Justice Dept. Unlikely to Retry Edwards

A knowledgeable law enforcement official said Thursday it is unlikely that the Justice Department will retry John Edwards.

The official made the comment after the campaign finance fraud case ended in a mistrial.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity about an issue that will undergo much review inside the government in the coming days.

The case ended with the jury unable to decide whether Edwards used money from two wealthy campaign donors to hide his pregnant mistress while he ran for president and his wife was dying of cancer.

The case was considered by some legal experts as difficult to prosecute, revolving as it did around the arcane world of campaign finance law. Edwards' attorneys said prosecutors didn't prove that Edwards knew that taking the money violated campaign finance law.

Jurors acquitted Edwards on one charge and deadlocked on the other five.