RALEIGH, N.C. — Two-time presidential candidate John Edwards has testified under oath in a lawsuit over a videotape that purportedly depicts him in a sexual encounter, an attorney for a former Edwards aide said.
Robert Elliot said Edwards was deposed last week as part of a dispute between former Edwards aide Andrew Young and Edwards mistress Rielle Hunter. Elliot declined to discuss the content of the testimony. A judge said last year he didn’t want the details discussed publicly and warned both sides that he could hold people in contempt if the deposition material is talked about outside of the case.
Hunter has sued Young to reclaim materials, including a video that Young has said depicts a sexual encounter involving Edwards and a woman he assumes to be Hunter. Young has said he helped cover up the affair and contends the tape was found amid trash Hunter left behind in a home he was renting.
Meanwhile, a separate federal criminal investigation in Raleigh has drawn several people in recent months to testify before a grand jury. People familiar with the case have said investigators are examining how much Edwards knew about money used to cover up his affair and whether he violated campaign finance laws. The investigation is particularly focused on whether money given to Hunter and Young should have been considered campaign donations.
Hunter worked in 2006 as a videographer for Edwards’ political action committee, shooting behind-the-scenes footage as the Democrat prepared to launch his second White House campaign. Edwards acknowledged a year ago that he fathered a child with Hunter, though Young had initially claimed paternity so Edwards could continue his campaign.
Attorneys for Edwards have said they are confident he did not violate campaign finance laws.
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