John Edwards and Wild Card Ex-Mistress: Barbara Walters Interview with Rielle Hunter
The National Enquirer is reporting that John Edwards’ ex-mistress Rielle Hunter may play a ‘love child’ wild card over Edwards’ treatment of her and his wife Elizabeth’s new book and has agreed to do a one-on-one interview with Barbara Walters in June.
While some may scoff at the Enquirer’s story, arguing that the Enquirer is a trashy supermarket tabloid–the same tact Edwards undertook when denying the rumors of an affair and impending love child–the Enquirer was validated after Edwards was caught leaving Hunter’s Beverly Hilton hotel room back in July then subsequently confessed during an interview on ABC with Bob Woodruff.
The Enquirer was the only representative of the press that kept after Edwards, who during the Presidential campaign lied to the press and to his supporters that he didn’t have an affair. Yet questions over the affair still remain.
Questions such as, is Edwards the father of Hunter’s one-year-old daughter Frances Quinn? Is he a good man who made mistakes–Elizabeth Edwards’ take on her husband–or is he a narcissistic cad, willing to cheat on a terminally ill spouse while fostering the image of a family man to the public while running for President? And what about Rielle Hunter, just who she is? An free-spirited romantic or someone who lives vicariously off other people’s lives, unwilling to build one of her own, according to Elizabeth Edwards. And then there’s Elizabeth Edwards. Is Elizabeth truly the forgiving spouse willing to put everything into perspective and rise above the tawdry circumstances foisted upon her life, or is there more to Elizabeth than the persona she’s presented to the public?
So far, Elizabeth is the only one who’s talking, albeit in a round-about manner. In her book as well as in interviews, Elizabeth has taken the high road. She’s refused to denigrate her husband and refers to Hunter in ambiguous terms. It was purportedly Elizabeth’s repeated reference to Hunter as a person who feeds off other people’s success, that has purportedly partially infuriated Hunter. Perhaps the other part is the fact that John Edwards’ former campaign manager, billionaire attorney Fred Baron is no longer around to support her.
Baron died from cancer at the end of October but not before he admitted he had “helped” Hunter out to the tune of paying for her upkeep in a swank mansion in California when she had Frances Quinn. The story foisted upon the public was rather unbelievable, of the father of Hunter’s baby being one of Edward’s political operatives. Hunter and the purported father of Frances Quinn released statements from attorneys–both attorneys had ties to Fred Baron–that Edwards wasn’t the father. Baron moved the man and his family into the same mansion. After the baby was born, the father’s name on the birth certificate was never filled in. The man and his family soon returned to North Carolina sans Hunter, to a new house, while friends and family denied he had an affair with Hunter.
Most likely what has been far more irritating to Elizabeth and John Edwards is the fact that the door to their privates lives still remains open to scrutiny well after Edwards bowed out of the presidential race. It was highly illuminating that the day after Elizabeth appeared on Oprah, Oprah discussed Elizabeth’s interview with her long time buddy Gail during her show. During the interview with Elizabeth Oprah was gentle in probing Elizabeth over the affair. The day after, Oprah and Gail mused about Elizabeth and what her reaction might be if it were discovered that the father of Hunter’s love child were John Edwards which he has adamantly denied.
When the Enquirer first reported on the rumors that Democrat presidential candidate Edwards was having an affair, the next day Edwards issued a short statement to some nearby press that the Enquirer was “tabloid trash” and that he “didn’t have an affair”. Edwards then refused to speak further about the rumors while the obliging press looked the other way. It wasn’t until Edwards was literally caught by the Enquirer sneaking out of Hunter’s Beverly Hilton hotel room–baby Frances Quinn was residence–that the MSM took note, well after Edwards had bowed out of the presidential race. In short, Edwards had lost his “control the MSM press” card. The next attempt at control, or “damage” control, was the tearful interview given by Edwards to Woodruff. Some implied that the tears stemmed in part, from Edwards’ belief that he was on Obama’s short list of vice-presidential picks. Edwards’ belief was well-founded as he had been Kerry’s vice-presidential pick during the prior presidential election.
Edwards’ interview with Woodruff was highly informative but not in the way Edwards may have intended. He said that he had made mistakes and refused to name Hunter. He also claimed that the affair was over a “long time ago” in “2006″, that he had “told” his wife Elizabeth, and that the “healing” had already begun. A sharp eyed reader contacted DBKP after they realized that they had attended a rally held by Edwards on the evening of December 31, 2006 in Chapel Hill and that they had inadvertently taken photos of Hunter, with her camera, at the event. Photos which included Hunter, Elizabeth, the Edwards’ children, and Edwards’ parents. Hunter was purportedly “let go” once Elizabeth learned of the affair, yet, according to the photos, Hunter still performed her duties as mini-documentary producer and camera girl.
The AP is reporting that Edwards is facing a federal investigation regarding the $100,000 his political action committee paid Hunter during the campaign to her video production company. The federal investigation may have been a deciding factor in Hunter and the baby “Daddy’s” decision to keep mum. The so-called statements that both had made through attorneys were published on the website, Mydd.com.
Hunter’s statement:
“The innuendoes and lies that have appeared on the internet and in the National Enquirer concerning John Edwards are not true, completely unfounded and ridiculous.
My video production company was hired by the Edwards camp on a 6 month contract, which we completed December 31, 2006.
When working for the Edwards camp, my conduct as well as the conduct of my entire team was completely professional.
This concocted story is just dirty politics and I want no part of it.”
Hunter went on to claim to Jerome Armstrong of Mydd. that “I had no sexual affair of any kind with John Edwards.” Hunter’s statement claimed that the Enquirer was “dirty politics” and that the Enquirer’s story was full of was “innuendo and lies”.
So far, in the battle of truths, half-truths, and lies, Hunter has yet to retract her statement that she didn’t have a sexual affair with Edward or her other statement, that Edwards isn’t the father of Frances Quinn. Edwards admitted during the ABC interview that the baby wasn’t wasn’t his and that he would willingly take a paternity test. The next day Hunter issued another statement that she wouldn’t allow Frances Quinn to be tested, leaving the rest of us to wonder, “why in the world not?” Unless… Hunter and Edwards were playing a charade designed to fool the public.
There are some that argue that Edwards’ affair should have been a private matter despite that fact that Edwards was in the process of running for president on a platform of family values. There are those that believe that Elizabeth Edwards was complicit in that she continued to publicly support her husband’s campaign after she learned of his affair. Some believe that it should have been Elizabeth who ran for President instead of her milquetoast spouse, that Elizabeth is the feisty and much more intelligent partner. When Turner Classic Movies asked Edwards to present his favorite political film, it was Elizabeth who chose one for him, Dr. Strangelove, a movie he’d never seen.
During the Woodruff interview Edwards spoke about his long-standing love for his wife and how much he deeply admired her. He alluded to something else, that “no one knows that goes on in people’s marriages”, leaving one to wonder what he was referring to, his own behavior or that of his wife?
Other than the Bob Woodrow interview last August, Edwards, an accomplished trial attorney, hasn’t agreed to a single follow-up interview. In recent interviews, Elizabeth has publicly defended him, calling him a good man who made mistakes. Other than the Enquirer’s report that Hunter will do a sit down with Barbara Walters in June, neither Hunter and/or the father of her love child has gone public and taken some of the heat off of Edwards. Instead they’ve chosen to leave Edwards twisting in the proverbial wind.
In this day and age of tell-alls and public confessions this seems highly unusual behavior on the part of John Edwards, Hunter, and the purported daddy of Frances Quinn. The public is, for the most part, forgiving, unless and until it discovers that the confessor(s) were either not telling the whole truth or were attempting to pull the wool over the public ‘eye’. The public would probably have never been privy to Edwards’ affair if the Enquirer hadn’t reported on it. Edwards attempted to paint the Enquirer as tabloid trash, yet it was the dogged determination of the Enquirer that led to Edward’s exposure as a liar and cheat. While it’s true everyone makes “mistakes”, there’s very few that make it their life’s work running for President, pandering a platform of family values, honesty, and integrity while hitting people up for contributions.
Edwards gambled that he wouldn’t get caught. It remains to be seen if Edwards can raise the stakes of his ruined political career as ex-mistress Rielle Hunter may have a ‘love child’ wild card yet to play.
By LBG
Image – Wild Card
John and Elizabeth Edwards have been married for 32 years.They had four children together; three are living, and one died when he was only 16 years old. Elizabeth Edwards has stage 4 cancer. Any decent human being would not have inserted herself into their lives, and then sold stories about them to the National Enquirerfor monetary gain. (Hunter is a “ho” mining for gold.)Lisa Druke, a.k.a. the Rielle (Real) Hunter fills me with disgust. I hope someday to never hear anything about her again.
By the way, I found Elizabeth’s new book, Resilience, to be quite inspirational. I think everyone would benefit from reading the passage in the book that tells the story of the Japanese woman who survived the atomic bomb thatwas dropped on Hiroshima.
Reply
Hi Cher,
1) It’s not been established that Hunter sold the National Enquirer anything.
2) It has been established that Elizabeth Hunter got paid to write about Rielle Hunter–whether Edwards named her or not.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Reply
LBG1 Reply:
June 1st, 2009 at 10:52
While there’s no evidence that Hunter sold her story to the Enquirer there’s plenty of evidence that she:
1. While pregnant, moved to a gated community in Chapel Hill to an expensive home not paid for by her and drove a car, not owned by her.
2. Before the baby was born, moved to California where she was ensconced in a swank mansion along with Edwards’ political operative Andrew Young, along with Young’s wife and children, paid for Fred Baron, Edwards’ campaign head and long-time close pal. Once more Hunter was living off someone else’s very large dime.
3. While Edwards did the ABC interview, Hunter and baby were flown by private jet to the Caribbean, again, not paid for by Hunter.
On her own Hunter couldn’t afford the types of residences she resided in. She wasn’t working, merely gestating someone’s baby. Fred Baron and John Edwards would have had the public believing Baron shelled out hundreds of thousands of dollars to help out a “couple of kids”. Hunter is in her 40′s while Young is in his 30′s, married, and was Edward’s “get it done” guy. Prior to the affair, Hunter supposedly had her production company. In this day and age why would a 40-something pregnant woman ditch her fledgling company and career because she was pregnant? I have to agree with Cher on this, Hunter, either by agreement or by her own idea, behaved like a kept woman in a gilded cage.
Reply
Marilyn Reply:
June 1st, 2009 at 17:04
I don’t know if they belong to a secret society but I do agree that Rielle Hunter is a grifter and was looking to extort money any way she can.
Reply
Marilyn Reply:
June 1st, 2009 at 17:08
Mondo – Who is Elizabeth Hunter?
I too believe Rielle Hunter is the “source” for the stories NE publishes or RH gives the information to her friend Mimi or her sister Melissa for them to sell. Otherwise, NE is making up the stories which I suppose is also possible.
Reply
LBG1 Reply:
June 2nd, 2009 at 13:02
So far the Enquirer has been spot on regarding Edward’s affair with Hunter as well as Fred Baron’s role. The “made-up” stuff has come from the Edwards camp. It was Edwards who denied he had an affair until caught by the Enquirer at the Beverly Hills Hilton. It was Hunter who lied when she issued her first statement, denying she had a sexual affair and that her association with Edwards was purely professional.
Edwards now faces a federal investigation into the monies his political action committee paid Hunter. Whether or not the details of the investigation become public is another matter.
Hunter has refused to put the father’s name on Frances Quinn’s birth certificate and is no longer living off the largess of Fred Baron.
Edwards has refused to do a single interview since the one and only ABC interview last August.
Whether or not Hunter is scheduled to do an interview with Barbara Walters remains to be seen.
Reply
The Rielle (Real) Hunter is a made up name used
by a woman named Lisa Druke. Her friend, Pigeon,
also uses a made up alias.
I think these people work for some secret society,
that’s out to do evil
Reply
So you is the paid source for the NE stories regarding Edwards and Hunter?
Reply
LBG1 Reply:
June 3rd, 2009 at 10:12
It could be Hunter or someone close to her or… someone who works for Barbara Walters or ABC.
Hunter’s got a huge problem. When pregnant with Frances Quinn she moved to a gated community in Chapel Hill, a few miles from Edwards’ campaign headquarters. She then moved to California where she was ensconced in a ritzy mansion, along with Andrew Young, Young’s wife and children. She had the baby but didn’t put the father’s name on the birth certificate even though the “father”, Andrew Young was there. When Edwards gave the ABC interview where he admitted he had an affair, but that the baby wasn’t his, Hunter and baby were whisked out of the country by private jet to the Caribbean.
Hunter doesn’t have that kind of money. There’s only two scenarios of the public perception of Hunter: either she “extorted” Edwards or it was Edwards and Fred Baron’s idea to keep her “close” by and out of the public eye. If it was Edwards idea, helped along by Baron, then Hunter will still be seen as being complicit in the arrangements.
What’s ironic is that, if the 40-something Hunter had remained in New York while pregnant and had kept her production company and had not taken part in such a silly scheme reminiscent of a 1930′s screwball comedy, then very few suspicions would have been aroused.
Reply
My husband and I saw and talked with Elizabeth and John Edwards on December 30, 2006 at the Chapel Hill campaign rally. Elizabeth was in good spirits, talking with attendees, autographing books, and did not seem to be bothered or even aware of Rielle Hunter nearby with her camera. Rielle was right behind John filming him as he talked with supporters and hugged his mom and dad–there was no reaction to Rielle’s presence from Elizabeth or John’s parents. All three of the Edwards children were there. Later in John’s interview, he states that he told Elizabeth during 2006 and the “healing process” had begun. The implication seemed to be that this conversation was earlier in 2006. Now Elizabeth is using the date December 30, 2006 in her book as the date she was told. The photos of Rielle with them are from December 30. Coincidence, Mondo?
Reply
LBG1 Reply:
June 3rd, 2009 at 10:37
While I can’t answer for Mondo, in my opinion, the photo of Hunter at the rally plus corroborating witnesses indicates that Edwards’ lied during the ABC interview about when the affair ended unless… as Elizabeth stated, he told her on Dec. 30 and that within less than 24 hours (according to John) they were able to “hash” it out then let the “healing process begin”.
Chances are, that scenario probably didn’t occur.
Reply
Marilyn Reply:
June 5th, 2009 at 10:50
My guess is Edwards is the father of Frances Quinn, the Edwardses are providing child support & the BMW SUV with North Carolina license plates (link below) in return for RH to keep quiet, raising the little girl by herself in NJ.
http://www.insideedition.com/news.aspx?storyID=2905
The Edwardses are trying to continue on as a family, but with the NE getting stories from someone in the “know” probably RH’s friend Mimi, no visitation happens between JRE and Frances at this point.
I don’t look for RH to do the Barbara Walters interview in June or that there has been or will be a paternity test done.
Reply
Oh people, please!!!!
Everybody in America and Half of Mainland China
knows the Rielle (Real) Hunter has a baby that she is claiming to be John Edwards’. There is no reason for John and Elizabeth Edwards to pay this whore to keep her mouth and legs closed. She has already opened them both multiple times.
That’s why the Rielle (Real) Hunter, herself, does not want a paternity test. She just wants John and Elizabeth to not be at peace. Well Lisa Druke a.k.a.
the Rielle (Real) Hunter your 15 minutes is up.
Good bye!!!!!!
Reply
[...] By the way, I found Elizabeth’s new book, Resilience, to be quite inspirational. I think everyone would benefit from reading the passage in the book that tells the story of the Japanese woman who survived the atomic bomb thatwas dropped on Hiroshima. –”Cherubim”, June 1 2009 comment on John Edwards and Wild Card Ex-Mistress: Barbara Walters Interview with Rielle Hunter [...]