The wife of the key witness against John Edwards admitted in court today that her husband took Ambien and drank "a lot" during the time he was helping to hide Edwards' mistress, but denied that he has memory problems.
Cheri Young and her husband Andrew have been the first two witnesses in Edwards' trial and both have claimed that Edwards assured them that it was legal to funnel more than $1 million through Cheri Young's personal account.
The money from wealthy backers was meant to help hide Rielle Hunter, Edwards' mistress who had gotten pregnant after Edwards' wife demanded that he end the affair.
Edwards was running for president during the 2007-08 coverup and is accused of illegally using campaign donations to keep his mistress a secret. If convicted, Edwards faces up to 30 years in prison.
Cheri Young, 38, was cross examined today by Edwards' lawyer Alan Duncan who questioned the accuracy of her testimony as well as her husband's testimony.
They kept about $1 million secretly provided by two wealthy campaign supporters while the couple was helped hide and care for the pregnant mistress. The Youngs also made hundreds of thousands of dollars from Andrew Young's 2010 tell-all book about the affair and by selling the movie rights to their story.
Cheri Young agreed they had made money, but reiterated that it was Edwards' lies that prompted them to go public. Edwards had promised to admit the baby was his after Hunter gave birth in February 2008, but instead went on national television to lie about the affair, even after tabloid reporters photographed him with the mistress and his baby that summer.
"I came here because I had to come here," said Young, who testified because of a subpoena. "The only reason my husband had to write the book is because Mr. Edwards did not come forward and tell the truth."
After years of adamant public denials, Edwards acknowledged paternity of Hunter's daughter, Frances Quinn Hunter, days before the release of Andrew Young's book in 2010. The girl, now 4, lives with her mother in Charlotte.
Edwards has pleaded not guilty to six counts related to campaign-finance violations. He faces up to 30 years in prison and $1.5 million in fines if convicted on all counts.
At issue are payments from a wealthy Texas lawyer, Fred Baron, who served as Edwards' campaign-finance chairman and an elderly heiress, Rachel "Bunny" Mellon. Andrew Young, who testified last week under an immunity agreement, has acknowledged that he kept about $1 million in payments from the two campaign supporters.
Earlier on Tuesday, Duncan questioned Young about her chronic migraine headaches, and her husband's prescription sleep medication and drinking. Duncan was trying to convince the jury the couple had problems with their memory.
Young, a pediatric nurse, conceded her husband had sometimes drank too much years ago. She said she didn't know whether her husband ever took the medication while consuming alcohol or what the potential side effects that might cause.
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