with the downfall of the sheriff of wall street. but it was his zealous belief in his own righteousness that made eliot spitzer's self-destruction inevitable. and that might be why the story is so chilling. former president trump was a steamroller in the white house, and it landed an insurrection on the steps of the capitol. if we can't shake our addiction to strongmen, to those utterly convinced of their own greatness, there will be many more like spitzer in positions of power, posing even bigger threats to our fragile democracy. crusaders wanting their portraits on the walls of history. every governor of new york has the chance to be immortalized in a painting that hangs in the new york state capitol. a self-directed monument to his or her own illustrious legacy. all of them are there. all but two. the first served in the early 19th century and left no likenesses

>> no figure embodies the american political process quite like the presidential candidate. at their best, candidates represent an ideal the overcoming of obstacles. our hopes for a better future. protecting the people from the powerful. it's intoxicating stuff. reality, of course, is less glamorous. supporting that candidate is an army of volunteers, donors, political operatives, and they can sometimes get too wrapped up in in the law. the legend. which brings us to the story of johnny reid. edwards, an american success story crusading trial lawyer, family man, the senator from north carolina was seen by millions of americans as the future of

the democratic party candidate john edwards was inspirational. people seemed as if they would go to the ends of the earth for him, and in some cases, he made them. because in reality, john edwards, the person well, he was no savior. i will give you back your democratic party. >> i will give you back the white house, and i will give you back your country. >> who could ever forget this handsome face? >> john edwards being honest and changing course in iraq is the first step in trying to restore america's moral leadership in the world. >> and edwards was hot stuff. and within striking distance of the white house for years, he had been john kerry's vice presidential pick in 2004. and

even though that didn't work out, it made him an early favorite. entering the 2008 democratic presidential primary. >> he was a good talker. he was good looking. he had the right politics. >> yes, edwards was the dream candidate. perhaps even the dreamy candidate, that beautiful head of hair just stole my heart thank you. >> john edwards was able to articulate the economic issues that plagued this country, able to talk about the two americas. that was his famous speech. >> we can build one america where we no longer have two health care systems. >> edwards stated mission to bridge the gap between rich americans and poor americans still seems progressive more than a decade later. he was young, smart, married to his law school sweetheart. though he'd made a fortune as a trial attorney. edwards proudly championed the working class, and he was from a southern state. they called him bill clinton. without the baggage until the baggage arrived.

>> john edwards seemed too good to be true and was. >> tonight, john edwards political career lies in shambles. >> his personal life and lies laid bare. >> he lied about an extramarital affair when he ran for president this year. >> john edwards, now admitting he is the father of the child born to campaign aide rielle hunter. >> andrew young, a former aide to john edwards. young had initially taken the fall for edwards, saying he was the father of the baby. >> and what about edwards wife of 32 years, elizabeth? she has not only had to deal with her husband's betrayal, she is dealing with a cancer that threatens to take her life. >> yes, it was as bad as it sounds. edwards cheated on his cancer stricken wife, had a baby with his secret girlfriend slash employee, and then tried to pass it off as a key campaign staffers kid. for years, edwards followed the three simple rules for unfaithful men deny, deny, deny. >> i have no idea what you're asking about. i don't respond to these lies. >> so when the truth came out, he looked like the most

untrustworthy politician in the united states. >> here's the statement john edwards issued today. i am quinn's father. it was wrong for me ever to deny she was my daughter. and hopefully one day, when she understands, she'll forgive me. >> the scandal torpedoed his career, and with it, the dreams of so many people who had believed in him. >> it's very shocking. this is a man i was willing to vote for as president. >> why would he do a thing like that? >> why would he do that? he had to know that his personal failures would detonate his political career. yet he still seemed to believe that he was destined to transform the united states. and it wasn't just him. so many smart people surrounding him accommodated his lies, believing that the ends justified the means. this story is 15 years old, but it burned so many people, including many staffers who still work in politics and refuse to talk about the scandal to this day. john edwards isn't talking either,

and his ex-wife elizabeth sadly died in 2010. thankfully, i was able to find answers and understanding in kentucky. sitting and talking with someone who wants, fairly or not, was the most infamous woman in the united states. rielle hunter. the image of john edwards was, you know, this john grisham hero come to life, crusading southern lawyer had some difficulties in his life, wants to fight for you. we held him responsible for not being the image that he had given us, and held me responsible for that, too. we did in the media. >> yes, it's hard talking about it and even 15 years later, i don't want to hurt anybody or him. i don't want to hurt john either, you know. >> well, we're here to get your side of the story. by february 2006, rielle hunter had lived many lives. she was an actress with bit roles in films such as ricochet, where

she played a reporter alongside denzel washington. mr. scott, are you all right? a new york party girl and muse for her ex-boyfriend, jay mcinerney's novel story of my life. a self-described spiritual healer and finally, an aspiring documentary filmmaker. john edwards, by contrast, was soft, launching a presidential campaign and a leader of the democratic party. so let's just start with the very beginning. you're at the regency hotel. >> oh, god. >> in 2000. in 2006, were you there to meet him? >> being there was a fluke. >> was he by himself? who was he? >> no, he was in a business meeting. i was with my friend. we were at a table and, uh, john edwards was behind her. and he kept looking at me as though he knew me as well. and then we got up and left. and when we were standing on the corner, john edwards turned the corner and saw me there, and he literally, like, almost jumped into my arms and my response

came out of my mouth was, you're so hot. >> and what did he say back? >> well, i thank you. i said, i can help you. and he said, i want to hear. he said, could you, you know, can you come over? >> so you went up to his room. >> i did, and then i didn't feel like it was sexual either. you didn't? no, i did not. >> because it sounds like there was an attraction. you said you're so hot. >> i know, i know. i mean, that's i know i inherently a little sexual. >> no, i get it. >> yeah. >> did your intimate relationship with him begin that night? >> yes. >> i was in love very quickly. >> not because he was john edwards. >> no, not at all. make no mistake. like all of that, like added to the package, you know, like, it's just like i'm human. you know, he's a good looking guy. he was very charismatic, and he was like john edwards. he hit all the boxes except he wasn't single. >> that's a that's a box.

>> that's a big one. >> clearly, john's marital status was no barrier to pursuing rielle, and the feeling was mutual. ironically, at the same time, the country seemed infatuated with john edwards picture perfect marriage and his wife, elizabeth edwards, a former attorney herself turned health care reform crusader who was said to be edwards secret weapon on the campaign trail. >> my value is that people trust me. they trust me to say what's on my mind and to be direct. >> the election was still two years away, but elizabeth and john seemed like they were everywhere, pushing john as the next great democratic hope. it was the beginnings of a 21st century presidential campaign, which created a unique opportunity for real. and john's relationship. at what point does he start talking about figuring out a way for you to come on board the campaign? >> i pitched him the idea of doing a webisode series because my entire thing about him was who he really is, did not

translate onto the camera, and i wanted to help him capture that because i thought he was pretty cool in hours of behind the scenes footage really captured more than maybe even she imagined at the start, she showed who john edwards really was as a person, for better or for worse. >> do you think most people have any idea what we're doing? we're not on the stage. you're trained to be careful. you're conditioned to say what's safe. we're conditioned to be political. i actually want the country to see who i am, who i really am. i'd rather be successful or unsuccessful based on who i really am. not based on some plastic ken doll that you put up in front of audiences. i didn't, that's not me. >> be careful what you wish for, john. >> you only come across an artist like luther vandross.

once in a lifetime. >> he was a boss from the beginning. luther said, i have a sound in my head. i got to get it out. you are my shining star. >> it was the most exciting time in the world. >> his life had extremely joyful moments and some really difficult moments. if we were to be able to talk to luther as fans, we'd be able to say. we just love you, luther. >> never too much. new year's day at eight on cnn. lowes knows that holiday list can stretch further than your budget. with my lowe's rewards, you get member deals and earn points when you shop so you can get more and give more to join milo's rewards for free today. lowes knows how to help you holiday. >> dupixent helps people with asthma breathe better in as little as two weeks, so this is better. that two dupixent is an add on treatment for specific types of moderate to severe asthma. it works with your asthma medicine to help improve lung function. dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems and doesn't replace a rescue

inhaler. it's proven to help prevent asthma attacks. severe allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for face, mouth, tongue or throat swelling, wheezing, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor right away if signs of inflamed blood vessels like rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, tingling, or numbness in limbs. tell your doctor if new or worsening joint aches and pain or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop steroid, asthma or other treatments without talking to your doctor. when you can get more out of your lungs, you can do more with less asthma. and isn't that better? ask your doctor about dupixent, the most prescribed biologic in asthma and now approved as an add on treatment for adults with copd that is not well controlled and with a specific marker of inflammation

everyone's running to subway for three. >> all new spicy footlongs. wait, subway did what? that's right. they're bringing the heat with creamy sriracha, jalapenos and all new ghost pepper bread. but hurry, these subs are only here for a limited time. >> my moderate to severe crohn's symptoms kept me out of the picture. now i have skyrizi. i've got places to go and i'm feeling free. >> controlling my crohn's means everything to me control is. everything to me. >> and now i'm back in the picture. feel significant symptom relief at four weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi helped visibly improve damage to the intestinal lining, and with skyrizi, many were in remission. at 12 weeks, at one

year, and even at two years. >> don't use if allergic serious allergic reactions, increased infections, or lower ability to fight them may occur. before treatment, get checked for infections and tb. tell your doctor about any flu like symptoms or vaccines. liver problems leading to hospitalization may occur when treated for crohn's. >> now's the time to take control of your crohn's control is everything to me. ask your doctor about skyrizi, the number one prescribed biologic and crohn's disease. >> in 2006, john edwards was preparing for his presidential run. he'd also brought his extramarital affair with rielle hunter on the road by hiring her as campaign documentarian. and people were starting to notice. >> they were pretty weird episodes, right? like, the footage was like, clearly, you love this man. you're not even holding the camera steady. you guys are flirting here. >> oh my goodness it's a great

speech. >> can you read it? >> yes, i can read it. >> you can? yes. >> the webisodes. did they? suggest anything? >> maybe when he was like. he was a little flirty, but he flirted with everybody. i wasn't that wasn't unique to me, but everyone read into it that. oh, he's so flirty. you know that is a great speech. >> i'm so glad you like it. i like it. >> at the time, reelz larger than life presence on the campaign trail had some staffers and journalists talking, but it was just at talk. and even though he had not officially announced he was running yet, there was so much heat behind an edwards candidacy. >> it was really about this sense of the failed george w bush administration. we were coming out of katrina. we were heading into an economic crisis, the war in the middle east was so badly managed and

prosecuted with so much at stake. >> elizabeth had the idea to target young voters as a break with politics as usual. >> i was hired by the campaign because they were looking for bloggers. blogging was really new, and that was the edwards campaign trying to stand out from the more traditional campaigns at the time, elizabeth had been out front, she had joined the blogosphere. she was writing about universal health care and progressive policy generally. >> for the first time in 15 years, we're actually trying to fix a broken health care system and deal with the twin problems of the status quo, which are skyrocketing health care costs and millions of americans living without health care coverage. >> i first met elizabeth edwards on the campaign trail, and she was at the front of the bus working on something. by the time we get to our campaign, stop, elizabeth says, i have this for you. and it was a sketch of me, and i was just so sort of impressed and like, what a nice gesture. she didn't have to do that for me. and she was good. i knew then

she was a phenomenon. she was the brains of this mission. she knew how to make it look soft when it felt hard. she really was the all american fabric part of what made the edwards campaign so riveting, and why so many people rooted for john and elizabeth, was the story behind their relationship. >> tragedy had compelled them to get into politics. >> my oldest son, wade, died in an automobile accident seven years ago. and this is his outward bound pin, so i wear it. >> they began getting involved with the community and new and different ways when their son died, as a way to try to have some good come out of his death. >> good morning. i'm here in new orleans to announce that i'm a candidate for the presidency of the united states. in the election in 2008. >> by early 2007, john had made his official announcement for the presidency. reels.

webisodes which revealed a little more truth in edwards, was perhaps ready to admit disappeared from the internet, but their relationship continued. how often were you seeing john at this point? every week. every couple of weeks. >> a lot o more. >> i went everywhere. the staffers knew who i was. so like, for me to get into his hotel room, it was challenging. >> john edwards believed he could outsmart anyone. but someone has to be complicit here in this. >> the person rielle and john say enabled their affair was campaign staffer andrew young. andrew denies that he was doing anything more than following john's orders. so keep in mind this is a story full of unreliable narrators, and opinions differ. and of course, the only person cheating on a spouse and lying to voters about who he was was the candidate himself. >> they had a separate phone. they called the bat phone. whenever john would want to talk to rail, they'd start humming the theme from batman. and that was kind of the cue

for andrew to flip him the phone to talk to rail. so it was quite elaborate. >> why would andrew young do that? well, in his book he wrote, quote, i joined in the deception, and at the time, amazingly, i believed it was the right thing to do. i did this for one primary reason. i believed in john edwards and all the things he said he stood for. how much was he involved in helping this relationship to happen? >> oh, it wouldn't have happened without him. every time we reach some sort of obstacle or hurdle, andrew would clear. clear that, remove it. >> one of the things that's that's hard to get across to folks is how much it was really possible that john edwards was going to be the next president of the united states. >> in my personal opinion, i didn't think he should run for president. >> you didn't think he should run for president because of the relationship? >> yeah, yeah. there. did you tell him that? yeah.

>> you know, i was the only one everybody wanted him to run. what did he think was going to happen? i think it's all based on a lie. right? you know, it was like how this is not going to end well, this holiday season. >> find the perfect gift at cnn. underscored from the latest fashion to expert approved tech to the best beauty finds. discover it all at underscore. com. >> that's part of the party snooping in the bathroom. oh. party fell. not listening to your dentist make the sonicare switch. all right, champ, be gentle, be effective. be you. i love you when i was younger, my calling was to play football. >> but as i grew older, i realized life isn't about how many people you can knock down. it's about how many people you can lift up that ram. our calling is to build game changing trucks, so when you find your calling, nothing can

stop you from answering it. >> right now. during the ram wrap up the year sales event, get $5,000 total cash allowance on the purchase of most 2025 ram 1500 trucks. hurry to your local ram dealer today. >> meet the traveling trio, the thrill seeker, the soul searcher and ahoy, it's the explorer, each helping to protect their money with chase. whoa! a loss card isn't keeping this thrill seeker down. lost her card? not the vibe the soul searcher is finding his identity and helping to protect him. oh, yeah. the explorer. she's looking to dive deeper, all while chase looks out for her. because these friends have chase alerts that help check tools that help protect one bank that puts you in control. chase. make more of what's yours. >> lowe's knows the best holiday tradition is taking your tradition to the next level. so if you find a lower price on the things you want or need, we'll match. plus, with milo's rewards, you can earn points when you shop to make the holidays even more sweet. lowe's knows how to help you. holiday. >> everyone's running to

subway for three. all new spicy footlongs. wait, subway did what? that's right. they're bringing the heat with creamy sriracha, jalapenos and all new ghost pepper bread. but hurry, these subs are only here for a limited time. these days, $20 won't get you far, but at red lobster, you're a big shrimp. and baby, it's shrimp your way. choose three flavors for $20, like crispy dragon shrimp. get to big shrimp. and today, only at red lobster. >> i can't move again. >> you've gotten used to chaos. we can get rid of that. don't sell. oh my gosh. >> is this our house? when leaving just isn't an option, the brothers are here to help. craig here pays too much for verizon wireless. so he sublet half his real estate office... [ bird squawks loudly ] to a pet shop. meg's moving company uses t-mobile. so she scaled down her fleet to save money. and don's paying so much for at&t, he's been waiting to update his equipment! there's a smarter way to save. comcast business mobile. you could save up to an incredible

70% on your wireless bill. so you don't have to compromise. powering smarter savings. powering possibilities. $34. go to deal dash dot com and see how much you can save. >> new year's eve live with anderson and andy. live coverage starts at eight on cnn. >> it was only a matter of time before john edwards secret would come out to the press, but not to the mainstream press

i think many traditional journalists ended up in the tabloids putting together a story was the easy part. >> getting the information. that was the hard part, and that took a certain type of journalist. >> barry levine was executive editor of the national enquirer when a tip came in on john and rachel, previously, the juiciest gossip about john had been the price of his haircuts. >> it was right before the iowa caucuses he was running right with obama and hillary clinton. i thought, wow, if this story is true, the rug would really be pulled out from under him. >> in march 2007, a few months after barry started looking into the affair rumors, the edwards's received devastating news. elizabeth's breast cancer, which had been in remission since 2004, was back. and this time the doctor said it was not curable. >> the candidate says he'll be there for his wife any time,

any place. despite the presidential campaign. yet john edwards says that campaign will continue elizabeth was sick and elizabeth had found out about me at the same time. >> you know, she called the cell phone that we had together. there was only one number on the cell phone, and it was mine. and she called it, and i answered the phone and she hung up. >> he ended up confessing to her that he had had an affair with her, but it was over, and he was never going to do it again. so. and she believed she actually believed that at this point. >> editors and executive producers in the mainstream press seem to have no stomach for digging into rumors that john edwards was cheating on his dying wife. >> we had heard rumblings, and we were all sort of thinking about how we would report on it. there just was no evidence of it. >> tabloids in the u.s. play by different rules than mainstream

reporters. they use checkbook journalism, paying for information, for access, for photographs. the standards may seem lower, but in this case, the enquirer was going to do whatever it took to break the story. >> i went into my battle mode in the sense of, we're going to go full court press. the first thing we're going to do, try to find out a little bit more about who this woman is. we went to a home in new jersey where we believe that rielle hunter was living. >> the national enquirer ended up on my doorstep, so i bought a ticket and i flew, and andrew picked me up at the airport and took me to his house in north carolina, where sherry and the kids were. i stayed with him, and then he rented me my own house. >> but the enquirer was still circling, and levine had enough to start publishing. >> in october 2007. when the first piece came out from the national enquirer and they didn't name me, he gets asked about this and he denies it on

camera in front of everybody. >> he's on the campaign trail. he's still running for president, not the national enquirer story. >> i don't talk about these tabloids and they're tabloid trash. that's full of lies. i'm here to talk about helping people. >> what was your response when you heard that? >> you got mad. you got. you cried. >> i mean, it's just sad because he's denying your love. >> correct. >> so he's still he's still in the relationship? yeah. you're still in the relationship? yes. edwards campaign staffers all saw the articles, and many of them knew or at least suspected the rumors had merit. what's remarkable is no one inside the campaign blew the whistle at this point. john's political machine kept going full throttle, even as barry levine and the enquirer were getting ever closer to blowing it all up. >> subsequently, we were able to develop the source now closer to rielle hunter, who says that not only is the

affair true, but she's pregnant now with john's child and. they're freaking out. >> so when did you find out you were pregnant? >> july 2007. >> how do you tell john the news that he's about to have a kid with you? >> he knew like he knew before. i knew you. he. he just sensed it. yeah. he said this is your choice. whatever you want to do with this, i support you. i was 43 years old. i'd never been pregnant in my life. i was like, i'm having this baby. like, this is my shot of being a mom through the source that we had developed, we found out that john edwards had moved her to a gated community in chapel hill, north carolina. >> she's 5 or 6 months pregnant. she has to be traveling to an obstetrician nearby. >> that's right. barry and the national enquirer staked out

every ob-gyn in the area and waited for real to come in for an appointment. >> she left the doctor's office to a grocery store. we attempted to question her then and said, rielle, we're told through multiple sources that john edwards is the father of your child. >> what we have to remember is rielle hunter doesn't really exist until the national enquirer says she does. and when she does, everything changes. really fast that day changed my life. >> you know, suddenly i had to become aware of my surroundings all the time. cameras popping up out of weird vans parked down the street with the windows cracked. >> now, with physical proof of rachel's pregnancy, a plan was hatched to get the media off of john edwards sent. >> what happened after that went into a scenario that i had never experienced. we began receiving phone calls from

various lawyers saying, this is a case of two campaign workers and john edwards campaign who are having a child together. andrew young is the baby daddy of rielle hunter's child. >> now, this is when the story gets invented that it's actually andrew young's baby. >> yes. >> whose idea was that? >> andrew young's and his wife was cool with it. he sold her on the idea. i'm not sure she was cool with it. nobody was cool with it. >> to be clear, andrew young flatly denies that he was the architect of the plan to pass off john and rachel's baby as his. in his book, young recalls john edwards convincing him to lie by saying, quote, it's going to be a one day story. andrew, no offense, but the press doesn't give a about you. they want me, but if we give them a story, they can understand a story about two staffers, though. go away we published a page one cover story. >> john edwards love child scandal. we reported edwards

response. the story is false. ridiculous. >> at this point, the scandal almost starts to feel like watching a horror movie. i want to cry out to john edwards. just stop. don't go into the basement. don't layer a lie upon a bigger lie. just stop. go home man. but the potential to somehow get away with it and maybe even win the election kept john edwards and his enablers going, diluted as it was. they went into the basement and the national enquirer was waiting there for them. >> they say things take time and effort, but it's worth the wait. >> i can tell some stories. i'm so excited you don't believe twitter brought the world together and the world was not ready to see itself. >> you read the comments. yeah, i might recommend that you don't. yeah, that's how i get by. >> you never backed away. you never stepped down. oh, that's how i give up. >> i feel at home here

lord. >> that's how i get by. >> lowes knows the perfect gifts. don't have to stretch your budget. that's why we offer a free select tool when you buy select tools and batteries from our top brands. so perfecting the holidays? oh, you're good is easier than ever. lowe's knows how to help you holiday this holiday. >> verizon will turn your old or broken phone into a gift trade in any phone in any condition, and get samsung galaxy s24 plus with circle to search and watch and tab all three on us. survive the holidays with samsung powered by verizon. >> my kids can't hide anything from me. i'm home, especially when they've been using toilet paper that doesn't hold up. hold it mister. here's new charmin ultra strong. it cleans better. you can count on it. >> new charmin ultra strong has a diamond weave texture that's more durable and it cleans better, so you can use less. ah. >> much better. hey, you passed the clean test and your math test. oh, yeah, we all go.

>> why not enjoy the go with charmin from creating memories. >> to finding the perfect gift let us make this holiday season a little easier right now, save up to $60 on select as battery sets. happy holidays from steel. >> the first time you try bounce, it hits you. your laundry feels way fresher, softer, so you start to wonder if i put a sheet of bounce on the finance guy. will it make him softer? bounce can't do it all, but for better laundry, put a sheet on a warehouse. >> for somewhere inside. >> every lost grown up is the a

321321 today i'm natasha bertrand at the pentagon and this is cnn unless and until we have a president who is willing to stand up to these people, nothing will change. >> we will never have the america that all of us dream of. >> in january 2008, rumors of edwards affair have been published and were dogging the campaign. in a surprise upset, barack obama won the iowa caucus, where john had been heavily favored previously, but at least outwardly, edwards remained hopeful. >> what people want in new hampshire is they want to see change. they want to see something different than they see now. >> but the political tides had turned. a few days later, edwards lost the new hampshire primary. >> john edwards, a distant third, must be a disappointing 17%, and a few weeks later, the south carolina primary. >> he's only winning two counties, including where he was born seneca. >> obama broke out as the party favorite just as edwards began

to implode. >> it's time for me to step aside so that history can blaze its path. >> john edwards is still chasing his political career, even though he is not a candidate for president. he's looking for a role in the obama white house. >> he could still emerge as a vice presidential candidate or attorney general. but right at that moment, still has rail. and the kid over there trying to keep this at bay. >> if you're involved in a heated political scandal, the best thing to do is admit it confess and move on with your life. john edwards didn't do that. >> someone someday will have to explain to me how a man can cheat on his cancer stricken wife, have a baby with his girlfriend, and somehow think he can still be vice president or attorney general? a month after edwards dropped out of the race, rielle gave birth to their daughter in california without him. john was still trying to keep his growing

secret in hiding, but the enquirer was watching his every move. >> big tip came in that john was going to meet rielle and their daughter at the beverly hilton. we were subsequently able to obtain a spy photo of john holding his child and as john was leaving the hotel, our reporters sprang up to him and said, mr. edwards, we're from the national enquirer. what are you doing here? visiting rielle hunter and her baby. we believe your baby. at that point, it all caved in for john edwards. he was panic stricken. he ran into a bathroom, and our reporters were on the other side trying to get in. and security came and john edwards was escorted out without making any comments. but we knew that we had him. >> we wake up to the national enquirer interview. i was with abc news, and what i found out is that john edwards had brokered a deal to sit down

with abc news. >> i worked at abc news at this time, and when edwards agreed to a sit down, it was a huge deal. everyone in the newsroom tuned in to watch our colleague bob woodruff hold edwards feet to the fire. he'd have to tell the truth now. he was on national tv. but then this happened. >> let me ask you the question. did you have an affair with miss hunter in 2006? >> two years ago. i made a very serious mistake. a mistake that i am responsible for. is this affair completely over? oh, yes. it's been over for a long time. >> edwards, ever the skilled trial attorney, was being very slippery with the truth here. but what came out next was an unbelievable outright lie. >> and that picture is absolutely you. and you are holding that baby. >> the picture in the tabloid. yes. i have no idea what that picture is. >> but you've seen that picture, right? >> i did see it, and i cannot make any sense out of it. i don't know who that baby is. >> this is the part of john

edwards that you have to really say. my god. turn it off already. just stop. >> he admits to the relationship, but not the fatherhood. yeah, i mean, i don't even understand the the hair splitting, the deny that interview, denying paternity really changed things. >> i had a really hard time with that one at that juncture. >> why did he not do the right thing? >> why do i think that from a fear of elizabeth, probably multiple things hurting his kids elizabeth the embarrassment, the shame? um, just fear. >> but i think you're being very charitable by not thinking that a good chunk of all of these bad decisions was, i want to be president or i want to be vice president, or i want to be attorney general. >> was his ambition? yes. >> um, you're attributing it to his love and to protecting his family. and i'm saying more. >> more than ambition. i don't think he's that ambitious.

i'm not so sure. his political career was him 100%. you think elizabeth was pushing him? i think that she wanted it more than he did it's tough to know what to think about rial's theory, because elizabeth is not here to tell us her side of the story. >> what we do know is that just like the rest of his staffers, elizabeth edwards supported her husband's campaign unceasingly for him, as well as for herself, even as his affair tore her apart. >> the biggest explosion is when elizabeth edwards is waiting for john at an airport hangar, and she literally rips her shirt and her bra off and she says, don't you see me? it is the hardest moment in her life and edwards responded by continuing to dig in on these lies, which takes us back to

the abc news interview. >> bob turned the topic to money, and edwards just dug that hole even deeper. >> there has been evidence, or we've been told that there are about $15,000 a month have been paid to miss hunter so that she could actually live out in california. in fact, that money was from fred baron. who was your national finance chair, is that correct? >> i don't know, this is when you can first see fear in edwards eyes. he seems to turn from a guy plausibly trying to protect his family into a lawyer, trying to cover his our tentacles began moving out into chasing down the money trail. >> john edwards was relying on at least two very wealthy donors that we were able to publicly identify. >> one of those donors was heiress rachel mellon, known to friends, family and those seeking political contributions as bunny bunny mellon. >> she also found john edwards

to be insanely attractive and a part of you thinks like, you know what, john? you are no good. not you hitting on a 90 year old woman. but it worked. they got nearly, i think, $750,000. >> what they were supporting ultimately was keeping rael and their child under wraps. >> if fred baron and bunny mellon's contributions were being used to keep rielle quiet so that john edwards could win, that would make john edwards more than a philanderer. it would make him a federal criminal. wow. >> this is this is big. can't fool myself. >> it was the most exciting time in the world. >> his life had extremely joyful moments and some really difficult moments. >> you only come across an artist like luther vandross once in a lifetime. >> luther. >> never too much new year's day on cnn.

>> here at harbor freight, we design and test our own tools and sell them directly to you. >> no middlemen, just quality tools you can trust at prices you'll love. >> whatever you do, do it for less. at harbor freight we've got this. >> hey, susan. toothbrush. big interview, huh? nice new suit, new haircut, ancient bristle stick. make the sonicare switch. all right, now go knock em dead. boss, can i get the wi fi? am i hang here? if your family is anything like mine. every day brings in dirt and messes. touchdown! yeah, dad. sit back, relax, and leave the deep cleaning to the pros. >> i wasn't born a killer. i was made learning. my code was just the beginning. bringing it to life for the first time.

it's a whole new story, dexter. >> original sin new series now streaming on paramount+ with showtime. >> plan for more than a decade, pozega has been trusted again and again and again for s. e. cupp. >> s. e. cupp ask your doctor about pozega introducing new roxon gel. >> the first fda cleared ed treatment available without a prescription. a roxon gel is clinically proven to work within ten minutes, so you and your partner can experience the heights of intimacy new arachnid treatment gel times may change, but some things remain timeless. >> i've been using the dove beauty bar for more than 25 years. >> dove is one quarter moisturizing cream. i feel silky smooth this christmas. >> what you think about girls boxing? >> she got hands on experience. >> the incredible true story of claressa shields. >> i'm gonna train for this

gold medal. i'm gonna need exactly what the man get. let's go. >> the fire inside, rated pg 13. >> i need to get me a new phone. i need to trade in that busted up phone. you get you a brand new iphone 16 pro from t-mobile. it's on them. family save 20% every month. what a deal. >> new and existing customers trade in your busted old phone and we'll give you a new iphone 16 pro with apple intelligence on us. mom. >> hey, sometimes you just need a moment. self-care has never been this easy. >> gummy vitamins from nature made the number one pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand. >> this is kavana and this is how you can sell us your car. visit carvana, answer a few questions. we'll give you a real offer. then set a time for us to pick it up and pay you on the spot. sell your car the easy way with carvana 10,000 years before the birth of paul atreides, we founded a sisterhood. >> while your harkonnen, you were the strongest among us

without spice, the great houses would feed me to the worm. >> the troubles are far greater than just arrakis. let us rid the imperium of these witches forever. >> stop! >> doom. prophecy. streaming exclusively on max by 2010, the walls were closing in on john edwards, thanks to the reporting of the national enquirer. >> a grand jury had started investigating whether edwards campaign funds had been used to hide his affair with real. and while those chips were already down for edwards came another blow. andrew young announcing he was going public with a tell all book. >> andrew young finally broke from john edwards and wrote a book in which he came out and acknowledged the cover up. >> more than that, he named john as the mastermind of it

all. >> what is this? >> politics is almost cult like. i worked for john edwards for ten years, and here we were, on the verge of a possible presidency. the senator called me and said, my wife's about to die. will you consider helping me cover this up so that this is not on the front page of every newspaper in the world? >> so as federal investigators circle, john edwards was out of options. >> except one john edwards, now admitting he is the father of the child born to campaign aide rielle hunter. >> it's sort of maury povich for the upwardly mobile. you are the father. >> for all those that are disappointed and hurt, these words will never be enough. but i am truly sorry. >> and what about edwards wife of 32 years, elizabeth? she has not only had to deal with her husband's betrayal, she's dealing with a cancer that threatens to take her life. >> john edwards confession to elizabeth was reportedly done privately. she added an afterword to her memoir, resilience, recalling the

horror she felt on learning the full depths of john's betrayal, writing, quote, i simply wanted to be away from all of the things i had tried to accept. i wanted to take a long shower and be away from the lies my husband had told me, and the woman he told me about, and the awful couple who helped him live the lies. elizabeth edwards separated from john in january 2010, the same month that he came clean in the press. john edwards finally confessed to being quinn's dad in 2010. >> he had wanted to come out for a very long time. the issues were, you know, internal family issues. >> trying to hide it from elizabeth and to hide it, trying not to hurt anybody. >> you know, he didn't want to hurt elizabeth or his family it appeared edwards wanted his lie to outlive elizabeth, and may have thought it would be better for everyone. >> instead, as elizabeth's cancer progressed, she was left with the knowledge that not only had her husband gaslit her for years, a team of people had

known the truth and stayed silent or rationalized it as the right thing to do. >> elizabeth edwards died on december 7th, 2010 from breast cancer it was a very cold and rainy day in raleigh john had his two youngest kids hands and just. i remember him leaning down and saying, guys, all right. yeah. it was it was a very heavy day when she could barely speak anymore. >> my dad and i sat at her bedside and held each of her hands, and she just kept looking at us back and forth saying, i'm okay, i'm okay. she was way more worried about us than we were about her. >> elizabeth. died and and i'm wondering what you felt when

that happened. did you think when she passed away and they finally you and john could be together um, i don't think so. >> when did. i'm not certain. i ever thought john and i would end up together. the thing about all of it. yeah. i never would have gone down this road. why? because i'm a parent. i'm a mom. i just would never have an affair and do that to a family. >> so you maybe understand elizabeth edwards a little better now? oh, yes. >> absolutely. and the denials of, like, you're the person you love going, you know, denying that, you know, like your whole reality is turned upside down. yes, i get it. as a woman, you can understand it intellectually, but not emotionally correct. >> yeah. by 2011, the ongoing federal investigation into the edwards scandal came to a head. >> john edwards, the one time vice presidential nominee of the democratic party, is looking at the possibility of 30 years in prison. >> prosecutors contend that edwards used campaign donations to cover up an affair and pay

his mistress. >> he's accused of conspiracy, making false statements and violating campaign finance laws. >> remember those two donors, fred and bunny, by using their money to fund his cover up? edwards was now facing the biggest trial of his life. what about all that money from, like, bunny mellon and that i knew nothing about this money? i mean, who paid for your groceries? >> andrew young had claimed that he was paying for it out of his own pocket. and then fred reimbursed him. >> their argument was this money was not going directly to tell people to vote for john edwards. this was going to kind of support him and the family. it was sort of, you know, auxiliary. >> from there, the details just got seedier, including the testimony that andrew young and his wife sherry, had kept a very personal type of recording of john and rielle. >> how did you end up with a sex tape of john edwards and rielle hunter?

>> there was a sex tape that sherry young, andrew's wife, found in a pile of things that she had left behind in a house they had rented for her, and they kept it as a kind of an insurance. >> you did, though at one point consider selling it. >> when somebody comes up to you and says, you know, here's millions of dollars, will you sell it? you know, i'd be lying if i didn't say mm. but did we ever seriously consider selling it? of course not. >> it was. it was a crazy juicy trial for something about finance. >> there's no question that i've done wrong. and i take full responsibility for having done wrong. and i will regret for the rest of my life the pain and the harm that i've caused to others. but i did not break the law. >> they ended up deliberating for nine days, and it was like, is the train going to crash? >> andie anderson, take a seat. >> look at this. you're wet. disheveled. there's debris hitting you.

>> why do you have that on your phone? >> i watch it all the time. hey, listen, we need to be ready for new year's eve. there could be an ice storm or a hurricane. and obviously, confetti. maybe you are ready. >> new year's eve, live with anderson and andy. live coverage starts at eight on cnn and streaming live on max. >> lowes knows that holiday list can stretch further than your budget. with my lowe's rewards, you get member deals and earn points when you shop so you can get more and give more to join. milo's rewards for free today. lowe's knows how to help you holiday. >> my moderate to severe crohn's symptoms kept me out of the picture. now i have skyrizi. i've got places to go and i'm feeling free. >> controlling for crohn's means everything to me control is everything to me. >> and now i'm back in the picture. feel significant symptom relief at four weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel

movements. skyrizi helped visibly improve damage to the intestinal lining, and with skyrizi, many were in remission. at 12 weeks, at one year, and even at two years. >> don't use if allergic serious allergic reactions, increased infections, or lower ability to fight them may occur. before treatment, get checked for infections and tb. tell your doctor about any flu like symptoms or vaccines. liver problems leading to hospitalization may occur when treated for crohn's. >> now's the time to take control of your crohn's control is everything to me. ask your doctor about skyrizi, the number one prescribed biologic and crohn's disease. >> take a breath of fresh air with a stanley steemer air duct cleaning. we clean over 10,000,000ft of air ducts each year with our specialized trucks built by us. removing the contaminants from your home. your air ducts aren't clean until their stanley steemer clean your home cleaner. >> on medicare. living with diabetes progress is having your coffee like you like it

without an audience. the freestyle libre three plus sensor can help lower your a-1 c over time. covered by medicare for more people managing diabetes with insulin. this is progress. ask your jen b asks, "how can i get fast download speeds while out and about?" jen, we've engineered xfinity mobile with wifi speeds up to a gig, so you can download and do much more all at once. it's an idea that's quite attractive. or... another word... -fashionable? i was gonna say-

"popular! you're gonna be pop-uuuu-larrr!" can you do defying gravity?! yeah, get my harness. buy one line of unlimited, get one free for a year with xfinity mobile. and see “wicked,” in theaters now. >> go to dash dot com right now and see how much you can save. >> i'm pete muntean at reagan national airport. this is cnn. >> good morning. good morning. >> good morning. this four week trial. and then you had nine days of deliberation just deadlocked. there were just a couple of hard people who didn't think that it was a campaign finance violation, and thought the government didn't prove their case. but at the end of the day, they came back with a hung jury and the justice department almost immediately realized they weren't going to retry the case. >> and so john edwards avoided prison. he walked free, but into a world that found him guilty of being a liar, a cheat, and in the end, a

uniquely terrible presidential candidate. >> i did an awful, awful lot that was wrong. and there is no one else responsible for my sins after the trial, edwards retreated from public life. >> he returned to his home in north carolina, where he declines media requests to this day, including mine. he and rielle stayed together for a while after the trial, but now maintain a relationship as co-parents. >> he liked the attention, and he had a lot of people pushing him in that direction to make a difference, and he was conflicted about it. and he did not want to hurt anybody. and he loved elizabeth. he loved his kids. and he was also in love with me, you know, like it's humans are complicated people. it's not just black and white. >> and you thought that if you didn't go along, you'd lose it. >> no, i don't. i just felt

like i was forced to go along. the train was going in that direction, and i just gave up. one of the every known reality of everything i believe in. out the window. we're going in this direction. >> what belief systems were you throwing out? >> all my honesty and integrity. and you know my morals because you were lying. yes, to the country. >> lying to the world. lying. >> going along with it. i'm complicit. >> whatever you think of gabriel, it is fascinating that she is the one person in this story who was not invested in john politically. her motivations for the deceit and the lies were purely personal. she wanted to make her own life better. and honestly, she seems like the only person this worked out for. well, maybe not the only one in an historic first for any tabloid. levine's coverage of edwards was deemed eligible for a pulitzer prize. >> when i issued a public apology to remember that.

>> i don't yeah, not many people do what did you say? >> that i was sorry if i hurt anybody. i wasn't thinking about anybody else but myself. and i'm sorry. >> your daughter is 14 now. >> yes. >> so he is part of her life now? >> yes, very much. >> and how? i mean, that's okay. you and him and quinn, like you've all moved on. it's now just a healthy situation. >> it's very healthy. she's so blessed and privileged and has great parents who love her. you know, both of you. >> you and john? yes. and he's part of it all in. >> yeah. he's a great dad to her. >> so in a weird way, there is a blessing from all of this. not a weird way. >> it's not weird. she is. she is the blessing. yeah. >> even with the silver lining at the end, looking back, the edwards saga can feel like a twisted soap opera. the stakes felt larger than just a sex scandal. but what about the scandals? political legacy?

>> we have this dream of who we want people to be. but john edwards couldn't be that. he was who he was. for real hunter. who he was for elizabeth edwards. and then there was who he was for the american public. >> and that's the paradox inherent to politics by design. individual human beings have to be the vessels for all our lofty ideals. and yet to this day, we keep on investing and believing in these candidates for higher office. hoping, praying that they do not break our hearts. because maybe, just maybe, this one is different. >> i do think a lot of his campaign staffers were die hard, believe in the cause fans, and a lot of them do work in the white house right now. that's his legacy. and i think that puts a nice bow on a story that is a big old mess.