Andrew Young--- Father or Fall Guy--or willing participant?
Andrew Young, the man claiming to be the father of John Edwards' mistress' 5-month-old baby, has remained mum since the former senator admitted to an affair with Rielle Hunter but denied paternity of the child.
In sticking to his claim that he's the father, those close to the scandal say that Young is being used as a fall guy by Edwards and is not the baby's father.
A former well-placed campaign worker, who had inside knowledge of the relationship with Edwards during the time the videographer worked for the campaign, told FOXNews.com in an email: "There was no relationship between her and Andrew Young."
Frances Quinn Hunter, called Quinn, was born on Feb. 27, 2008, and no father was listed on the child's birth certificate.
In December, when the National Enquirer reported that a then-pregnant Hunter was having an affair with Edwards, Young released a statement through his attorney Pamela Marple claiming he was the father. "Senator Edwards knew nothing about the relationship between these former co-workers, which began when they worked together in 2006."
When recently contacted by FOXNews.com Marple refused to comment further.
But questions continue to swirl about who is the real father.
Edwards said he was "happy to take a paternity test", but Hunter, speaking through her attorney, said she refuses to agree to a genetic test "now or in the future."
In other words...I'll agree to a paternity test to make me look good. Then you refuse to be tested.
Others close to the affair say they also have reason to suspect that Edwards somehow convinced Young to claim paternity of Quinn.
Pigeon O'Brien, a former friend of Hunter's who was in close contact with the videographer during the time of the affair, said that Edwards isn't coming clean with all the details and believes the ex-senator is the father.
"I can't think that there is another possible explanation, knowing the way I know Rielle," she told FOXNews.com.
Young's career with the once promising presidential candidate began back in 1998 when Edwards first ran for the U.S. Senate. He continued on when Edwards began his bid for president, and worked as his North Carolina finance director.
A former campaign aide, speaking on condition of anonymity said Young was a close aide to Edwards, but not a central figure to the campaign.
"He was an Edwards loyalist — an aide to the family more than he was a campaign professional, the aide said. "He was more of an Edwards buddy and personal aide than anything else."
Young was said to work long hours traveling around North Carolina raising money, organizing fundraisers and planning telethons from his office at the campaign's Chapel Hill headquarters.
Another former campaign worker, also speaking on condition of anonymity, described Young as "a personable and hard working motivator" — unflinching in his loyalty to Edwards.
But other facts reveal a different side to Young.
According to public records obtained by FOXNews.com, Young was arrested in 1997 when he pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated in Raleigh, N.C. But that is not his only criminal offense.
As well as getting arrested on drunk driving on more than one occasion other charges include check forgery, burglary and possession of alcohol on city property.
And a former aide said his reputation as a womanizer didn't earn him high marks among Edwards' campaign staff either.
"There were rumors that he was with other women who were not his wife even before the first Hunter story broke," said the aide.
Young's involvement with the free-spirited Webisode producer is confusing, at best.
The Youngs moved from Raleigh to a pricy gated community in Chapel Hill in late 2007, and rented their Governor's Club home from former NBA basketball player Eric Montross, who has told FOXNews.com that he doesn't know Hunter.
Around the exact same time, Hunter reportedly moved in to the exact same pricy gated community, just around the block from the Youngs.
Less than a year later the Youngs and Hunter reportedly moved again, this time to another gated community, across the country in Santa Barbara, Calif. This time they all lived together under one multi-million dollar roof.
Neighbors confirmed to FOXNews.com that Hunter and the Youngs were seen coming and going from the house, a situation one called "a little odd, certainly, given the situation." Another neighbor added that the Youngs' three children were home schooled during their time in Santa Barbara.
These living arrangements were reportedly bankrolled by Fred Baron, a Dallas attorney, who also chaired Edwards' presidential campaign finance committee. Baron admitted to The Dallas Morning News that he personally paid for Hunter and the Youngs' cross-country move because he was shielding them and their families from reporters. Edwards contends that he knew nothing of the payments.
(Are we to believe this lawyer spent his own money out of the goodness of his heart?)
Reports claim that payments of $15,000 a month were going to Hunter — payments the National Enquirer reported on Wednesday continue to this day.
One of the many questions yet to be answered is why Cheri Young, a self proclaimed philanthropist and nurse whose do-gooder ways were commended by Oprah Winfrey during her show's "Pay It Forward Challenge," would uproot her children, move across the country to live with her husband and the woman with whom her husband had an affair and allegedly fathered a child.
(Weird to say the least)
When reached by FOXNews.com, Cheri Young's brother Roger simply said that he declined to offer insight into "this situation."
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