Former Sen. John Edwards’s mug shots released

Former Sen. John Edwards’s (D-N.C.) mug shots were released Wednesday.

In both photos, released by the U.S. Marshals service, he is wearing a white button-down shirt and a blue tie. His hair is neatly combed and he’s smiling.

Edwards’s decision to smile is reminiscent of Rep. Tom DeLay’s (R-Texas) ear-to-ear-grin in his mug shot after being indicted in 2005.

Earlier this month Edwards pleaded not guilty to six federal charges, including conspiracy, issuing false statements and violating campaign contribution laws.

The charges come after more than two years of investigations into whether Edwards used campaign donations to hide his affair and the child he fathered with Rielle Hunter.

“There’s no question that I’ve done wrong,” Edwards said shortly after his federal indictment. “I take full responsibility for having done wrong. I will regret for the rest of my life the pain and the harm that I’ve caused to others. But I did not break the law. And I never, ever thought that I was breaking the law.”

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