A federal judge disclosed Friday that former presidential candidate John Edwards has a life-threatening heart condition, a court source confirmed to CNN.| He was hale and hearty until he was indicted. Corrupt pols always seem to develop a terrible medical problem right around the time they do the perp walk. Good thing the federal prison system has an excellent medical staff. |
| Having two women will definitely cause heart problems not brought on by other risk factors. |
The criminal trial has been delayed until at least March 26, according to the court source. Judge Catherine Eagles said she has been in contact with Edwards' cardiologist, who recommended a postponement, saying Edwards is scheduled to undergo surgery next month.
| Could be as simple as a catheterization and ablation of the arrhythmia, could be as simple as placement of a pacemaker/defibrillator. Neither should delay a trial and neither would prevent him from serving time. Assuming he's guilty, of course... |
One legal expert, Marcellus McRae, a trial lawyer and former federal prosecutor, said he doubted that Edwards' illness would influence a jury verdict. "Edwards's illness may prompt the public, including potential jurors, to view him in a more sympathetic light. However, it is doubtful that this will have any impact on the outcome of his trial," McRae said. "Given the nature of the charges, his physical condition is of no relevance and he will have in theory recovered by the time the case went to trial in March in any event."
Edwards' attorneys asked in December to delay his criminal trial, saying he had an unspecified medical issue.
Edwards is charged with six felony and misdemeanor counts related to donations to and payments from his failed 2008 presidential campaign. He is accused of conspiracy, issuing false statements and violating campaign contribution laws. He denies any wrongdoing.