GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — John Edwards was acquitted on one count of accepting illegal campaign contributions and a mistrial was declared on five other counts when jurors said Thursday they couldn’t decide if he illegally used donor money to hide his pregnant mistress while he ran for president.
The monthlong trial exposed a sordid sex scandal that dashed Edwards’ White House aspirations in 2008, and the jury’s decision came on a confusing day.
The judge initially called jurors in to read a verdict on all six counts, before learning that they had only agreed to one. About an hour later, the jury sent the note to the judge saying it had exhausted its discussions.
It was not immediately clear whether prosecutors would retry Edwards on the other counts.