The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Issue date: 5/4/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Michael Conroy - The Associated Press In this Nov. 11, 2008 file photo, former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards speaks at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. Edwards, who has acknowledged a federal inquiry into his campaign funds, said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press on Sunday, that he is confident no campaign funds were used improperly. He says he has made people and information available to resolve the issue in a timely manner. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, file)

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Failed presidential candidate John Edwards, whose political action committee paid more than $100,000 to his mistress' company, acknowledged Sunday that federal investigators were looking into how he handled his campaign funds.

But the former North Carolina senator said he was confident no money was used improperly.

Edwards' political action committee has been under scrutiny for making payments to a woman with whom he had an affair. Edwards admitted the affair with Rielle Hunter in August after months of denying tabloid reports about the relationship.

"I am confident that no funds from my campaign were used improperly," Edwards said in the statement. "However, I know that it is the role of government to ensure that this is true. We have made available to the United States both the people and the information necessary to help them get the issue resolved efficiently and in a timely matter."

Edwards' statement was first reported by The News & Observer of Raleigh.

His political action committee paid Hunter's firm $100,000 for video production in a four-month span in 2006, and then paid an additional $14,086.50 on April 1, 2007. At the time, the PAC only had $7,932.95 in cash on hand, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission.

That same day, according to the records, Edwards' presidential campaign paid the PAC $14,034.61 for what is listed as a "furniture purchase."

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