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Is john edwards verdict the last straw for campaign finance? by efvf thbtn
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Is john edwards verdict the last straw for campaign finance? |
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The verdict came as a blow to the US Justice Department s embattled Public Integrity Division, which recently saw severalprosecutors dismissed for their role in the bungled prosecution ofthe late Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens . It s also sure to raise questions about whether the case shouldhave been brought in the first place, given that Edwards was nolonger a political figure and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) had not ruled against Edwards. More broadly, though, the prosecution's loss combined with the Supreme Court s 2010 Citizens United decision , which allowed freer flow of campaign funds in the politicalsystem appears to set a high bar for what constitutes illegalbehavior in the realm of campaign funding. The fact is, we re going to see many fewer cases brought of thiskind, largely because the Supreme Court has said we want morederegulation in this area, more freedom from governmentregulations, legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin , who has written extensively about Citizens United for the NewYorker magazine, said on CNN.
At its core, the case is about whether Edwards, once a rising starin Democratic politics, willfully took and concealed the moneyto protect his presidential campaign. Some legal analysts say thegovernment s unusual decision to bring criminal charges againstEdwards even after the formal civil-elections body, the FEC, failedto come to any conclusions about whether the donations were illegalcould have chilled American politics. If Edwards is successfully prosecuted, we may be entering an Alice in Wonderland world where conduct that would not draw theire of civil law enforcement can lead to prison for politicians,Allison Hayward, a vice president at the Center for CompetitivePolitics, writes Thursday in a Politico op-ed. As it is, his acquittal spoke just as loudly about the role ofmoney in American politics, especially at the presidential level,others said. If this is a legal precedent, we will rue thisday, the conservative columnist David Frum said, suggesting that the verdict opens the doors wide open to what people who might be president can do with money that donorsgive them.
After the defense and prosecution rested their cases on May 16, thejury drew attention to itself in unusual ways. At one point,newspapers reported that one of a group of alternate jurors flirtedwith Edwards. A flurry of recent deliberations turned out to centeraround jurors wanting to attend graduation ceremonies for childrenand relatives. Edwards, a former US senator who was the vice presidential nominee in 2004 and an earlyfavorite for the 2008 presidential nomination, had an option totake a plea bargain instead of going to trial, but only if he wouldagree to some jail time and forego his law license. He refused.
Ifhe had been convicted on all counts, he would have faced as many as30 years in prison. Edwards took note of the jury s diligence in a statement afterthe verdict was read, and suggested that he understands that he wasultimately responsible for the pain he caused to those closest tohim, and the role he played in his own downfall. There is no one else responsible for my sins, Edwards said. If I want to find the person who should be held accountable formy sins, I don t have to go any further than the mirror. It s meand me alone.". I am Fruit Grafts, Seedlings & Rootstocks writer, reports some information about walking stick handles , cheap rain ponchos.
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