John Edwards’ fall from grace is one of the most underrated and under-covered scandals of all-time. Capital Hill may have seen its share of salacious fiascos, but the former presidential candidates’ blow-up ranks among the all-time greats. Not only did his cheat on his wife with a campaign staffer, Edwards fathered an illegitimate child, supposedly promised to marry the woman after his cancer-stricken wife died, embezzled campaign funds to cover it up and best of all, made a sex tape in the midst of it all. The latest item has particularly fascinated me, especially after the nature of its content leaked out.
Apparently, the video featured a naked Edwards graphically performing oral sex on his naked and pregnant mistress with periodic muggings for the camera and a general aura of goofiness. I’m not ashamed to admit I’d gladly pay ten dollars to laugh at that if it were ever made public, but unfortunately, it seems like I’ll never get the chance.
According to The San Jose Mercury, an agreement has been struck to destroy a copy of the tape in the possession of Edwards’ former aide Andrew Young. The mistress, Rielle Hunter, stayed with Young while she was having an affair with the Senator and later left behind many of her belongings. A pissed off Young who first claimed paternity of the illegitimate child to cover for his boss later turned on everyone and used the materials as the basis for a best-selling book.
In all fairness, the tape probably should have been destroyed. There’s no real reason why any of us need to see it, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still disappointed. As for Edwards, he faces an upcoming trial for the embezzlement of campaign funds that could put him away for thirty years. We’ll update you when the court proceedings begin.
