John Edwards 'gave funding to aide'

A former aide to the erstwhile US senator John Edwards has admitted taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from his boss's campaign donors and using it to build a dream house.

Andrew Young is the prosecution witness in Mr Edwards' trial in North Carolina, where he is accused of gathering illegal campaign donations to conceal an affair with his pregnant mistress during a failed bid to win the Democratic presidential nomination. Mr Young said he took the money at Mr Edwards' direction to cover up a relationship with Rielle Hunter, but the cheques from a 96-year-old heiress were mixed with other funds Mr Young used to build a $1.5m house.

AP