2012-04-28 15:31:19 Edwards' Aide- 'I Was Scared for My Life' |
Transcript by Newsy: http://www.youtube.com/user/NewsyPolitics?feature=guide
BY ZACH TOOMBS
He was once John Edwards' right hand man. But now he's the man whose testimony could put Edwards in prison for 30 years — and he says, at times, he feared for his life.
Andrew Young served as a campaign aide for Edwards' unsuccessful run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008. Tasked with accompanying Edwards' alleged mistress, Rielle Hunter, Young and his family traveled cross country with the woman for months.
Friday's testimony covered new ground in the case. Young told jurors he felt threatened to keep quiet about Hunter in the summer and fall of 2008 — and even feared for his life. CNN has a summary of a story Young told in court — when Edwards invited him to meet on his property.
"They drove country roads for about 10 minutes ... and Andrew Young said he thought either there was people out there who might shoot him, or, at the very least, that the senator was going to tape record him."
Later in his testimony, Young became emotional when he asked why he spent much of Edwards' illegal campaign cash on his own family — taking Edwards' mistress along with his own family on trips to Disneyland, Legoland and Aspen. According to ABC News, he said:
"For all the stress... put on my family. My wife, who is an amazing person ... Sorry, (she) managed to keep my kids very balanced."
The Charlotte Observer reports Young's decision to use campaign funds meant for Hunter complicates the validity of his own testimony.
"Toward the end of the Thursday court session, Young conceded that he sunk much of the money from two wealthy Edwards' supporters into the walls, stone, roof and luxurious amenities of his $1.5 million Orange County, N.C., house."
Friday also marked the first mention in court of the Edwards-Hunter sex tape. Hunter won a lawsuit earlier this year that called for the destruction of any copies of the tape. But Fox News reports court documents suggest the feds might still have a copy — and Edwards' lawyers are using it to their advantage.
JONATHAN SERRIE: "What the defense was trying to do was establish all the evidence that Andrew Young had collected against his former boss ... but the option of discussing the tape in the future may still be on the table."
Edwards faces charges of using illegal campaign funds to hide the truth about his mistress. With Young taking the stand, the fallout between him and his former boss has been pushed to the center of the case. The Huffington Post writes:
"John Edwards and Rielle Hunter's torrid romance may be over, but their breakup was a happy one compared to what happened between Edwards and Andrew Young ... As Edwards' criminal trial reaches the end of its first week, Young has been cast as a spurned lover who was used and discarded once his lie was laid bare."
Friday was expected to be Young's last day on the witness stand. If Edwards is convicted on all counts, he could face as many as 30 years in prison. |