John Edwards campaign must repay $2M to Treasury

By TOM BREEN
Associated Press

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — The Federal Election Commission is upholding a ruling that requires the campaign of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards to repay the US Treasury more than $2.1 million in public matching funds.

According to documents unsealed Friday, the commission has denied the campaign’s request to reconsider its original repayment order. The FEC says the campaign now has less than a month to pay back the money.

Lawyers working for Edwards in the case did not have an immediate response Friday morning. Edwards’ lawyers had requested a review of the original order, which was issued last July.

The FEC case is separate from a pending criminal trial in which Edwards has pleaded not guilty to charges of violating campaign finance law in a bid to cover up an extramarital affair.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)