Edwards aide: No need to report hush money GREENSBORO, N.C., May 14 (UPI) -- John Edwards' campaign chief testified Monday U.S. Federal Election Commission officers determined hush money did not need to be reported. As defense testimony began in the former presidential candidate's Greensboro, N.C., trial on six counts of campaign finance violations, Lora Haggard, Edwards' 2008 campaign chief financial officer, said FEC auditors determined, after reviewing the campaign's financial records of four years, that money collected from wealthy donors were not campaign contributions but personal gifts. Much of Haggard's testimony came with the jury was outside the courtroom as U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Eagles determined if the testimony was admissible, ABC News reported Monday. "Whatever the FEC determined is not relevant to the criminal charges," said prosecutor Jeffrey Tsai. Edwards' defense team contends the money from benefactors Rachel "Bunny" Mellon, a 101-year-old Virginia banking heiress, and the late Fred Baron, a Texas lawyer, were not political contributions but personal gifts intended only to keep Elizabeth Edwards from finding out about the continuation of his affair with Rielle Hunter, which he had told his wife was over, and to hide that a child was involved.