Share
Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards admitted Thursday morning that he is the father of Frances Quinn Hunter, the 2-year-old daughter of a campaign aide with whom he had an affair.
Edwards, who became involved with campaign videographer Rielle Hunter during a presidential campaign but later denied fathering the child, issued a statement saying he was Quinn's father and that he was helping support the young girl.
"I am Quinn's father," Edwards said in the statement.
"I will do everything in my power to provide her with the love and support she deserves. I have been able to spend time with her during the past year and trust that future efforts to show her the love and affection she deserves can be done privately and in peace."
The admission was part of a report on NBC's Today Show. Edwards did not appear on camera, because, the network said, of legal ramifications related to an ongoing federal investigation into whether campaign money was used to try to cover up the affair. Edwards has denied any wrongdoing.
Instead, longtime friend and adviser Harrison Hickman spoke with NBC's Lisa Myers on Edwards' behalf.
"The senator wants to say, first of all, that he is the father of Quinn," Hickman told NBC. "Secondly, he wants people to know that he has provided for her and will continue to provide for her, as he should, both financially and emotionally."
Edwards apologized for his dishonestly about Quinn, saying: "To all those I have disappointed and hurt, these words will never be enough, but I am truly sorry."
While Edwards eventually admitted to having an affair with Hunter, he denied being the father of Quinn, who was conceived during an affair that began in 2006, as the former Democratic U.S. Senator was launching his presidential campaign.
Thursday morning, Hickman told the Raleigh News & Observer that there "is a very complicated set of reasons why he lied."
"I'm not sure he even knows specifically why he did," Hickman told the News & Observer. "The important thing, instead of untangling why, is to acknowledge that he did.
"His heart wanted to do this for a long time. For head-related reasons, it was not possible."
In his comments to NBC, Hickman said, "The reason it has taken so long for it to become public is that there were a lot of people involved. There are a lot of adults involved, there are a number of families involved, and there are also a lot of kids involved."
But a book scheduled for publication in February or March, titled "The Politician" and written by former Edwards aide Andrew Young, pointed to Edwards as Quinn's father. Young originally had said he fathered the baby, but in his book, he reportedly denies ever having a relationship with Hunter. ABC-TV says it expects to have an interview with Young on its "20/20" program in late January or early February.
Attorneys for Edwards told NBC that the former Senator and Democratic presidential candidate has "been seeing" Quinn and providing financial support for about a year, and recently signed a child support agreement with Hunter. The Observer reported that Edwards purchased a house in Charlotte for Hunter, 45, and her mother.
A spokeswoman for Edwards' wife, Elizabeth, said she learned last summer that Quinn is her husband's daughter.
Hickman told the News & Observer today that Elizabeth Edwards, who is undergoing treatment for a terminal form of cancer, is at peace with her husband's announcement.
Edwards' relationship with Rielle Hunter was first reported in October 2007 by the National Enquirer. Initially, John Edwards called the report "tabloid trash that's full of lies."
The Raleigh News & Observer and NBC-TV contributed.
