ShareThisThe trial of John Edwards is not scheduled to begin for at least two and a half weeks, but the tabloids already are dishing on the legal drama in all CAPITAL LETTERS!
The latest from the National Enquirer: "John Edwards Secret Wedding to Rielle! His desperate attempt to CHEAT JUSTICE."
But this case -- made for the tabloids with its infidelity, Hollywood-handsome characters, large financial gifts and jet-setting lifestyles -- has been stranger than fiction.
The tabloids, with reports that seemed far-fetched and bogus, often were right and first in their reporting about the former U.S. senator and Democratic presidential candidate's affair and child with Rielle Hunter, a videographer. But this latest flurry of tabloid reports contains no evidence to support claims that have mainstream media chasing their veracity.
A check of North Carolina county marriage-license offices -- near Edwards' home outside Chapel Hill, his beach house in New Hanover County and Hunter's in Charlotte -- turn up no reports of the couple seeking or filing for a wedding license.
The burden of facts has not slowed the tabloid coverage.
There have been numerous reports of secret proposals and lavish weddings in exotic places. The tabloids leaped in recently with an explanation for the case's latest mystery: What ails Edwards?
Last month, his lawyers asked for a trial delay, citing an undisclosed medical condition that made it difficult for Edwards to help with preparations.
Though the details of his malady were filed under seal, that didn't stop a British tabloid from coming forth with a dramatic storyline. According to its report, Edwards, 58, allegedly collapsed in the arms of a close friend shortly before Christmas, debilitated after a long run by chest pains, which turned out to be a panic attack.
Prosecutors privy to the information have batted back requests for a delay.
Jim Cooney, the Charlotte attorney representing Edwards, declined to comment about the tabloid accounts.
Catherine Eagles, the federal judge overseeing the case, has summoned the defense team and prosecutors to the Greensboro courthouse on Friday to discuss the trial schedule. The hearing, though, is expected to be a ROUTINE DISCUSSION OF LEGAL SCHEDULING!
(Contact Anne Blythe at ablythe(at)newsobserver.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Must credit The News and Observer of Raleigh, N.C.
