John Edwards defense opens case in campaign finance trial
John Edwards exits the Federal Courthouse with his daughter Cate Edwards, and speaks to a crowd of reporters on June 3, 2011, in Winston Salem, N.C.
John Edwards' defense team opened its case Monday morning, seeking to prove the former presidential hopeful didn't violate campaign finance laws by using nearly $1 million in donations to help cover up his affair with Rielle Hunter.
The first defense witness was Lora Haggard, who as chief financial officer of Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign was in charge of compliance with Federal Election Commission regulations, according to MSNBC.
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She testified that Federal Election Commission auditors determined that the hush money Edwards received from wealthy donors to cover up the affair did not need to be reported in the campaign's financial disclosure reports, ABC News reported.
"They are not contributions to the campaign because they were not contributions to urge the public to vote for John Edwards," Haggard said.
She also testified that Edwards did not review the reports filed with the FEC — even though he’s charged with causing his campaign to file a false one, according to the New York Daily News.
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Much of her testimony took place while the jury was outside the courtroom as federal Judge Catherine C. Eagles determined if her testimony would be admissable. Prosecutors argue that what the FEC ruled is not relevant to the criminal charges Edwards is facing, according to ABC News.
Edwards is accused of using nearly $1 million in secret payments from his campaign finance manager Fred Baron and 101-year-old heiress Rachel "Bunny" Mellon to cover up an affair he had with a campaign videographer, Rielle Hunter, who later had his baby, NBC News reported.
Edwards has said the payments used to hide Hunter were gifts, not campaign contributions. If convicted, he faces 30 years in prison.
Edwards is not expected to take the stand, Eagles has said. She turned down a motion to dismiss the charges last week, according to CNN.