John Edwards, twice a presidential candidate, once a nominee for vice president, once a United States senator, and a multi-millionarie trial lawyer, was indicted on six counts yesterday by a federal grand jury for violations of federal campaign finance laws. The charges center on his transfers of funds to Rielle Hunter, a former campaign aide, with whom Mr. Edwards had an affair and a child. The amount involved was $900,000 from two donors, and the indictment alleges that Ms. Hunter received the money in exchange for his silence about the affair and child.
The National Enquirer broke the story on October 10, 2007. Mr. Edwards, on October 11, 2007, responded, “The story is false. It’s completely untrue, ridiculous.” In December, 2007 Ms. Hunter announced that she was pregnant with Andrew Young’s child (Mr. Young was an aide to Mr. Edwards). The baby girl, Frances Quinn, was born in February 2008. Mr. Edwards denied the affair until August 2008 when he issued a statement acknowledging the affair, but not admitting that he was the father of Frances Quinn. Mr. Edwards clarified during that admission that his wife Elizabeth’s cancer was in remission at the time of his affair with Ms. Hunter.
When reports emerged of payments to Ms. Hunter, the federal investigation, that culimnated in his indictment, began. Mr. Edwards admitted on January 21, 2010 that he was indeed the father of Frances Quinn. Elizabeth Edwards separated from her husband shortly after his acknowledgment and died in December 2010 of the cancer that she had battled bravely even in the face of her husband’s disgrace.
The story is painful at every turn. The dribs and drabs of percolating truths added to the anguish. Oh, the legacy that hubris leaves. Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. Yet another Greek tragedy! All are punished. There are few Biblical, Greek, and Shakespearean lessons that cannot be found in this unfortunate series of self-imposed events.
About mmjdiary
Professor Marianne Jennings is an emeritus professor of legal and ethical studies from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, retiring in 2011 after 35 years of teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in ethics and the legal environment of business. During her tenure at ASU, she served as director of the Joan and David Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics from 1995-1999. In 2006, she was appointed faculty director for the W.P. Carey Executive MBA Program. She has done consulting work for businesses and professional groups including AICPA, Boeing, Dial Corporation, Edward Jones, Mattel, Motorola, CFA Institute, Southern California Edison, the Institute of Internal Auditors, AIMR, DuPont, AES, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Motorola, Hy-Vee Foods, IBM, Bell Helicopter, Amgen, Raytheon, and VIAD.
The sixth edition of her textbook, Case Studies in Business Ethics, was published in February 2011. The ninth edition of her textbook, Business: lts Legal, Ethical and Global Environment was published in January 2011. The 23rd edition of her book, Business Law: Principles and Cases, will be published in January 2013. The tenth edition of her book, Real Estate Law, will also be published in January 2013. Her book, A Business Tale: A Story of Ethics, Choices, Success, and a Very Large Rabbit, a fable about business ethics, was chosen by Library Journal in 2004 as its business book of the year. A Business Tale was also a finalist for two other literary awards for 2004. In 2000 her book on corporate governance was published by the New York Times MBA Pocket Series. Her book on long-term success, Building a Business Through Good Times and Bad: Lessons from Fifteen Companies, Each With a Century of Dividends, was published in October 2002 and has been used by Booz, Allen, Hamilton for its work on business longevity. Her latest book, The Seven Signs of Ethical Collapse was published by St. Martin’s Press in July 2006 and has been a finalist for two book awards.
Her weekly columns are syndicated around the country, and her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Reader's Digest. A collection of her essays, Nobody Fixes Real Carrot Sticks Anymore, first published in 1994 is still being published. She has been a commentator on business issues on All Things Considered for National Public Radio.
She has served on four boards of directors, including Arizona Public Service (1987-2000), Zealous Capital Corporation, and the Center for Children with Chronic Illness and Disability at the University of Minnesota. She was appointed to the board of advisors for the Institute of Nuclear Power Operators in 2004 and served on the board of trustees for Think Arizona, a public policy think tank. She has appeared on CNBC, CBS This Morning, the Today Show, and CBS Evening News.
In 2010 she was named one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Business Ethics by Trust Across America. Her books have been translated into four different languages. She received the British Emerald award for authoring one of their top 50 articles in management publications, chosen from over 15,000 articles.
Personal: Married since 1976 to Terry H. Jennings, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office Deputy County Attorney; five children: Sarah, Sam, and John, and the late Claire and Hannah Jennings.
