Edwards-Hunter Sex Tapes: ABC Saw the Sex Tape, Never Reported It

WHY DID ABC NEWS FAIL TO INFORM VIEWERS IT HAD SEEN THE JOHN EDWARDS SEX TAPE DURING ITS MANY INTERVIEWS WITH ANDREW YOUNG

A COVER-UP REPORTING ON A COVER-UP?

One small detail in an AP/Washington Post February 10 article outed ABC News withholding a crucial detail reporting the Andrew Young, John Edwards sex tape story. A crucial detail which raises questions as to why ABC News purposely mislead viewers and readers, engaged in a cover-up, in its recent Andrew Young interviews and corresponding news reports on the Rielle Hunter sex tape restraining order.

On February 10th the Washington Post published an AP report on the Andrew Young contempt of court hearing in North Carolina. Titled “Ex-Edwards aide faces pressure after tell-all book“, the report focused on Rielle Hunter’s attorney’s “frustration” over Young changing his story on where the tapes were located. The report included, on the day prior to the hearing, Young escorted by a security guard appointed by the court to retrieve the original sex tape from a safe deposit box in an Atlanta bank and a copy at Young’s home.

The report also included one small, yet important detail in Young’s testimony. A detail, which so far, hasn’t been reported by ABC News: Young testified he’d shown the sex tape to ABC News “prior to an interview”.

“The former Edwards confidant struggled to answer why he said last week that the only copies of the sex tape he had access to were in an Atlanta lockbox. He testified Wednesday that he also had a copy of the tape elsewhere and that he recently showed the video to ABC News in preparation for an interview.”

[ABOVE: Would you buy a used car from this man?]

On December 16, ABC News announced Andrew Young would give an exclusive interview to ABC News on the “Scandal that Brought Down a Presidential Candidate”:

“Senator John Edwards’ former longtime aide and one of his most trusted friends Andrew Young will speak exclusively to ABC News Correspondent Bob Woodruff regarding his upcoming memoir, “The Politician,” an insider account of Edwards’ pursuit of the presidency and the scandal that brought him down. Young gained notoriety when he claimed to be the father of Rielle Hunter’s baby and then welcomed Hunter into the home he shared with his own wife and three children. Hunter turned out to be Edward’s mistress. Woodruff’s interview will air on “20/20” on Friday, January 29. George Stephanopoulos will interview Young in his first live appearance airing on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday, February 2.”

On January 21, ABC released an excerpt of the interview which meant ABC News had, by now, seen the sex tape, courtesy of Young.

One day prior to the airing of the Woodruff interview on ABC’s 20/20, ABC News filed two reports, John Edwards Made Sex Tape, Abortion Plea, Aide Says, and, Ex-Edwards Mistress Tries to Block ‘Private and Personal’ Video.

In the “sex tape, abortion plea” story, ABC News reported Hunter filed for a restraining order and included Young’s “guarantee” to ABC News the tape was Edwards and Hunter:

ABC News has learned that Hunter filed for a temporary restraining order that seeks to prohibit Andrew and Cheri Young from possessing and distributing photos or video that she contends are her property.

Young, who had worked for Edwards since his 1998 Senate win, said he was absolutely sure it was his boss in the tape.

“It’s definitely him. You never see her face. But you see — you clearly see his face for a long time. And I can’t speak for the other body parts, but it’s definitely his face,” Young told ABC News.

In the “ex-mistress tries to block private tape” story, ABC News included both Andrew and Cheri Young’s “guarantee” the tape was Hunter and Edwards:

“There was one tape that was marked ‘special,’” Andrew Young told ABC News’ Bob Woodruff in an exclusive interview, describing his discovery of a tape in Hunter’s trash. “It’s a sex tape of Rielle and John Edwards made just a couple of months before the Iowa caucuses.”

Though Young never saw the woman’s face in the tape, he said she was “visibly pregnant” and was “wearing a bracelet” and a “thumb ring” typically worn by Rielle Hunter.

“It’s her jewelry,” Andrew Young’s wife, Cheri, told ABC News. “It could be on another woman with the same jewelry

The next day, the ABC “prove to us the tape is Hunter and Edwards” meme continued in the Andrew and Cheri Young, Bob Woodruff interview:

Woodruff: Are you absolutely sure this is John Edwards and Rielle Hunter?

Young: It’s definitely him. You never see her face. It’s a visibly pregnant woman. But you clearly see his face for a long time. And I can’t speak for the other body parts. But it’s definitely his face.

During the interview, the subject of ABC News having seen the tape was never broached by either Woodruff or Young.

Woodruff’s questioning Young whether the participants in the tape were Edwards and Hunter implied neither Woodruff or ABC News had seen the tape.

On February 1, Young appeared live on ABC’s Good Morning with George Stephanopoulos. Stephanopolous lead into the interview with a report on Hunter’s restraining order. In the interview Young claimed there was only one tape. Stephanopoulos queried Young on how Young could be sure the tape was Hunter and Edwards:

Stephanopolous: Let’s talk about the tape for a second. You describe it as a sex tape depicting a woman who looked like Rielle and John Edwards. How can you be sure it’s them?

Young: I’m positive it’s John Edwards. You can clearly see his face. I can’t speak for the rest of the body parts. With Rielle, it’s clearly a pregnant woman. It was taped several months before the election. There are distinguishing jewelry that she wore. Could it have been another woman who wore the exact same jewelry and it was left in a box of trash right outside of her room that she had stayed in temporarily in our rental home, sure, but we think, and I think it would hard to think it would be anyone else but her.

The same day the AP reported Young had testified ABC News had seen the tape, ABC News filed Elizabeth Edwards Threatens Husband’s Ex-Aide With Lawsuit. The report included the “bombshell” that Elizabeth Edwards had threatened to file an alienation of affection suit against Young. The report also included:

“The existence of a sex tape, along with other revelations on Edwards’ affair and the expensive coverup of Hunter’s pregnancy, came to light in Young’s new tell-all book, “The Politician” and an exclusive interview with ABC News’ Bob Woodruff, which aired on “20/20.”

And,

“Young said the woman in the tape was noticeably pregnant. While the woman’s face is not seen in the video, Cheri Young told Woodruff the woman is wearing a bracelet and a thumb ring typically worn by Hunter. Young, who had worked for Edwards since his 1998 Senate win, said he was absolutely sure it was Edwards in the tape.”

ABC News omitted from the report Young’s testimony he’d shown the tape to ABC. Which leads back to why did ABC cover up the fact they’d seen the tape? Why engage in a cover-up when reporting on a cover-up?

Why engage in a cover-up when interviewing one of the principal players in a presidential election cover-up?

Were the Young interviews contingent on verifying the tape was legit?

Who in ABC News saw the tape?

According to Young, he was fully aware ABC News had seen the tape. Did ABC News instruct Young to keep Woodruff and Stephanopolous and viewers in the dark? It’s seems farfetched Woodruff would been kept out of the sex tape screening loop or that Stephanopoulos would have been kept in the dark if Woodruff knew. What is certain, viewers were kept in the dark and mislead by ABC News. From the moment ABC News saw the tape they could, in each story on the sex tape, and in the interviews, cut out the middle man, Young, and informed their viewers, we’ve seen the tape, it exists, it’s real and yes, it’s Hunter and Young.

If it hadn’t been for Young’s testimony we’d wouldn’t have learned the truth because ABC still hasn’t reported on it.

by LBG
NOTE: The version of this story which will appears at Big Journalism:
is under Mondo’s by-line. It was written by LBG, but technical issues prevented her from posting it at Big Journalism. We’re working to correct those for future stories.

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