GREENSBORO, N.C. — Attorneys for John Edwards indicated Tuesday their case was winding down, but they were not yet saying whether they will call to the witness stand the former presidential candidate or his mistress.

Defense attorneys said they would make a decision later Tuesday, but it was not immediately clear when they would make it public.

After testimony ended for the day with the trial still focusing on financial records, Edwards team said they had not made a final decision on whether to call Edwards, his oldest daughter Cate or his mistress, Rielle Hunter. They could also recall Edwards’ once-close confidant and aide, Andrew Young.

Lead defense lawyer Abbe Lowell said they may call some or all of the remaining potential witnesses.

“We may also very well be done tomorrow,” Lowell told the judge overseeing the case.

Edwards is accused of masterminding a plan to use about $1 million from two wealthy donors to hide his pregnant mistress as he ran for the White House in 2008. Edwards has pleaded not guilty to six counts of campaign finance violations. He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

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Records introduced Tuesday at the corruption trial show his campaign finance chairman paid the candidate’s mistress a $9,000 monthly cash allowance, on top of providing flights on private jets, stays at luxury resorts and a $20,000-a-month California rental mansion.

Wealthy Texas lawyer Fred Baron is one of two political supporters who combined gave about $1 million to help hide Hunter. Evidence showed Baron was making regular deposits into Hunter’s checking account, the sum totaling $74,000.

The deposits began in June 2008 — several months after Edwards ended his White House run — and continued until December 2008, two months after Baron died. Edwards’ defense has argued any money spent after his bid cannot be a campaign contribution. Prosecutors claim Edwards was still seeking the Democratic vice presidential nomination or a spot as attorney general.

Edwards’ attorneys have said he did not know about the money from Baron and wealthy heiress Rachel “Bunny” Mellon — and that even if he did, the cash was not a campaign contribution because it was intended to hide Hunter from Edwards’ wife, not the public.

According to financial records introduced Tuesday, the Youngs received $1.07 million from Baron and Mellon in 2007 and 2008. The couple later amended their tax returns for those yeas to indicate they spent about $191,000 on Hunter, paying gift taxes on the money. Defense attorneys argue that number is likely inflated.

Financial records for the couple show most of the money the Youngs received from Mellon and Baron was spent on the the couple’s $1.6 million dream home in North Carolina.

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Earlier Tuesday, Edwards’ former lawyer Wade Smith testified about conversations he had with Alex D. Forger, an attorney for Mellon. Forger had earlier testified for prosecutors, saying he told Smith that Edwards acknowledged some of the “Bunny Money” had been given for his benefit.

Smith said Forger misunderstood the conversation they had.

“I would not ever quote my client to someone else,” Smith testified, saying that would violate attorney-client privileged.

On Monday, Edwards’ attorneys began his defense by attempting to shift the focus away from the sex scandal to the technical issue of whether Edwards’ alleged behavior violated campaign finance laws.

Before winning a U.S. Senate seat in 1998, Edwards made a fortune as a personal injury lawyer renowned for his ability to sway jurors. But his testimony would expose himself to a likely withering cross-examination about his past lies and personal failings.


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