John Edwards Indicted

It's been nearly five years since the once high-flying John Edwards' life was entirely seamless. Finally -- on Friday morning -- the former presidential candidate was indicted on criminal charges by a federal grand jury in Raleigh, N.C. The charges involve an elaborate and secret scheme to misuse more than $900,000 in campaign funds from wealthy donors to cover up his extramarital affair.

Edwards faces six counts --four of illegal campaign contributions, one of conspiracy, and one of false statements. He is set to appear in court in Winston-Salem on Friday afternoon.

According to a news story, lead counsel Gregory Craig told Politico, John Edwards will tell the court he is innocent of all charges, and will plead not guilty at the hearing. He did not break the law and will mount a vigorous defense.

In its 19-page indictment, the Justice Department claims Edwards campaigned for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination as a devoted family man. Edwards knew that public revelation of the affair and pregnancy would destroy his candidacy by, among other things, undermining (his) presentation of himself as a family man and by forcing his campaign to divert personnel and resources away from other campaign activities to respond to criticism and media scrutiny regarding the affair and pregnancy.

Edwards denied reports earlier this year that he had married Hunter just weeks after Elizabeth Edwards, from whom he had separated, died from cancer. Elizabeth Edwards did not include her husband in her will.