GREENSBORO, NC — A smitten Rielle Hunter kept a poster-sized photo of John Edwards as a little boy in her Chapel Hill home — and he autographed it, “Love, John,” a witness testified yesterday.
Edwards’ baby-mama also had a framed photograph of her and the disgraced former senator and presidential candidate, which he signed, “I love you, John.”
Hunter wanted those cheesy tokens of affection stored while she was on the lam, Tim Toben, a former confidant of Edwards, testified during the pol’s federal trial for campaign-finance violations.
Toben said Hunter called him right after news of the affair became public. “I have a big favor to ask of you,” Hunter said. “I have a few personal items” that she wanted him to get.
“She directed me to a side table next to the bed,” he said, where he found the framed photo. The poster was in the same room.
Meanwhile, another witness testified about the dramatic last encounter between Edwards and top donor Rachel “Bunny” Mellon — when she finally cut him off.
Just weeks before he was indicted, Edwards tried to hit up the 101-year-old to “establish himself” and move his family to New York.
“I understood her to say he asked for $3 million,” testified Tony Willis, Mellon’s librarian.
Willis’ testimony was not presented to the jury because Edwards’ defense team argued that it had no relevance to funds acquired during the 2008 presidential election.