Judge considers sending ex-Edwards aide to jail

PITTSBORO, N.C. — A judge said Tuesday he is considering whether to send a former John Edwards aide to jail for contempt over his handling of a purported sex tape showing the former presidential candidate.

Superior Court Judge Abraham Penn Jones said he was “troubled” by discrepancies in Andrew Young’s statements. He said he would place Young and his wife in jail for up to 75 days for failing to turn over a DVD of pictures but allowed them time to explain themselves on the stand Tuesday afternoon.

“I don’t want to lock them up, but the pattern is really painful to me,” Jones said. “I can’t get my gut to rest right now.”

Lawyers for Edwards’ mistress, Rielle Hunter, accused Andrew Young of “dozens of lies.” They took issue with Young’s handling of materials that Hunter is seeking, including the tape.

Young described in written affidavits a limited number of people who have seen parts of the tape. But Hunter’s attorneys produced an affidavit Tuesday of another man, freelance journalist Robert Draper, who said in a written statement to the court that Young also showed the tape to him in March 2009.

Young said in testimony Tuesday afternoon that he and Draper had been drinking one night at their home and does not recall showing Draper the video.

“Whether it’s the wine, the time or the stress, I don’t know,” Young said. “But I have no recollection.”

After the testimony, Jones called for a brief break without making a decision on their fate. Cheri Young sobbed on a bench behind their attorneys.

Hunter’s attorneys have also accused Young of lying when he initially claimed that the only copies of the tape had been sealed for more than a year in an Atlanta safety deposit box. Young has since said he recently showed the video to ABC News as he prepared to promote his tell-all book with the program.

An attorney for Young chalked up the discrepancies to “memory lapses” and said Young had done everything he could to turn over the materials to the court. The sex tape, along with photos and documents, have been placed under seal.

“They’ve turned over everything,” said lawyer Robert Elliot.