By Anne Blythe, McClatchy Newspapers –
GREENSBORO, N.C. — During his testimony at the John Edwards trial, Edwards’ former aide Andrew Young said he and his wife were put in the position of hiding Edwards’ extramarital affair with Rielle Hunter and her pregnancy.
But as other former staffers have testified this week, Edwards’ extramarital relationship was not such a well-kept secret.
(PHOTO: Former Sen. John Edwards and his daughter, Cate Edwards, leave the Federal Courthouse in Greensboro, North Carolina, Thursday, May 3, 2012. Edwards is charged with campaign finance violations in connection with nearly $1 million in contributions from two supporters that was used to hide his affair with Rielle Hunter.)
On Thursday, John Davis, who traveled frequently with Edwards in 2007, recalled several incidents related to Hunter, a woman he described as having a big and bold personality. Davis recalled bumping into Hunter near a hotel elevator bank while on a campaign trip. He was startled that she was there and uncomfortable about seeing her in a place where he did not think she should be.
The two exchanged pleasantries and got into the elevator together, Davis said, but he pushed a button to a floor other than his to avoid continuing to the floor number that she had pushed, knowing full well that Edwards’ room was on that floor.
Davis noted that Hunter, a campaign videographer, was unlike others who worked for Edwards. He said she didn’t come from the same educational background or call the former North Carolina senator “senator” as most of the staff did during Edwards’ 2008 run for the Democratic presidential nomination.
After the elevator encounter, Davis went to his room and called his wife. A short time later, there was a knock at his door and Hunter was outside asking to talk with him.
Davis recalled that Hunter told him “that she and Senator Edwards were in love.” She added that Edwards was concerned about what Davis had seen.
“I told her I did not care about this, I was focused on the campaign,” he said.
Hunter left after about 15 minutes, Davis recalled, and he again called his wife.
“I called my wife back to say, ‘You’re really not going to believe this,’ ” he said.
After that incident, Edwards mentioned the visit from Hunter, saying she had come to tell him she might be on “Inside Edition” or some other TV show. Edwards, Davis said, called her “crazy.”
That was not the last time Davis would call his wife to voice his disbelief from the campaign trail.
While he was in New Hampshire with Edwards, Davis said he had let the presidential candidate take a call on his cell phone, as he often did, and Edwards went to his room to talk.
Davis typically would let Edwards talk privately for a while, then go try to retrieve his phone.
On that day, after making several passes by Edwards’ hotel room, Davis said he overheard a phone conversation between Edwards and Hunter. Davis said, he could distinguish Hunter’s voice. It was distinctive, he said.
“I heard him ask — Senator Edwards ask Rielle — are you showing yet?” Davis recalled.
Davis said he stopped waiting to retrieve his phone, went downstairs to the hotel lobby to borrow a co-worker’s phone, and called his wife.
Davis said he never told Edwards what he heard nor asked him about Hunter’s pregnancy.
Also on Thursday morning, former aide Matthew Nelson testified about his opinion of fellow staffer Andrew Young. Young is the government’s lead witness in a case in which Edwards is accused of violating campaign funding laws to hide his affair and Hunter’s pregnancy. Nelson said he thought Young was “somewhat shady and not forthcoming.”
Nelson, 33, who now works in New York for the city housing authority, recalled his encounters with other key figures in a case that is expected to test the reach of campaign finance laws.
Nelson drove Edwards and Josh Brumberger, a former staffer who also testified this week, to what could well have been the Edwards’ first meeting with the wealthy heiress Rachel “Bunny” Mellon, who later provided hundreds of thousands of dollars that was used to cover up the affair.
In great detail, Nelson recalled driving up to the philanthropist’s Virginia estate, a large property in the hilly horse country in the northern part of the state.
A herd of deer crossed the long driveway leading up to Mellon’s home. When the three men arrived inside, and Edwards made a quick trip to the restroom. Mellon, now 101, came out and greeted Brumberger, mistakenly thinking that was Edwards.
“A comedic moment,” Nelson recalled.
