Andrew Young is a former aide for former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate John Edwards. He has released a book titled The Politician describing his participation in the scandals that have emerged regarding Edwards’ extra-marital affair with Rielle Hunter and the baby, Frances Quinn Hunter, that resulted. When the National Enquirer first published stories in December 2007 about the Edwards/Hunter “love child” mere weeks before the Iowa Caucus, Young issued a statement claiming that he was the man who had impregnated Ms. Hunter. Mr. Young and his wife, Cheri, spent eight-to-ten months living with or near Ms. Hunter and the baby (born in February 2008). Financial backers of Sen. Edwards helped support the Youngs and Hunters during the cover-up period.

On March 9, 2010, Young and his wife were threatened with being sent to prison for contempt for lying about the sex tape in court. The Superior Court judge who issued the sentence said he believed that there are more copies of the sex tape than the one Young has given the court. The two were in court because of the ongoing, multi-sided legal battle over the ownership of tape. On March 12, the judge ruled that he was not holding the Youngs in contempt at this time, while warning them about possible future perjury inquiries.

An alleged “sex tape” is currently the main source of controversy in the unusual saga. The Youngs say they have possession of a tape that depicts acts of a sexual nature between a man that Mr. Young is sure is Sen. Edwards (he can see his face) and a woman who Mr. Young is pretty sure is Hunter (he can see her distinctive jewelry). Hunter obtained a temporary restraining order to gain possession of the tape and of other photos that she alleges that the Youngs stole from her while they were living in the same house (or hotel rooms). The Youngs refused to hand them over to Sheriff’s deputies.

Mr. Young was in court on Wednesday, Feb. 10, and turned over several items, including a videotape marked "special" and a copy of the tape. .https://online.wellsfargo.com/das/cgi-bin/session.cgi?sessargs=S1S9w2KxqA9HJZCdfYK0i2B9r-omLJiH Mr. Young also testified, and said that Elizabeth Edwards has threatened to sue the Youngs for contributing to the downfall of the Edwards marriage. (North Carolina permits "alienation of affection" actions.)

The Youngs were interviewed (separately and together, on different occasions) on ABC News, by George Stephanopoulos. Mr. Young was questioned extensively about the tape(s) and photos; he indicates that he is not sure who is entitled to possession. He also defended simply disclosing the existence of the tape(s), saying “I couldn’t have told this story without including the sex tape.... To leave out something as critical as this, that a viable presidential candidate three or four months before the Iowa Caucuses start. We haven’t done anything with the sex tape.”http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/andrew-young-edwards-scandal-9716012

UPDATE (3/4/10): The National Enquirer was the media outlet that grabbed a hold of the Edwards story, and has not yet let go. The Enquirer is claiming that Edwards is about to be indicted for campaign finance violations related to the Hunter coverup. The Enquirer also claims that Elizabeth Edwards has provided testimony and/or documents that have helped prosecutors. http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2010/03/03/crimesider/entry6263285.shtml

UPDATE (3/10/10): The Superior Court judge threatened the Youngs with jail time at a court hearing yesterday, again demanding a full explanation of how they came to be in possession of the tape and other materials. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/03/10/threat-of-jail-latest-chapter-in-drama-involving-john-edwards/?fbid=008XoiETheI

UPDATE (3/13/10): Superior Court Judge Abraham Penn Jones has ruled that he was not holding the Youngs in contempt of court, declaring that "You know, and God knows, but I don't know (whether the Youngs purposely disobeyed earlier court orders)." http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/us/politics/14edwards.html

Mr. Young shares the same name as the well-known former Mayor of Atlanta, who also was a civil rights leader and served as the United State's Ambassador to the United Nations under President Jimmy Carter. When they started to seek pre-publication publicity for the book, someone at Macmillan put the ambassador's bio on the publisher's website. That incorrect info has continued to be used on various booksellers' websites. http://www.mahalo.com/answers/books-and-authors/would-the-real-andrew-young-please-write-a-book-what-should-the-fallout-be-from-this-book-publishers-gaffe