WASHINGTON — The Federal Election Commission approved a final audit on Thursday that concludes former U.S. presidential candidate John Edwards' campaign owes the government more than $2 million.
The decision compounds the woes of Edwards, a Democratic former senator who was indicted on June 3 on charges he accepted more than $900,000 in illegal campaign contributions to cover up an extramarital affair during his 2008 presidential bid. Edwards has pleaded not guilty.
The election commission voted 6-0 in an open meeting to approve the June 23 memorandum from its chief compliance officer and audit division, which said the Edwards campaign owes $2,278,315.
The report found John Edwards for President got matching funds in excess of his entitlement as a candidate, misstated its cash-on-hand balance by nearly $100,000, failed to itemize loan repayments of more than $4 million and stale-dated at least 128 checks worth $141,808.
Federal law requires the commission to audit every political committee set up by a candidate who gets public funds for a primary election campaign, commission members said.
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