FEC: Edwards Owes $2M From 2008 Campaign

The bad headlines just keep coming for John Edwards: The Federal Election Commission says his 2008 presidential campaign should repay the US Treasury $2.3 million, mostly because it got federal matching funds it was not entitled to receive. Federal auditors said the campaign understated its cash on hand and overstated its expenses, including money spent to wind down the campaign. The Edwards camp has not responded yet.

"It is not at all unusual for a campaign to have a discrepancy," an FEC commissioner said. "It's just a math problem and that's how the math worked out." The ruling is only the latest problem for Edwards, who was indicted in June on charges that he accepted illegal campaign contributions to hide his affair with Rielle Hunter. The new FEC decision isn't related to those charges. (More John Edwards stories.)