John Edwards had lunch Thursday with Rachel Mellon, the reclusive banking heiress known as Bunny who is a potentially major witness in his pending legal case, according to ABC News.
William Taylor III, a lawyer for Mrs. Mellon, confirmed the meeting to The Associated Press.
ABC cited ?multiple sources? at Mrs. Mellon?s estate in Northern Virginia in its report, but the network said the purpose of the visit was unclear. Mr. Taylor told the A.P. that the visit was ?entirely personal,? and that the two did not discuss his legal situation.
Federal prosecutors say that Mrs. Mellon, who is 100 years old, contributed $4 million to political entities tied to Mr. Edwards, a Democrat and former senator from North Carolina, during his 2008 presidential campaign. They say he used $700,000 from Mrs. Mellon to cover up his extramarital affair with Rielle Hunter, a campaign videographer, and to support the child he fathered with her.
Prosecutors say Mr. Edwards violated campaign finance laws by misusing campaign funds for personal reasons; Mr. Edwards and his lawyers have said that Mr. Edwards never spent campaign money for personal purposes and that the government is only testing a ?theory? that has no basis in fact or law.
Mrs. Mellon?s lawyers have said that the $700,000 was a personal gift not subject to campaign election laws and that she did not know how Mr. Edwards was spending it.
The Justice Department is on the verge of indicting Mr. Edwards on felony charges involving campaign finance violations, which could lead to a trial. He could avert a trial by reaching a plea bargain, but people close to the case say prosecutors are insisting he plead guilty to a felony, not a misdemeanor. A felony could cost him his law license.
People close to Mr. Edwards said they expected either an indictment or a plea agreement to be announced within a week.
In visiting Mrs. Mellon, Mr. Edwards may have been trying to gauge the degree to which she could serve as a useful witness on his behalf if he wanted to fight the government in court. It is not clear if she would face any legal ramifications if he pleaded guilty.
Mr. Taylor, Mrs. Mellon?s lawyer, said that Mr. Edwards?s visit was ?entirely personal and social.? He said there was ?no discussion of anything related to his situation.?
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Source: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/27/edwards-has-lunch-with-banking-heiress/
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