John Edwards 'not guilty' on one count; mistrial declared on remaining charges

[onehandle]

Source: MSNBC

Updated at 4:23 p.m. ET -- Capping a day of dramatic turnarounds, the jury in the campaign finance trial of former presidential candidate John Edwards found him not guilty on Thursday one one count and said it was deadlocked on the remaining five charges.

U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles then declared a mistrial on the remaining charges. It was not immediately clear if prosecutors intend to seek a new trial on those charges.

Read more: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/31/11993007-john-edwards-not-guilty-on-one-count-mistrial-declared-on-remaining-charges

[lark]

1. Suck on that, you Repug appeaser, Holder

HA!!

[freshwest]

5. What did Holder have to do with it? I must have missed something. I thought this was a state trial.

[jeff47]

6. No, Federal trial. (nt)

[freshwest]

9. Thanks. n/t

[AnotherMcIntosh]

12. You're right, Holder had nothing to do with it. He also has had nothing to do with prosecuting

banksters, admitted war criminals, or those illegally purging the voter rolls to suppress votes for Democrats.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

34. He never has nothing to do with nothing.

[rocktivity]

35. Holder has gotten this much done

Justice Department Demands Florida Stop Purging Voter Rolls


rocktivity

[AnotherMcIntosh]

36. Glad to hear it.

Even if it took him a while.

[tblue]

39. Amen.

There's no way to explain this as other than a political witch hunt, with a complicit DoJ fearing political backlash for the administration.

Grow a damed set, why don't they? Stop caving to greedy Repubs, including prosecutors with a contract out on John Edwards' future as an effective Democratic voice.

I am not one to jump on any bandwagon and I believe it is bad karma to kick a man when he's down.

[cal04]

2. John Edwards 'not guilty' on one count; mistrial declared on remaining charges

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/31/11993007-john-edwards-not-guilty-on-one-count-mistrial-declared-on-remaining-charges?lite

Updated at 4:23 p.m. ET -- Capping a day of dramatic turnarounds, the jury in the campaign finance trial of former presidential candidate John Edwards found him not guilty on Thursday one one count and said it was deadlocked on the remaining five charges.

U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles then declared a mistrial on the remaining charges. It was not immediately clear if prosecutors intend to seek a new trial on those charges.

Earlier, the jury of eight men and four women told Eagles that it had reached a verdict on all six felony accounts against Edwards. But after the jury returned to the courtroom, the foreperson stated that jurors had reached a unanimous decision on only one count. Eagles then sent them back to the jury room to resume deliberations.


https://twitter.com/NBCNews

Judge has ruled a mistrial on the 5 remaining counts.
Expand

NOT GUILTY on Count 3 (accepted/received illegal campaign contributions) and unable to decide on other counts.

Edwards acquitted on one count; mistrial on others
http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/24/2102221/edwards-jury-has-recahed-verdict.html

[progressoid]

11. Oh, this will be fun at my next family gathering.

I'm sure the RWers will use this as an example of how "Demoncrats" always get away with it.

[spooky3]

16. just tell them he'll go to jail when Gingrich does

and ask them what they think of Citizens United and the $400 mill. contribution that the Koch bros. are making to GOP campaigns this year.

[Life Long Dem]

17. Beats Bush getting away with it.

Not really but...

[24601]

32. You'd think this would have been easy for a jury to decide. If the donors paid the

federal gift tax, it wasn't a political donation. If they didn't declare it and pay, it wasn't meant as a personal gift.

[hedgehog]

3. kick

[DianaForRussFeingold]

4. Good news--I'm happy for the Edwards family! K&R

[freshwest]

8. +1. Hopefully this is over now.

[SammyWinstonJack]

22. Me too.

[snooper2]

25. and family, and family, and family

[peace frog]

27. Agree

Best wishes to the entire family, and I was happy to hear him lovingly include the love child among the fold.

[Scairp]

7. What a complete waste

This was a shit case and I don't see a retrial. Glad it's over.

[Tobin S.]

10. That really surprised me

It seems like the press had already found him guilty and sent him up the river. I wonder if they'll try to prosecute him again?

[underpants]

29. It did for me too but you have to remember Edwards was an incredible trial lawyer

and he not only knew who to hire (and had the money to do it) but he was probably extremely important to building the case.

I went and saw him speech here in Richmond in 2004. I was maybe 15 feet from him. His message was what Occupy pushed as well. It is so sad to see Elizabeth having to go through this and how sad Edwards became. He slept with the mistress the first night so I doubt this was anything new to him. He was on the prowl probably.

[SomeGuyInEagan]

38. During the trial, I heard one commentator say, "Remember, Edwards is the best lawyer in the room."

No doubt he was involved in building the case.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

13. From @LOLGOP on Twitter

"I think we should just classify John Edwards as "about as guilty as Newt Gingrich." Just for reference."

[freshwest]

14. Excellent!

[OKNancy]

15. good. I wondered for a while

but the longer it took, the more I thought this would be the result

[hatrack]

18. Has Nancy Grace's head exploded yet?

Can't wait to see what the Flaring Nostrils of Justice will make of this outcome!

[peace frog]

28. I would pay to see that

as it is, I avoid her like the plague.

[pscot]

19. Good!

[BlueStater]

20. Good. What a ridiculous case.

Meanwhile, mass murderers are allowed to walk around as free men and don't have to spend a day in court. What a great country.

[JDPriestly]

23. And the environment is being ravaged.

All this for consensual sex and a batty, very elderly woman who adored Edwards.

Since 2008, the Supreme Court has pretty much established an anything goes rule for campaign funding. All you have to do is register a corporation, and you can pay for all the whoopee you want. The entire charge, the whole trial -- a terrible waste of taxpayer money. An anachronism.

Of course, Holder will go back, permit the prosecutor to retry the case just to completely destroy Edwards and his family and discourage any other "leftist" (ridiculous) from challenging Obama or the corporate centrists ever again.

Meanwhile, back on planet earth, the temperature at the North Pole is dangerously high. But who cares? Edwards was unfaithful to his dying wife. And that is a crime that must be punished.

Oh, and, on edit, I forgot to mention that Gingrich, who also cheated on a wife who was suffering from cancer and who accepted much more financial support for his failed campaign from an addled casino owner is walking around free, mouthing off crazy ideas like a rooster in a barnyard.

[Plucketeer]

24. I couldn't agree more

I was behind Edwards til he quit. Say what you will about him - NO ONE ELSE - ever even mentioned the plight of the poor. It's akin to the faithful ignoring the ultimatums for transgressions spelled out in the bible. Just ignore that which doesn't fit your fancy and it conveniently doesn't exist.

Edit: for typo

[rurallib]

31. glad I read through this before I posted. Exactly my feelings

Edwards was the only one ready to take on the corporatists. My feeling is that that was his real sin.

And while our court and media time is wasted on this, corporations rape us right and left. Jobs sent overseas, 1/4 of our children in poverty, 50,000 dying annually of lack of health care, not one bankster in jail for the biggest theft ever from the American people.

[Plucketeer]

40. It's easy to dismiss this as Edwards weakness

But I've had a sneaking notion that maybe Hunters pursuit of Edwards was not all that primal. There may well be hidden payoffs for her seducing him. MAybe not, but I've never heard anyone else speculate on it. It should at least be thought about. Of course, his taking the bait is what makes it bad - put him in the same league as McCain leaving his ill wife.
To me - SOMETHING was fishy after his second place win in Iowa - when the networks seemed to go OUT OF THEIR WAY not to acknowledge it.

[rurallib]

43. I think both Edwards an Spitzer were set up because

they have 2 things in common:
1) They had the knowledge and ability to go after the boys on Wall Street (and were open about it)
2) they had a weakness that could be easily exploited.

[edcantor]

21. Edwards charged with a campaigning crime over sex, and

Bush, never even charged after all the people he willfully murdered and all the international laws he broke.

Makes sense only in a Republican world.

[contrarian22]

26. What does Holder have to do with this

He approved it.

[RBInMaine]

30. Now they need to let it sink. Enough.

[The Wizard]

33. He should have done something really

in tune with Republican ideals, like start a war for profit. It may be the most immoral act, but there's no sex between consenting adults. Now if there was a stained blue dress and Ken Starr.......

[Major Hogwash]

37. NOT GUILTY!!!

That'll teach ya!!

Yeah, baby!!

[Wabbajack_]

41. Good

F..ing gop smear job FAIL.

[robinlynne]

42. Good.