One of the first johns in the “Millionaire Madam” scandal has been named: former presidential candidate John Edwards allegedly hired pricey call girls from the exclusive NY escort service.
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After the story broke, Edwards’ attorney held a press conference calling the allegations “false” and “defamatory.”
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To paraphrase from the Princess Bride, I do not think “defamatory” means what he thinks it means.
To defame a man, he must have a good reputation that’s harmed by the allegations. Edwards’ reputation is so low, there’s not much left to damage. Check out this Daily Beast footage, where Meghan McCain calls Edwards “the Charlie Sheen of politics,” and one analyst opines that Edwards could be caught clubbing puppies and no one would be surprised.
Edwards has already admitted to cheating on his dying wife with a flaky blonde he hired to be his campaign videographer. After she bore his illegitimate child, he persuaded his married male staffer to pretend to be the baby’s father. Edwards lied about the affair repeatedly before finally fessing up. Oh, and he’s now facing federal criminal charges for illegally using campaign funds to support the mistress and cover up the scandal.
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Heck, sleeping with prostitutes seems like a step up.
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According to lawyers who’ve worked for tabloids, certain public figures have such terrible reputations, you can say just about anything about them and it doesn’t rise to the level of defamation. These guys’ reputations just can’t get any worse. Perhaps OJ Simpson can buy Edwards a drink and welcome him to the club.