RALEIGH from www.cbsnews.com – As if John Edwards was not dealing with enough problems already, new reports have surfaced that the former Democratic presidential candidate has starred in his very own tape that contains “several sex acts,” reports media blog Gawker.com.
The list of Edwards’ troubles has been piling up. Last week, Edwards admitted that he fathered a child with Rielle Hunter, a videographer he hired before his second White House bid. In a new book, a former aide claims that Edwards asked him to fake a paternity test and steal one of the baby’s diapers to perform a DNA test on its poop.
Edwards is also facing questions about whether he improperly used campaign funds in paying more than $100,000 to Hunter’s production company.
The alleged sex tape which is said to feature Edwards and Hunter, “is explicit and reveals that Edwards ‘is physically very striking, in a certain area,'” the site reported.
Edwards’ aide, Andrew Young, reportedly found the footage on an unmarked tape.
Young mentioned the existence of the tape in his book proposal last year, theNew York Daily News reported.
He is scheduled to release the book on Feb. 2.
Young initially claimed paternity of Edwards’ child with Hunter.
Frances was born Feb. 27, 2008, indicating that the child was conceived in the spring of 2007, several months after Hunter stopped working for Edwards. John and Elizabeth Edwards renewed their wedding vows in July of 2007 to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.
Elizabeth Edwards, whose cancer returned in an incurable form in March 2007, has stood by her husband despite the affair. She has said that it does not matter to her whether her husband fathered a child with Hunter, saying, “that would be a part of John’s life, but not a part of mine.”
Since admitting the affair in August 2008, John Edwards has largely gone into seclusion. He has acknowledged a federal investigation into his campaign finances while both Young and Hunter — with her child — have made appearances at a federal courthouse in Raleigh.
In the statement Edwards released Thursday, he said, “I will do everything in my power to provide her (Frances) with the love and support she deserves. I have been able to spend time with her during the past year and trust that future efforts to show her the love and affection she deserves can be done privately and in peace.”
Edwards also said, “It was wrong for me ever to deny she was my daughter and hopefully one day, when she understands, she will forgive me.”
Harrison Hickman, Edwards’ longtime political adviser, called the situation “a lot more complicated than people think.”
“There are a lot of adults involved,” Hickman said in an interview broadcast on NBC’s “Today” show. “I think they wanted to handle this in the right way.”
“Elizabeth thinks that he should acknowledge this,” Hickman said. He said it “has been a very difficult time for everyone…but especially for Elizabeth.”
Edwards, a U.S. senator representing North Carolina from 1998 until his vice presidential bid in 2004, acknowledged in May that federal investigators were looking into how he used campaign funds.
Grand jury proceedings are secret, and the U.S. attorney’s office in Raleigh has declined to confirm or deny an investigation.