reported in the National Enquirer legitimacy in the eyes of the mainstream media.
The flood gates opened early Friday afternoon when Brian Ross and producer Rhonda Schwartz posted a story on ABCNews.com stating that Edwards had admitted to an affair with Rielle Hunter, a videographer who was paid in excess of $100,000 by the Edwards campaign to make a few short web videos.
The Enquirer reported last week that Hunter told a friend that Edwards was the father of her 5 ½ month old child. Edwards continues to insist that he is not the father, though he has not taken a paternity test.
The ABC News story was picked up by the cable news networks and the endless media loop began.
Even as his continued denials became untenable, Edwards attempted to control (and futilely limit) the media exposure.
Ross and his producers at ABC News had been insistently dogging Edwards for some time, uncovering the money trail from an Edwards’ campaign contributor, Fred Baron, to Hunter, who was installed in a $3 million house in Santa Barbara, Calif.
But Edwards insisted that the interview be exclusive to ABC’s late-night news program Nightline and that Bob Woodruff, not Ross, conduct the interview.
ABC News confirmed that Edwards asked for Woodruff, who is not a Nightline anchor. (Woodruff covered Edwards during the 2004 presidential campaign when the former North Carolina senator was a Democratic presidential contender and then John Kerry’s running mate.)
The Nightline interview, Woodruff explained at the top of the program yesterday, was conducted early Friday afternoon at Edwards’ home in Chapel Hill, N.C. “There were no restrictions on what we could ask,” he said, “but he gave me a limited amount of time.”
Woodruff did not press Edwards on the bizarre tale involving former Edwards’ campaign aide Andrew Young, who has claimed paternity of Hunter’s baby. Edwards denied knowing anything about Young’s involvement with Hunter. But Woodruff did extract a concession on the paternity issue, with Edwards saying he would be “happy to participate” in a paternity test.
Edwards had hoped to control the news cycle by making his admission late on a Friday night when the country was watching the Olympics and the long weekend yawned ahead.
According to multiple sources, Edwards was apoplectic that ABC News broke the story on its website and began promoting it early on Friday, giving the rest of the media a chance to play catch-up and cite ABC News’ report. (Representatives for Edwards did not return a call or e-mail for comment.)
Edwards subsequently made solicitous calls to multiple reporters including CBS News’ Bob Schieffer, who also talked to a distraught Elizabeth Edwards.
According to ABC News spokeswoman Natalie Raabe, it was agreed that “promotion of the interview could begin immediately after it was completed.” Additionally, she said, “quotations” could be used on Friday’s World News where Edwards’ words, not footage from the interview, were used via an on-screen graphic in a report fronted by Ross.
me again commented:
So now where is this Edward guy at? I havent heard anything on the 'chump' for awhile now. Did his wife has his b---s cut off yet?
me commented:
I am trying to figure out how to be a first class asshole... I always thought everyone wanted to be first class, we cant leave the ass out, were would the ass go if it didnt follow the rest of us??
TJ commented:
Who is Edwards anyway????
daliscar commented:
“I think this president has shown a remarkable disrespect for his office, for the moral dimensions of leadership, for his friends, for his wife, for his precious daughter,” Edwards said (of Clinton)in 1999. “It is breathtaking to me the level to which that disrespect has risen.”
truth machine commented:
"Okay so how long before Obama and McCain come clean about affairs they've had?"
Low information voter, eh? For 9 months McCain cheated with Cindy on his first wife and then dumped her -- because she was disfigured and he needed a new Barbie doll, one who is very very very rich. But for Obama, there's no more reason to think that he's had an affair than to think you have.
truth machine commented:
"I understand the lady's sister has said the family want a dna sample from Edwards as he is the father and denying it has outraged them. lol!"
So many lies from the screaming mob that distort this story. Edwards has denied nothing, it is Rielle Hunter who is refusing to have her babie's DNA taken. Melissa Hunter called for a paternity test but she wasn't speaking for "the family". (What family?)
SilkyPony Goes Down!! commented:
Oops...sorry forum Nazis...
I meant a quote FROM John Edwards....
I offer my head as sacrifice to the spelling inquisition.
SilkyPony Goes Down! commented:
A quote for Jonh Edwards:
“…I think every single candidate for president, Republican and Democratic have lives, personal lives, that indicate something about what kind of human being they are. And I think it is a fair evaluation for America to engage in to look at what kind of human beings each of us are, and what kind of president we’d make.”
Ouch.......SinkyPony falls on his own sword.
What a hypocrite.
What a creep.
Nolibsnobama commented:
Is it possible there there is still an ex-Edwards supporter out there who cannot see how utterly foolish you were not to see with the rest of us how obviously phony this wanker was?
How can you even look in the mirror without getting nauseated?
schnargley commented:
I think John Edwards deserves a mistress, a mansion, luxury fir for a prince...after all, he has selflessly dedicated himself so much to serving the poor and disenfranchised, to battling the greedy corporate capitalists, to helping all us little people, he just must be all stressed out.
doesn't matter commented:
Okay so how long before Obama and McCain come clean about affairs they've had? Cripes . . . , is there a politician out there that ISN'T having an affair? You low life pieces of crap. It's not enough that you vote yourselves gigantic pay raises, have every summer and holiday off, free health insurance FOREVER. ETC. You assholes can't even take your marriage vows seriously. You're all pathetic narcicistic, self absorbed, lying, deceitful pieces of trash. What a complete waste of human skin you are!
hawire commented:
Why does this garbage ALWAYS seem to surface after these assholes have waisted our time, trust and money? Elizabeth, grab your kids and run as fast as you can! Doesn't anybody get it? If these politicians will cheat on their own families . . . , they'll definitely cheat on their constituents!!! Wake up America!!!!
brainiac commented:
Of course he's the father. The Breck Girl is a lowlife freak...and not only because he cheated on his cancer-stricken wife...he's a freak who's in love with himself--like Obama. These libs are trying to destroy our country.
Julie commented:
Edwards has always been an ambulance-chasing, hypocritical slimeball, asking us to make all kinds of sacrifices as he lives in his ridiculously large mansion, travels by gas-guzzling luxury vehicles, etc. Somehow this revelation didn't surprise me one bit. After watching him reveal his true self-worshipping character in that ridiculous hair video, he totally lost me as a supporter.
jaded27 commented:
Edwards is a first class ASSHOLE! Stop whining you little wuss!
Hytimes commented:
I understand the lady's sister has said the family want a dna sample from Edwards as he is the father and denying it has outraged them. lol!
Joe commented:
It is nice to know that spelling Nazi's demand correct spelling in order to believe an article is factual. Idiots.
Valentina commented:
His daughter should also be entitled to $400 haircuts - Rielle needs to include this in her monthly $$ requests.
antne commented:
So where are the screechers and scribes of HUffPo who tore into Larry Craig and anyone else other than a Demorat?.
Looks like the Breck Boy's halo has slipped a wee bit!
arhooley commented:
Look in the third paragraph. "Ewards." She misspells the name of her subject.
MahGill commented:
Well, it looks like he's so contrite over lying to his supporters and the VOTERS for months that he's apoplectic over how his admission wasn't held in secret until 11:30 on a Friday during the Olympic opening ceremonies on the East Coast. Gee, I guess he's really sorry. If I'm a supporter of his, I'd sue him for fraud and try to get my campaign contribution back.
Perpendicular commented:
Clearly Edwards has some arrangement with his mistress, so that he knows he is safe bluffing he will submit to a paternity test, as the mistress is preinstructed to rule it out..so he can posture safely. this whole thing stinks
Brian commented:
Hey Yep,
If you can't write a simple sentence correctly the 1st time, how can we trust your comments?
Saint Louis commented:
Looks like the Slobbering Liberoid Democrat Media Whores failed to cover up this story properly.
Send them to a re-education camp!
FMJohnson commented:
Shawn commented:
"There's nothing more obnoxious than comment Nazis who feel obliged to point out every single instance of poor grammar or simple spelling mistakes and mix ups."
This is Broadcasting and Cable Magazine. We are entitled to expect careful writing from their correspondents and proofing / copyediting from their editors.
Confused commented:
Who's Ross?
John commented:
If she is reporting how can we trust her reporting?
Shawn commented:
There's nothing more obnoxious than comment Nazis who feel obliged to point out every single instance of poor grammar or simple spelling mistakes and mix ups.
Yep commented:
If she CAN'T spell we can't trust the reporting
Yep commented:
If she can spell right how can we trust her reporting?
Paul commented:
Please correct the spelling: you "cite" a report (think "citation"). A "site" is a place.
Spelling man commented:
Is it "site" a report, or "cite" a report?
Asshole Edwards commented:
Liar, not contrite, douchebag -- fk him.
Speller commented:
THe word is "cite."
Sammie7 commented:
ABC???? ABC???? Did you watch the debates??? George S's network.....Poor Judgement all around.. Poor Elizabeth...He is a JERK!!