Defense rips aide’s story

Young testifies nearly $1 million in donors’ cash helped build house.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — A former John Edwards aide said the bulk of nearly $1 million in cash that prosecutors say bought the silence of Edwards’ mistress went to help build the aide’s dream house.

Andrew Young, the star prosecution witness, testified for a fourth day Thursday at Edwards’ campaign-finance trial.

Edwards attorney Abbe Lowell peppered Young with questions about money that flowed into personal accounts controlled by Young and his wife. Young acknowledged most of the money helped build the couple’s $1.5 million house near Chapel Hill, N.C.

Young has said he took secret payments from wealthy donors at Edwards’ direction to help conceal the presidential contender’s affair with a pregnant mistress.

Edwards has pleaded not guilty to six criminal charges and faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

His defense lawyer on Thursday picked apart Young’s story that he was asked to conceal Edwards’ affair with a mistress with campaign money, accusing him of making up stories about the former presidential contender to make money off the scandal.

The defense sought to undermine Young’s credibility and paint him as a pathological liar.

Lowell pointed out inconsistencies with Young’s account of the scandal at trial this week and in multiple other accounts, including grand jury testimony and his 2010 tell-all book about Edwards.

Repeatedly, Lowell accused Young of lying. Referring to the timing of a conversation with a law partner of Edwards, Lowell asked, “And you made that up too, didn’t you?” “No, sir,” Young responded. Lowell asked Young whether he first learned Rielle Hunter was pregnant in May 2007, as his book says; in June 2007, as he testified; or in early July, a date backed by phone records and Hunter’s medical records.

The timeline issues could challenge the accounts of conversations Young said he had with Edwards in a car discussing whom to ask for money to help take care of Hunter and discussing Hunter’s pregnancy.

Young said he couldn’t recall the exact date of either event.

Lowell also challenged Young on how much secret money a wealthy heiress said she would provide to help make Edwards president — $1.2 million, as he testified this week, or $900,000 or $925,000, figures he had previously given.

Young said the number he provided this week is the correct one.

Young had falsely claimed paternity of Edwards’ daughter, Frances Quinn Hunter, while Edwards was campaigning for president.

Young’s wife, Cheri Young, could take the stand today.

Andrew Young, former aide to Sen. John Edwards, said he took secret payments from donors to conceal candidate’s affair with pregnant mistress.