Holy smokes!

By Jennifer J. Foster

Published: July 23, 2008

If there’s any truth to this story, John Edwards is SO off Barack Obama’s VP list:

Vice Presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards was caught visiting his mistress and secret love child at 2:40 this morning in a Los Angeles hotel by the NATIONAL ENQUIRER.

The married ex-senator from North Carolina - whose wife Elizabeth continues to battle cancer—met with his mistress, blonde divorcée Rielle Hunter, at the Beverly Hilton on Monday night, July 21 - and the NATIONAL ENQUIRER was there! He didn’t leave until early the next morning ...

Edwards went out of the hotel briefly with Rielle, they were observed by the NATIONAL ENQUIRER and then went back to her room, where he stayed until attempting to sneak out of the hotel unseen at 2:40 a.m. (PST). But when he emerged alone from an elevator into the hotel basement he was greeted by several reporters from the NATIONAL ENQUIRER.

Senior NATIONAL ENQUIRER Reporter Alexander Hitchen asked Edwards why he was visiting Rielle and whether he was ready to confirm that he was the father of her baby.

Shocked to see a reporter, and without saying anything, Edwards ran up the stairs leading from the hotel basement to the lobby. But, spotting a photographer, he doubled back into the basement. As he emerged from the stairwell, reporter Butterfield questioned him about his hookup with Rielle.

Edwards did not answer and then ran into a nearby restroom. He stayed inside for about 15 minutes, refusing to answer questions from the NATIONAL ENQUIRER about what he was doing in the hotel. A group of hotel security men eventually escorted him from the men’s room, while preventing the NATIONAL ENQUIRER reporters from following him out of the hotel.

We know Edwards was in L.A. Monday; he appeared with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to announce the creation of the New Generation Fund, a $100 million addition to the city’s affordable housing finance system, according to Yahoo News. (Click here for a pic from the event.)

This is the second time the Enquirer has come after Edwards about Hunter—the first being Dec. 31, when the tabloid broke the story that Hunter was expecting Edwards’ child.

Edwards vehemently denies both Enquirer reports. Hunter denied the Dec. 31 article but has remained mum about the latest report.

I know what you’re thinking! It’s the National Enquirer! Supermarket tabloid! Trash!

Well, in the immortal words of Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend!“

Monday’s incident will clear things up, one way or another: Either the Enquirer has pictures, or they don’t. And if they don’t, and if the story isn’t true, then Edwards has the makings of a really nice libel suit against the National Enquirer.

My guess is that for all his blustering denials (and there will likely be a bunch), Edwards, who made his bones (and his millions) in trial law, won’t be filing any libel suit—what with discovery and all, you know.