So, yes, Fred Baron, former finance chair for John Edwards presidential bids, is indeed the "super-rich pal" and "rich retiree in Dallas, Texas" who's been giving money to Rielle Hunter, with whom John Edwards today admitted having an affair, and Andrew Young, a former Edwards aide who claims to have fathered Hunter's child. Baron issued a statement to The News & Observer a short while ago in which he said: "I decided independently to help two friends and former colleagues rebuild their lives when harassment by supermarket tabloids made it impossible for them to conduct a normal life." Edwards, he claims, didn't know a thing about it -- same thing Edwards told ABC News today. Hey, Baron used to loan Edwards his plane; what's a little pocket change on top of that? So, yes, you were right. --Robert Wilonsky
Update at 6:12 p.m.: Man, Baron is busy this afternoon. He also just admitted to Gromer Jeffers that he was the money man. Now we know why he hasn't returned our three phone calls placed to his cell earlier this afternoon; dude's busy fessin' up to everyone else. (That, or he just hates us.) Friday news dump indeed.