John Edwards: 'I Did Not Break the Law'

John Edwards says his behavior was stupid but not illegal. He pleaded not guilty today to charges that donors illegally funneled nearly $1 million to mistress Rielle Hunter and campaign aide Andrew Young to cover up an affair and keep his 2008 campaign alive. Edwards did not have to post bond, but he had to surrender his passport and promise not to contact a wealthy benefactor who figures in the case.

He made a brief statement after his court appearance, notes the Raleigh News & Observer: "I have done wrong. And I take full responsibility for having done wrong. And I will regret for the rest of my life the pain and the harm that I have caused to others. But I did not break the law. And I never, ever thought that I was breaking the law." (More John Edwards stories.)