Shamed former US senator John Edwards hints at return to office By RICHARD LUSCOMBE Published on Friday 1 June 2012 18:06 THE disgraced former United States senator John Edwards has hinted at an audacious return to the political arena after a mistrial in a case alleging his misuse of campaign funds. John Edwards suggests he may return to public office after being acquitted of illegaly directing campaign contributions for Edwards had been accused of directing funds to woman with whom he was having an affair while his wife was ill with breast cancer Jurors admit that they thought Democrat was guilty, lamenting insufficient evidence to convict Key prosecution witnesses "lacked credibility" The one-time presidential candidate said he believed he still had a role to play in public life following his acquittal on one charge of illegally directing contributions and no verdict being reached on five other counts at his trial in Greensboro, North Carolina. "I really believe God thinks there's still some good things I can do," said Edwards, 58, who was already damaged by his covering up of an extra-marital affair in which he fathered an illegitimate daughter. And in a hand-wringing mea culpa favoured by American politicians who have survived similar scandals in the past, Edwards addressed the flaws in his personal life that landed him in trouble in the first place. "While I do not believe I did anything illegal, or ever thought I was doing anything illegal, I did an awful, awful lot that was wrong and no one else is responsible for my sins," he said. Prosecutors alleged that Young and his wife personally received campaign contributions intended to underpin Edwards" run for the Democratic nomination for the 2008 presidential election, but instead used the funds to pay rent and living expenses for the politician's pregnant mistress, Rielle Hunter. Edwards kept his wife Elizabeth, who was fighting breast cancer at the time and who died in 2010, in the dark about his affair with the blonde filmmaker. Young later claimed publicly, then denied, that he was the father of Hunter's daughter Quinn, born in February 2008, then cashed in on the scandal by writing a best-selling book on his experiences. Speculation over the future of the prominent Democratic Party politician came as US Justice Department sources hinted they would not seek a retrial, and jurors in the case explained why they emerged deadlocked from nine days of deliberations. "I think he definitely had some knowledge of where the money was going [but] the evidence wasn't there," one juror, Ladonna Foster, said. Another, Cindu Aquaro, said: "He was just smart enough to hide it. I think he was guilty, but the evidence just was not there for us to prove guilt. Legal experts and other jurors pointed to lack of credibility of a key prosecution witness, Edwards" former aide Andrew Young. "I think the credibility of the witness was something that was of utmost importance to us," the jury foreman, David Recchion, said. I think, unfortunately, that was probably the key part of the miss for the prosecution. A succession of other witnesses testified against Edwards during the captivating six-week long trial as the prosecution tried unsuccessfully to prove he was aware of the illegal channelling of funds, including a $1 million donation from Virginia heiress Rachel "Bunny" Mellon. But Edwards" public reputation was already in tatters before the trial because of his treatment of his sick wife and conduct over the affair, observers say. Chris Cillizza, a political analyst for the Washington Post, said he believed that Edwards was too damaged to have any hope of a comeback despite the acquittal and mistrial. "The public wanted to exact a measure of revenge on Edwards," he wrote in the Post's political blog, The Fix. Edwards, as he himself would almost certainly acknowledge, had already seen his future political ambitions destroyed. There was very little left to take from Edwards but his moral crimes were such that many people hoped that the jury would try to do it. In the courtroom, Edwards became emotional when federal judge Catherine Eagles announced the collapse of the trial and discharged the jury. He teared up, put a finger to his lip and turned and smiled at his daughter Cate in the front row of the public gallery. He later thanked her for her support and also paid tribute to four-year-old Quinn in an emotional speech on the courthouse steps.