The surrogate
It begins with a woman who yearns for a baby and another who is willing and able to give her one. You can imagine the motives of the prospective parents. But what about the woman willing to carry a baby, give birth and then walk away?
Friday Night Rewind It doesn't matter which team you cheer for. We've got video previews of every high school football program in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando County.
A leading political figure, whose wife is battling breast cancer, is caught in a secret rendezvous with another woman at a Los Angeles hotel. The other woman might even have had a baby with the politician.
Why are we not hearing more about this scandal, then, particularly as the man is John Edwards, a former Democratic presidential candidate and now one of the people said to have a chance at being Barack Obama's running mate?
Maybe it's because the story was broken by the National Enquirer. Even so, the Enquirer seems to have the story nailed down pretty well. The tabloid first reported last October that Edwards had a relationship with a divorced woman named Rielle Hunter, and that she was pregnant. Edwards denied the report and another man came forward to say he was the father of the unborn child.
The Enquirer didn't give up the chase. On Monday, it staked out Los Angeles' Beverly Hilton, where Hunter, with the baby in tow, had rented two rooms. Edwards, who was in L.A. for a homeless event, was spotted entering the Hilton at 9:45 p.m.
"Edwards was not carrying anything,'' said Enquirer reporter Alan Butterfield. "He walked in alone. He was looking around nervously before he entered the hotel. Once inside, he interestingly bypassed the lobby and ducked down a side stairs to go to the bottom floor to catch the elevator up — rather than taking the elevator in the main lobby. He went out of his way not to be seen."
At 2:40 a.m. Tuesday, Edwards left the hotel and was greeted by several Enquirer reporters. He ran back into the hotel and later was escorted out by hotel security.
"It was impressive and quintessential tabloid work,'' comments gawker.com on the Enquirer's report. "But there's no reason the paper should have had the scandal all to itself. Isn't this the sort of thing traditional newspaper tabs like the [New York] Post used to cover? And even starchy broadsheets should have had some interest — it was the Miami Herald that busted Gary Hart in 1988 (when his mistress left his townhouse — shades of the Edwards affair) and the [New York] Times that broke the story of Eliot Spitzer's whoring earlier this year.''
As for Edwards, Gawker asked: "When is an affair while your wife is dying of cancer NOT a political career killer?''
[Last modified: Jul 28, 2008 05:01 PM]
Comments on this article
by Tom
Jul 28, 2008 5:01 PM
GUS is RIGHT!!! It's Liberal media's fault.
Mark Foley, Larry Craig and Elliot Spitzer only had police reports implicating them, NOT the Enquirer.
Look at the blanket media coverage of McCain & Gingrich divorcing their crippled/cancer ridden wifes.
by Pedro
Jul 26, 2008 2:44 PM
OK, if this story is false don't you believe that this ambulance chaser will be suing the Enquirer and Fox for a zillion dollars for false accusations?!!
by gus
Jul 26, 2008 2:38 PM
Some of you are complete morons. I mean stupid as a box of ball peen hammers. If there was an unbiased media, they'd be doing their job right now. They'd be asking questions. They'd be in Edwards face. Their not.
They are biased liberals.
by gus
Jul 26, 2008 2:37 PM
Mark Foley, Mark Foley, Mark Foley, Mark Foley on and on and on and on. Same with Larry Craig.
Elliot Spitzer...chirp chirp chirp.
McGreevy chirp chirp chirp chirp.
John Edwards...utter silence.
Why is that?
by TimEM
Jul 26, 2008 2:26 PM
This is crazy, the videos she made are all on YouTube
They're both clearly in love with each other.
He looks so besotted with "camera girl"
You can see that she gave an interview to EXTRA on their website when this first came out.
by Edna
Jul 25, 2008 3:09 PM
p.s. read this link: http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20080725_Tattle___Enquirer__links_John_Edwards__Rielle_Hunter.html Why did only Enquirer reporters see him when the lobby was teaming with media that night? The whole thing seems off.
by Melanie
Jul 25, 2008 3:09 PM
I don't want to know about affairs, but any behavior that can set a Senator up for extortion is relevant... But poor Elizabeth. She deserves so much better. And anyone tht enjoys this story is as low as this behavior.
by Edna
Jul 25, 2008 3:07 PM
Hey, if it's true, then I'd agree w/those of U who are pronouncing judgement, but I'm just saying consider the source here. The Enquirer has broken some true stories but has also fabricated way more ridic ones. Reserve judgement until we know.
by matt
Jul 25, 2008 2:46 PM
What is all this talk of bias. Someone might have thought Eliot Spitzer was a Republican. C'mon. No one's reporting it because the only evidence comes from an Enquirer reporter with an incompetent photographer. Nopaper passes this story.If if wre tru
by Jim
Jul 25, 2008 2:42 PM
Specific dates, times, locations... Hunter's mysteriously sourceless financial status... no evidence at all.
by Tom
Jul 25, 2008 2:23 PM
Bigger Question: Why can't I find a link to this article on your home page!?!
by edswife
Jul 24, 2008 8:54 PM
Oh come on, only the lowest piece of trash would cheat on his wife who's fighting cancer. Only a complete lying hypocrite would betray the closest person in his life. Only a person who has no set of morals would do such a thing.
by tim
Jul 24, 2008 6:02 PM
This is Edwards' "Two Americas": The concerned, caring, husband nice-guy he plugs in for juries and TV, and the skuz-ball, filthy rich ambulance chaser he is in real life.
by Kirk
Jul 24, 2008 5:10 PM
"If this was a republican the media would be killing the guy!" National Enquirer !!! You know, I had the Alien's baby. But I but the "main stream" press won't print that story either.
Jesse's inquiring mind wants to know!
by dennis
Jul 24, 2008 5:10 PM
edna,edna,edna ,stop eating the green cheese..youll see it in a couple of days.
by Edna
Jul 24, 2008 2:55 PM
Mark, 2 answer Ur Q 2 me: is there 1 pic of him @ the hotel or of he & the woman? Is there ANYTHING other than an allegation by the National Enquirer? Until there is, I'm basing my opinion on years of admirable actions by Edwards, versus a smear job.
by Mary
Jul 24, 2008 2:29 PM
Please don't lower yourself to printing some lie that has been propagated by the National Enquirer.
One would think the St. Petersburg Times would be above this kind of "Yellow Journalism".
by Mark
Jul 24, 2008 2:27 PM
Edna - What kind of "evidence" are you seeking? Paternity test? The publication had at least two reporters at the scene. Most news reports don't rely on "evidence". They rely on what reporters see, hear, and get as comments from witnesses.
by Jeanne
Jul 24, 2008 2:27 PM
Let me get this straight, he goes into the hotel ALONE all stealth like , to then re-emerge with his alleged lover to parade outside the hotel, all the while reporters are milling about. Then the couple return to the hotel TOGETHER? and no pics????
by Jesse
Jul 24, 2008 2:23 PM
If this was a republican the media would be killing the guy! This just continues to show that the main stream media has completely lost its ability to be unbiased. They are now making and hiding news far more often than reporting it.
by margaret
Jul 24, 2008 1:11 PM
I am hoping the reason is that it's none of our business and that someone somewhere feels compassion not for the idiot, if he is guilty of this transgression, but for Elizabeth who is a magnificent woman and his children. I am hoping.
by Edna
Jul 24, 2008 1:11 PM
In answer to why the media isn't running w/this, hmmm, let's see, could it beeeEEEEE: that the Enquirer hasn't produced 1 shred of evidence to support their allegations? Until PROVEN otherwise, I choose to think Edwards is a very good, upstanding guy
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