Edwards Ties to Subprime Lenders

- Edwards had invested $16 million in FortressNew York Times: Edwards Says He Will Drop His Investments in Subprime Lenders (August 18, 2007)
- Fortress employees were major donors to Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign
- Earned $480,000 while consulting for fortress in 2006New York Times: Edwards Says He Will Drop His Investments in Subprime Lenders (August 18, 2007)
- Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have also received funding from Fortress
- 34 New Orleans homes face foreclosure from FortressCNN: Edwards linked to subprime foreclosures (August 17, 2007)

A report in the The Wall Street Journal cited that John Edwards invested millions in Fortress Investment Group, a private equity manager with a subprime lending unit that plans to foreclose on several homes effected by Hurricane Katrina. Edwards, who worked as a consultant for Fortress from 2005-2006, has denounced the foreclosures and announced his plans to withdraw his investments.
Former Fortress Employee

Following the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election in which Edwards and John Kerry lost in their bid to unset the incumbent Bush Administration, Edwards took a job as a consultant for the Fortress Investment Group. Edwards claims that he took the job in order to educate himself about financial markets, but admitted, "It was primarily to learn, but making money was a good thing, too..."The Washington Post: Edwards Discusses Time at Hedge Fund (May 8, 2007)