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ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL

Authorities Link Illegal Prescription Drug Ring to Corey Haim

Aired March 15, 2010 - 19:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, addict nation out of control. Fast-breaking developments in the tragic death of `80s superstar Corey Haim. Authorities now suspect Haim abused massive amounts of drugs, using dozens of doctors and pharmacies. So why did Haim`s agent insist on this very show that Corey had cleaned up his life? And why did doctors keep prescribing him drugs?

An ESPN hottie, Erin Andrews, faces her stalker on sentencing day. The stunning sports reporter was secretly videotaped changing inside her hotel room. Now, the sicko responsible is headed to jail. How long is this guy going to be behind bars? And will he be able to watch Erin on "Dancing with the Stars"?

Plus, Rielle Hunter breaks her silence. The famous mistress of John Edwards pulls back the curtain on their sexual affair. She exposes Edwards to "GQ," describing all the steamy sexual details and posing for some sexy pictures. So why did she burst into tears when she saw those very photos in the magazine?

ISSUES starts now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, a jaw-dropping development in the investigation into what killed Corey Haim. Was the former teen heartthrob`s sudden death at age 38 linked to an illegal prescription drug ring?

Four bottles of prescription pills were found in Haim`s apartment by the coroner. CNN reports the bottles were labeled Vicodin, Valium and Soma, a muscle relaxant. TMZ reports all four were written by the same prominent L.A. psychiatrist just days before Corey died. Now California`s attorney general has launched a probe into a prescription for OxyContin in Corey Haim`s name, which allegedly came from an illegal drug ring.

This from ABC News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERRY BROWN, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: We know that Corey Haim used a lot of legal drugs, shopped to a lot of doctors, went to a lot of pharmacies, and, at least in one instance, he got OxyContin using one of the drug pads from an illegal syndicate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: California Attorney General Brown will join me for an exclusive live primetime interview in just a moment. We will hear more about how this alleged drug ring operated.

So what about all those proclamations about Corey Haim`s "sobriety" leading up to his death? His good friend said this on ISSUES just Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT SCHWARTZ, FRIEND OF COREY HAIM: The last several months of his life were much cleaner, much more sober. And he was looking forward to doing more projects over the next several years. But I know that the amount of medications he was taking was much less over the last several months of his life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But that`s not sobriety.

Let`s not forget Corey`s agent, who insisted on ISSUES that Corey was being treated by an addiction specialist. Corey himself said he`d been, quote, "good for a while" when TMZ asked if he`d gone to rehab.

Meantime, TMZ reporting the coroner says Haim had pneumonia. Could a mix of meds have slowed Corey`s breathing to a halt? We have to wait for the toxicology test results to get that answer.

What do you think of this alleged illegal prescription drug ring scandal? Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS. That`s 1-877-586-7297.

In just a moment, I will be joined by my fantastic panel: Dr. Reef Karim, Judge Glenda Hatchett, and Mark Malkin from E! Online.

But first, straight out to my very special guest, California Attorney General Jerry Brown who joins me for a primetime exclusive.

Thank you so much for joining us.

JERRY BROWN, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: OK.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Attorney General Brown, your office says it has uncovered up to 5,000 fraudulent prescriptions linked to the illegal prescription drug ring. So tell us about this ring, how it operates and its possible connection to Corey Haim.

BROWN: OK. In a nutshell, these criminals steal an identity from a doctor. Then they take the doctor`s name, and they write to a company that prints these official prescription pads for doctors.

Once they get that prescription pad in the doctor`s name, then they can write a prescription or they can sell it to someone to write a prescription like Corey Haim. Then he can go into the pharmacy and get his legal drugs illegally.

And when I said illegal on ABC, I`m talking about obtaining them in many cases against the law, by going to not one doctor, not ten doctors, but many more than that, and then going to many pharmacies to get the same thing.

So what we`re looking at here is a syndicate that sells thousands of pills through these fraudulently-obtained prescription pads that doctors use. And it`s part of this growing abuse of legal, dangerous drugs used illegally and in very, very dangerous ways.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I agree. We have a prescription drug crisis in America. And nobody is really looking at it except you.

Nobody disputes Corey Haim had a drug problem, but some, like his agent, insisted to us on this show just last week that it was all in Corey`s past. Listen for a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK HEASLIP, COREY HAIM`S AGENT: We do not think this is a drug overdose. Corey was actually going very clean in his life. He was -- he was sticking to his program. There was no pills missing out of his -- his program that he was on, out of his bottle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, you, Attorney General Brown, have been quoted as saying the illegal prescription for OxyContin under Corey Haim`s name is very recent. So, given what his friends are saying about how he was cleaning up his act, we want to know how recent and how many pills are we talking about here?

BROWN: OK. The OxyContin did come way last year. So that`s -- it`s recent but not recent like in the last few months.

But what is recent, March 5, his Vicodin, that sounds pretty dangerous to me. It`s addictive. Valium, you put the two together on the same day, and we`re not talking a couple of pills. We`re talking enough to do damage. And then, in the weeks before that, more Vicodin, more Valium and other things.

So -- and then if you go back to `09, you`re talking thousands of pills. You`re talking many, many doctors. I doubt if they know about each other. You`re talking about many, many pharmacies. And then you`re talking about who knows how many illegal drug pads. We know of one. But if he was taking the 40 a day that his fiancee said last year, then he had to even have more sources than even our records show.

So there`s a big problem here. And if you`ve got an enlarged heart, it isn`t too good to take these drugs. I don`t know -- the toxicity tests, we`ll find out about that. But just -- if he took all the pills that our records show he was prescribed over the last year and three months, he took some very damaging assaults on his body.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Attorney General Brown, hang on for 60 seconds. We`re going to be back with a whole bunch of questions for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know, Attorney General Brown, some of our best questions come from our floor manager. And during the break, he said, "I want to know are there any other celebrities on the list involving that illegal prescription drug ring?"

BROWN: Not that we found at this point.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Really?

BROWN: No.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Corey Haim, the only name?

BROWN: Hey, wait a minute. We`re only talking about 5,000 prescriptions here. There are hundreds of thousands of prescriptions. And there`s, you know, hundreds and hundreds of stars.

So I think the -- the point here is when you`re in the high-profile business, a lot of anxiety, a lot of stress. It`s easy to take a pill legitimately and then fall into the addiction. And then, as the tolerance builds up, you take more and more. And then you`re really in the deep, deep dark hole of addiction. I think that`s what was happening in this case. I hope he was coming out of it, but it sure doesn`t look too good from my point of view.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Can I call you Jerry? To say Attorney General Brown every...

BROWN: Sure.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... 30 seconds gets old. Jerry, let me ask you this.

BROWN: Sure.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Because we`re hearing conflicting stories from even his agent, who said that he was weaned down to literally zero medications by an addiction specialist in the two weeks before his death. But that same agent says that he had an addiction specialist who had put him on a new line of medications. What do we know about this addiction specialist?

BROWN: Well, do we know the name of the specialist? I can tell you this, there has been about four or five different doctors just this year, not last year. Last year there were dozens of doctors. But in the more recent period, we`re talking about prescriptions for this Vicodin and Valium, And on more than one occasion. So I don`t see any zero pill consumption.

Now, Maybe he just liked to get prescriptions and put them in his pill bottle and looked at them, but unless that`s the case, he`s taking a lot of pills.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Listen to this clip from Corey Haim`s co-star and friend, Corey Feldman, last week on "LARRY KING LIVE."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COREY FELDMAN, FRIEND OF COREY HAIM: In this entertainment industry, in Hollywood, we build people up as children. We put them on pedestals, and then when we decide that they`re not marketable anymore, we walk away from them. And then we taunt them, and we tease them. Why is it OK to kick somebody when they`re down? I don`t think it is. And I don`t think it should be tolerated anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, here`s my big issue, Jerry. I think it`s our job to ask tough questions, even when they don`t paint the rosiest picture. I mean, especially when it comes to the famous. We`re not jumping to conclusions. We don`t know the official cause of death until the toxicology reports come back, but we -- I agree with you, we need to investigate this. We need to ask tough questions, because we have got a prescription drug crisis in America. And celebrities allow us to focus like a laser beam on this particular problem.

BROWN: Exactly. And you know, a lot of people think because it comes from a doctor and they have a nice prescription on white paper and they go into a pharmacy, and the fellow behind the counter looks very official, that it`s not dangerous. Well, I`ll tell you: it can be just as dangerous and in some cases more than the drugs you get on the street because you`re not -- don`t have your defenses up. And you think it`s certified by the Federal Drug Administration.

In fact, these drugs are chemicals. They`re very dangerous. They`re addictive. And yes, they can cause morbidity and death. And it`s very important to keep the spotlight on the dangers. People aren`t supposed to be putting chemicals in their body except under very close supervision, and even then you often have side effects that people find out about later.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You said you have a hunch that Corey Haim was using massive amounts of prescription drugs.

BROWN: No, I don`t say a hunch. Well, look, we know that massive amounts of drugs -- legal drugs but obtained in what looks to me like a questionable manner because so many doctors -- I mean, how many people go to 10 or 15 or 20 doctors and then run around to 10, 12 and more pharmacies to go fulfill them? And sometimes two different doctors on the same day. I mean, this is serious stuff.

Now, do we know that he put them in his mouth? No. We don`t have anyone who saw him. But we know that these prescriptions were fulfilled in his name, and they went somewhere. And I would say the odds are that there`s an unhappy ending because there was an unhappy use of -- of very dangerous drugs.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And I want to applaud you, Jerry, for making this an issue, because we have a prescription drug crisis in America. We lock up so many people for illegal drugs, but at the same time, people are keeling over left and right from legal prescription drugs because they`re abusing them. And I think this is an absolutely crucial thing for America to look at.

Thank you so much, Attorney General.

BROWN: Thank you.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Please come back soon and keep us updated...

BROWN: I will.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... on your fight against prescription drug abuse.

BROWN: Thank you.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. More on the Corey Haim drug probe. We are taking your calls on this. I know Anita in Alabama, you`re lined up. Hang in there, girl. 1-877-JVM-SAYS.

Also, John Edwards`s mistress, Rielle Hunter, breaks her silence. The outrageous interview and the very steamy photo shoot has got everybody talking. The inside look at their sex scandal.

Plus, more on the Corey Haim death probe right after the break with our panel of experts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FELDMAN: I was sober by the time I was 18 years old.

LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": And when you stopped, you stopped?

FELDMAN: Right.

KING: Never looked back. You, it was longer, right?

COREY HAIM, ACTOR: I was what you would call back then, probably, chronic relapser for the rest of my life. So I always tried to...

FELDMAN: Not the rest.

HAIM: Not the rest of my life, but I like to have a great support group around me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCHWARTZ: I think Hollywood is just the tip of it, because that`s what industry we`re in, but it`s everywhere. We just hear about it because celebrities are at the forefront. So when a celebrity gets sick and he goes to the doctor or she goes to a doctor, it`s "Write me a prescription, write me a prescription." No problem. Nobody wants to say no to a celebrity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Corey`s good friend, Scott Schwartz, right here on ISSUES Friday.

Now, I want to get to the phone lines. Anita, Alabama, your question or thought, ma`am.

CALLER: It`s a thought. First of all, my sympathies to Corey`s friends and family. And I just went through -- you were talking about weaning off. I`ve been on morphine for migraine headaches for quite a while. And I was having stomach problems, so I went to my doctor and asked to be weaned off.

But in the third week of weaning off, I went into withdrawals and ended up in a detox center. And I`ve been back for three weeks, and I`m still not back to myself. So it`s the hardest thing that I have ever done. And I don`t think there`s any way you can do it alone.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, yes. And I got to say, Dr. Reef Karim, we do over-prescribe in this country. I mean, what the heck did they do with migraine headaches before all these drugs came on the market?

DR. REEF KARIM, ADDICTION SPECIALIST: Good question. Now, not all these drugs are addictive. That`s the first thing.

In this case -- this case has got so much going on with it. From the standpoint of dual diagnosis, that`s something that hasn`t been brought up yet. A lot of people that have addictions have underlying mental health problems. They`re depressed. They`re anxious. They`ve got ADHD. They`ve got all sorts of other things, which they need to have chronic medications for.

And when we`re talking about addiction specialists, the case here is that, while maybe he took a lot of meds, built up his tolerance -- because we build tolerance in our bodies when we take all of these medications. Then when you get off these medications -- let`s say he was off a couple of weeks, from a speculative standpoint -- your tolerance goes back down. Maybe not to where it started, but it goes quite a bit down.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

KARIM: So if you then relapse and you relapse on the same amount of meds that you were previously taking, you jump into overdose mode. And that easily could be what happened.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Mark Malkin, senior editor, E! Online, you heard Jerry Brown. But Corey Feldman, who we`re looking at right there, is very upset about all this. Says we shouldn`t be talking about any of this. We should just leave it alone until the toxicology reports come back. That this is unfair, that we`re jumping the gun.

No, we`re not. We`re saying we won`t know for sure until the toxicology reports come back. But what do you make of his defensiveness, saying we shouldn`t even be discussing this?

MARK MALKIN, SENIOR EDITOR, E! ONLINE: I don`t agree with that at all. Of course we should be discussing this. Whether or not he actually died of an overdose, this was someone obviously who had substance abuse issues. And no matter what, it somehow either contributed or didn`t help with this cause of death.

So to say we shouldn`t talk about it, this is when we should be talking about it. That`s the problem. Before we weren`t talking about it. People weren`t talking about the problem, and, you know, another actor is dead.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Corey`s former fiancee told ABC News about his penchant for prescription drugs and the source. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIFFANY SHEPIS, COREY HAIM`S FORMER FIANCEE: From doctors, regular doctors, hospitals, urgent care places. I think it`s fairly easy for anyone to get anything they want, especially being an actor and saying -- you know, you can feign any illness when, you know, you have that type of talent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Judge Hatchett, this is what I don`t understand. Can anybody just go to Staples and print up a prescription pad and start writing prescriptions? How does it work?

JUDGE GLENDA HATCHETT, HOST, "JUDGE HATCHETT": I will tell you, I am so pleased to see what the attorney general is doing, Attorney General Brown. And there has to be a reform in the way this is happening, Jane, because look at -- I mean, the last time you got a prescription, look at it. I mean, it`s just a simple prescription pad. And there needs to be some verification that those prescription pads are ending up in doctors` offices.

And how easy would it be for you to just go into a doctor`s office and grab a pad? How easy would it be for you to replicate it? There needs to be, I think, some coding on these pads that then is verified by the pharmacy when you go.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You are so right. Great idea.

Sentencing day for the stalker of Erin Andrews, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHEPIS: At the time when I knew him, you know, wasn`t just -- it was 40-some-odd pills a day.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: How many?

SHEPIS: Forty, 50.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Forty, 50 Vicodin, Valium?

SHEPIS: All of them combined. The specialist would prescribe absurd things. I`m going, well, how is this helping you get off of this?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What killed Corey Haim? He reportedly had fluid in the lungs and pulmonary congestion, which some took to mean pneumonia, but did he also have meds, and did those interact to kill him?

Rick in California, recovering heroin addict, your question or thought, sir.

CALLER: All right, Jane. First of all, I want to tell you about the prescriptions. The forms. When you get an addictive medication like Vicodin or morphine, it`s in a -- it`s in a triplicate form, and it has watermarks on it in the state of California. So it`s a lot harder to forge.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Well...

KARIM: Yes, hey, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

KARIM: Yes. If I could just comment on that. Yes.

So what happened is, in the last year, is there`s now triplicates that we -- we can`t call in certain meds. You have to have a physical form of the prescription.

So what happens is we do have these insignias on there that you have to have your specialized DEA license to get this pad. However, the scary part is that, if you break into a doctor`s office or if the doctor steps out for a second and you grab that pad, if there`s a drug addict seeking that pad, yes, then it all breaks loose from there.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But doesn`t -- wait a second. Doesn`t the -- doesn`t the pharmacist, when you go to a pharmacist and they don`t know you and they don`t know the doctor, don`t they call?

KARIM: Not always.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Not always.

KARIM: A lot of them will just fill it. A lot of them will just fill it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Here`s a shocking allegation from Corey`s ex-girlfriend, former "Baywatch" babe Nicole Eggert. Eggert told "Access Hollywood" that Corey Haim was molested by a man when Corey was just a teenager. Eggert says this was going on during the time that she was dating Haim. Eggert blames Corey`s substance abuse and downward spiral on the sexual abuse, and she says she`s now launched a one-woman crusade to track this guy down.

Mark, what do you make of this bizarre development?

MALKIN: Listen, you know, nothing is too bizarre in any of this right now. And obviously, there were problems with Corey. There were probably a lot of issues. It`s probably not just, if there was sexual molestation. But a lot more. This is -- it`s not -- it`s not so easy just to say, "This is what did it, boom, and this is what killed him."

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I agree. Judge Hatchett, what I see here is a double standard. We are locking -- one-quarter of Americans behind bars are incarcerated for drug violations. And one-third of those are non-violent offenders with little or no criminal history.

HATCHETT: Right. Right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So there`s a double standard here. We`re locking up all the poor people who are mostly minorities for illegal drugs, where it`s the middle class and the rich and famous who are doing the legal drugs. They`re keeling over, but they`re not getting arrested.

HATCHETT: Well, I think that that`s why, you know, we really both applaud Attorney General Brown on this because this is an issue. And the fact is that an abuse of a legal prescription is not appropriate. You can`t go and get these prescriptions filled illegally and somehow say, because they`re prescription drugs that that is legal. That is illegal activity. And we`ve got to own up to that and we`ve got to be very clear about that.

And the watermarks, although that point was made, we counterfeit money in this country. Certainly, we can counterfeit a prescription pad.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I hear you. Great points.

Thank you, wonderful panel.

Rielle Hunter opens up about her steamy affair with John Edwards. You will not believe what she`s saying now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: ESPN hottie Erin Andrews faces her stalker on sentencing day. The stunning sports reporter was secretly videotaped changing inside her hotel room. Now the sicko responsible is headed to jail. How long is this guy going to be behind bars?

Plus, Rielle Hunter pulls back the curtain. The famous mistress of John Edwards exposes all their sexual details and then exposes herself. So why did she burst into tears when she saw those very same photos?

Those stories next, but first, "Top of the Block" tonight.

Really sad news from Washington, missing hiker Katherine Huether has been found dead. Her body was discovered wedged between rocks at the base of an 800-foot cliff. We don`t have autopsy results yet, but it appears -- it appears this was just a tragic accident.

Cops say Katherine slipped off the side of the cliff and fell to her death. Tonight, new questions emerge. What was an experienced hiker doing up there at that time of night? How did her credit card receipts end up on a completely different trail? The body may be found, but this mystery remains.

What happened that night? We will keep you posted, and that is tonight`s "Top of the Block".

And here it is. Kiss and tell in "The New York Post"; they always have the best headlines on this stuff. That pretty much says it all.

Basically we`re talking about tonight`s earth-shattering new insights into Rielle Hunter`s affairs with then presidential candidate John Edwards. She describes him as relentless in bed and says she thinks he probably would have liked her to end her pregnancy.

Hunter also took some racy photos to go along with her interview published in GQ but now Rielle is very, very upset about those pictures and says she cried and screamed for two hours in disgust when she saw them.

That doesn`t make any sense, Rielle. You were right there when they pointed the camera at you, honey.

She also says she forgives Johnny, her pet name for John Edwards, for denying paternity of their daughter Quinn, saying he was traumatized when he had to lie on ABC`s "GOOD MORNING AMERICA". He didn`t really have to lie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN EDWARDS, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The stories are false. It`s completely untrue.

I`ve responded to -- consistently to the tabloid allegations by saying I don`t respond to these lies.

I know that it`s not possible that this child could be mine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We were traumatized having to listen to all those lies. Traumatized or not, what kind of parent says that? Hunter says they were an item for two years, having secret love chats on a secret cell phone until Elizabeth Edwards discovered it.

That`s not all she has to say about Elizabeth. She says, quote, "The wrath of Elizabeth is a mighty wrath". That`s very nasty. Elizabeth is battling cancer; she`s going through a divorce. Give me a break.

Hunter also takes aim at former Edwards` aide Andrew Young and that alleged sex tape; a lot going on with that sex tape. It`s hard to keep up on all this.

We`re taking your calls. Call me. 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.

Straight out to my fantastic panel: Politico.com reporter, Patrick Gavin. Great to see you.

PATRICK GAVIN, REPORTER, POLITICO.COM: Thanks for having me.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Steve Santagati from BadBoysFinishFirst.com and Judge Glenda Hatchett from the "Judge Hatchett Show".

We begin however with Amy Palmer from "In Touch Weekly" magazine. Amy, what is the buzz on the street about this particular interview?

AMY PALMER, SENIOR EDITOR, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": Well, this interview is shocking to say the least. I mean, she is so candid. She is so open. And the fact that she`s really upset about these photos is also puzzling because like you said, she posed for these. It`s not like they were secret and shot on the sly.

So it`s just kind of a really open book right now and it`s just interesting to see how she`s reacting to the interview. We have yet to hear from John Edwards` camp as well.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Well, she says that John Edwards is totally supportive of her talking, but I have a feeling this could be real problematical for him.

Here`s my big issue: Hunter, as you just said Amy, is very upset about these photos and how sexy they are. You were there, Rielle. Why are you surprised at how they turned out?

ABC`s Barbara Walters says she spoke to Hunter today and then she talked about it on "The View".

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA WALTERS, ABC HOST, "THE VIEW": She was in tears when she called. She said that when she saw the pictures, precisely the pictures that you called, she said she found them repulsive. When I asked, well, if that was the case, then why did you pose the way you did? She said that she trusted the Mark Seliger, whom she said is a brilliant photographer, and she quote, "I went with the flow."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Steve Santagati, Hunter`s sweat pants are provocatively untied, her stomach is showing and then in one of the photos, she doesn`t look like she`s wearing any pants. Ok? Hunter says that the photographer told her he`d only use one sexy shot.

STEVE SANTAGATI, BADBOYSFINISHFIRST.COM: Let me tell you something. First of all, the word provocative and sweat pants on a woman don`t even go together. Number two I haven`t met many women --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You`re jaded.

SANTAGATI: -- who don`t like having their -- I don`t like having -- I haven`t met many women that don`t like having their picture taken and you go into this lala-land. Thirdly, Mark Seliger is a huge, huge photographer. And he was taking direction from GQ.

He didn`t just show up on the set and say here throw this shirt on. Here, you know, pose like this. He was given direction from GQ and he went and followed their orders because those are the people that paying him.

And she trusted him. He`s got a huge reputation. He`s as big as Annie Leibovitz. There you go.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And you know what? Patrick Gavin, this is so ridiculous. She trusted him. She`s not wearing pants. You know that saying, "pants on the ground"? Her pants are on the ground. I mean, how could she -- do you see Hillary Clinton hopping into a bed to pose for photos?

(CROSSTALK)

GAVIN: Definitely not in sweat pants, maybe in business pants, but not sweat pants. I think what`s perhaps most interesting about this "Post" story about the video that now everybody is talking about the photo shoot, not about the actual interview, which was so sensational.

Part of me almost thinks that Rielle almost gave Barbara Walters this quote so that people could maybe -- so that she could to garner more sympathy because the interview itself -- depending on who you ask but I think the majority of the people that I talk to, I don`t know if it makes her come out in a better light. I think it makes her come out as she mentions in the interview, that some people think, "I`m a little bit kooky." And I think she came off a little bit kooky.

PALMER: A little bit? A little bit?

GAVIN: I think so.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Go ahead Amy, jump in.

JUDGE GLENDA HATCHETT, "JUDGE HATCHETT SHOW": Oh, my goodness. I just don`t understand how you give this interview and you think that this is not going to be problematic. I don`t see how at all, Jane, that she can be viewed as a sympathetic person here.

(CROSSTALK)

HATCHETT: Elizabeth Edwards is struggling with cancer. You do this tell-all interview with GQ and then you want me to be all concerned because you were in tears for two hours. I don`t think so. This is ridiculous.

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: One at a time.

GAVIN: Here`s my theory on whether or not you can have sympathy for her. It`s a matter of how much of a romantic you are. If you`re a complete romantic, you`ve got sympathy for her because what is her excuse for just about everything? "I was in love. We were so in love. I know it was stupid, but I was in love."

So if you are one of these people that think that love conquers all, she might be your kind of woman.

SANTAGATI: No, no. Listen -- go ahead Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me say this. I think there`s a nasty side to Rielle and it came out. When it comes to his marriage, Rielle Hunter says John Edwards was afraid of the wrath of Elizabeth and that Elizabeth emasculated him. And on and on; I mean she really attacks this woman. It`s pretty rough.

This woman has buried a son, lost a husband thanks to her and also is battling cancer. And especially mean given that Elizabeth was so gracious, really, about everything that`s happened.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH EDWARDS, FORMER WIFE OF JOHN EDWARDS: My expectation is that something happens at some point. And I hope for the -- for the sake of this child that it happens, you know, in a quiet way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Patrick, you know this from politico.com, Elizabeth actually welcomed the love child into her family and said she wants her kids to know this child so this child doesn`t feel like a second-class citizen. And this is what she gets in return?

GAVIN: Well, I mean, in Rielle`s sordid defense, Rielle was asked if you have any sympathy for Elizabeth and she said, "I have so much sympathy for her. I can`t imagine what it would have been like going through this, going through cancer."

But she also felt that Elizabeth deserved some responsibility for sort of breeding the environment that created John and Rielle. She said that John has always been in love with Elizabeth, but at the same time there`s been a long-standing animosity between them that sort of helped create this. I think that`s probably sort of unfair charge.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Steve --

HATCHETT: So she is -- it is -- under your theory, it is Elizabeth`s fault that Hunter had an affair, got pregnant by John Edwards? I mean, come on.

How is Elizabeth responsible?

SANTAGATI: Why does it have to -- first of all, why does it have to be someone`s fault?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Respect the gavel, you know that right?

SANTAGATI: Let me just say something here for a second, you guys. First of all, he is a politician. Their relationships for the most part are a facade, lest we forget Bill Clinton. God knows how many times he cheated on Hillary before he got caught. John Edwards, same kind of thing.

And the other thing you should look at, ladies, is pay attention to how this woman talks. I`ve dated a girl that had a husband that was a complete creep, right. She was divorced from him. He did nothing right. Yet she still thought he was a good father.

I don`t describe a good father that way. I don`t think John Edwards is a good father or he would have taken responsibility at the beginning. He was burning his candle at both ends. He is to blame.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: A good father is not a hypocrite and a liar.

HATCHETT: Absolutely.

More on Rielle Hunter`s racy photo shoot and her shocking interview about her infamous sex scandal with John Edwards. We`re going to tell you how she describes the sex.

I want to hear your thoughts, give me a call 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877- 586-7297.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW YOUNG, FORMER JOHN EDWARDS AIDE: I don`t remember there being the first disc all I can tell you, I mean, -- and I swore to tell you the truth. I mean, it`s been a long time ago, it`s a confusing time. If there was one I have not seen it since. And -- and just like with the (INAUDIBLE) I did not give it to anybody and I don`t have it then.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDWARDS: The thing that is true is that her cancer will not be cured now. Elizabeth will have this as long as she`s alive. Anytime, anyplace that I need to be with Elizabeth, I will be there, period. It doesn`t matter what`s happening in the campaign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, boy. Now, former John Edwards` mistress Rielle Hunter says at the time that John Edwards was saying all that, she and Edwards has been together for more than a year. She tells all in an interview with GQ.

She also posed for racy photos, one with their daughter, Quinn. She says way back when she told Edwards she was pregnant, she believed, quote, "On some level he was hoping she would get an abortion because" -- that`s a weird accent -- "because he didn`t -- he wasn`t happy about the timing."

All right. Phone lines lighting up. Pam, Arizona, your question or thought.

PAM, ARIZONA (via telephone): Hey, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hey.

PAM: Thank you for taking my call. I just was agreeing with you. You said it right on, right on the dot when you said about Rielle -- whatever her name is -- the pictures and everything like that. You know, she`s the one who posed for these pictures. And I don`t know what she`s trying to sell, but she`s not selling any sympathy from us over here.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right, Pam, in Arizona.

Amy Palmer, let`s get to the whole fun part, the sex part. Basically, she says that she goes up to him and says, "You are so hot." And what happens after that?

PALMER: Yes. Well, she goes up to him, she says, "You are so hot." And he is just so taken by the attention that she`s giving him that the two exchange cards and before you know it, she`s in his hotel room.

And she says in the article that she met him on one date and four days later she was madly in love with him.

So it seems that she feels like there is some very big spiritual connection between them and that they were meant to be and that her subconscious is attracted to his subconscious. It`s a very interesting take on a relationship that has had very horrible consequences for many people.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Patrick Gavin, you`re with Politico, why would he allow her to do all this? She`s been so discreet up until this moment and now she`s erased all the goodwill she`s gathered over the last four years with this really explosive interview.

GAVIN: Well, I mean, why do politicians do any of the stupid things that they do, right? I think, this was probably one more example. But I think what`s interesting, here in D.C., what we`re looking at is, you know, how does this affect any potential Edwards come back, which I think is zero. And this might be the nail in the coffin because it sounds like and one thing also to look for is, is Edwards ever going to publicly come out with her? You know, he has not spoken about this article. He has not said, "I support the things that have taken place."

She obviously wants these things to happen. But the reality is, is that if he were to sort of mount some sort of comeback, which would be a long shot at best, is there any way that he could do it with her as his lady? It sounds like at this point both of their names are so tarnished, this interview doesn`t help, that that`s pretty much not going to happen.

HATCHETT: It`s not happening.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I hear Steve Santagati rumbling back there.

HATCHETT: Yes, it`s not happening.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Go for it.

SANTAGATI: Jane, I mean, am I the only one that understands how provocative naughty is? Think about it. You`re going to run for president, right? You have a wife and you have this girl next door that`s willing to fool around with you. That is a -- a recipe for great hot sex and that`s exactly what they had.

Now, I am a romantic, believe it -- believe it or not, and I think that it could have been love at first sight. They could have had that kind of spiritual connection.

But what she doesn`t understand is John Edwards was leading a double life. So he may have been giving her part of that, enough to make her feel that way, but it was hot sex.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you know, your whole point Steve that I think it bears examination is that we`ve set these politicians up so that they have to live this plastic life otherwise they feel they can`t be elected.

SANTAGATI: It`s because --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: They can`t say, people who are married do meet and fall in love and they get divorced. But I guess your --

SANTAGATI: That`s everybody`s fault --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

SANTAGATI: That`s everybody`s fault, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

SANTAGATI: That supports political correctness. Until political correctness is dead, this will always happen. We`re human beings. We`re frail.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I don`t think it`s --

SANTAGATI: -- you make mistakes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- political correctness. I think it`s phoniness.

SANTAGATI: -- we lust after somebody else.

GAVIN: Well, I think --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, hold on one at a time.

GAVIN: What do you think phoniness is? We can`t say what we feel anymore. We can`t say what we really think and what were really feel anymore. If I want to come out and say, you know, I feel like having sex with this woman and no one lambasted me for it, then it will be fine I`d let it go and I would be done with it. But we make it provocative; we make it sexual.

HATCHETT: Well, but he wanted to be president. I mean, at the end of the day, he wanted to be President of the United States.

SANTAGATI: Well, he`s in good company.

HATCHETT: And it was more important to him to preserve the race to power than it was for him to be honest and admit that perhaps he wanted --

GAVIN: Right.

HATCHETT: -- to be with another woman. And, I mean, there`s no other way to cut this.

GAVIN: Right.

HATCHETT: He wanted the power more than he wanted to be truthful.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Why can`t you -- but -- but, Judge, why can`t you want to be President of the United States and fall in love with somebody who is not your wife and say, you know what, I`ve met anybody else.

SANTAGATI: That`s John Kennedy.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`m getting a divorce.

SANTAGATI: That was John Kennedy.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: No, I`m getting a divorce.

HATCHETT: Jane, he didn`t want to risk it. He wanted to preserve the image of a family with Elizabeth, with his two young children --

GAVIN: Right.

HATCHETT: -- and his -- his young adult daughter. It was the perfect kind of image. To then go out and then say you`re in love with your videographer on the campaign trail, I mean, really, how is that going to play?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s to be a human being.

GAVIN: And also to deny it for the longest --

HATCHETT: So, he needs to step out of public life and say, this is over. I want to be with Rielle.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Patrick Gavin, you`re with Politico, do you feel we put our politicians in a corner? And this isn`t the most extreme example. What about politicians who are gay and feel that they can`t come out and say that because they would never get elected so they get married and then their shocked wives when the scandal breaks that they`ve been having sex in --

GAVIN: A bathroom --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

GAVIN: -- somewhere.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, yes, exactly.

GAVIN: Right. It`s obviously a no brainer that we hold our politicians to a higher standard, but I don`t know if that`s necessarily a bad thing. I think we should elect politicians because they are better than us.

Now, also I think the issue here is not so much that he fell in love with somebody else. That does happen. It`s regrettable when a marriage breaks up. No doubt about it. But it`s how he did it.

HATCHETT: Right.

GAVIN: He lied and lied and lied.

HATCHETT: Right.

GAVIN: And denied and denied and denied.

HATCHETT: Right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You are right.

GAVIN: And in the meantime embarrassed both women and himself.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Absolutely. Thank you, excellent panel. Come back soon.

GAVIN: Thank you.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: The latest on the sentencing of sportscaster Erin Andrews` stalker right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: A very nervous Erin Andrews comes face to face with her stalker. The ESPN sportscaster showed up at a Los Angeles court today for the sentencing of a man who followed her to three different states and secretly videotaped her naked through her hotel room peephole. Forty- eight-year-old Michael Barrett was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison. But Erin told TMZ she hoped her peeping tom would never, ever get out of jail.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you nervous at all for (INAUDIBLE) something more nervous tomorrow, the court date tomorrow?

ERIN ANDREWS, ESPN SPORTSCASTER: Yes. I don`t know how you wouldn`t be nervous for something like that. It`s impacted my life for the last nine months. I`m very nervous.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. What do you think of the guy having (INAUDIBLE) jail time?

ANDREWS: What do you think I think of it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that would be horrible.

ANDREWS: I think you`re absolutely right. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I kind of answered your question. If you were the judge, what would be the sentence?

ANDREWS: I wouldn`t let him get out of jail.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ever?

ANDREWS: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Is 30 months long enough? This guy has also been linked to stalking at least 16, that`s right, 1-6, other women. What happened to them?

Straight out to my fantastic guests: managing editor of TMZ, my good buddy, Mike Walters. Mike, what is the very latest?

MIKE WALTERS, MANAGING EDITOR, TMZ: Well, Erin Andrews did come to court today. She wanted to speak her piece on Michael David Barrett`s sentencing. She wanted to push for the maximum, which was five years` prison time. Unfortunately, he only got about 2 1/2 years.

She really wanted to make her point, though. And I think one of the most interesting things that happened today was she addressed the judge and she said look, in 2 1/2 years he`ll get out of jail. You Google my name, and there`s video of me on the Internet that will never go away.

And with this day and age and technology she`s right. She will have to suffer that all along with her career, with her life, everything. And then really good -- sorry, go ahead.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I think you`re making a point. But Erin`s stalker leaked the nude video of her onto the net, and she, as you just said, worried that it would ruin her career.

But check this clip out for the newest season of ABC`s "Dancing with the Stars".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREWS: Max is the tallest one, we`re going to give you Max, he`s, you know, competitive, great pro dancer. And I was like, but is he tall?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those shoes make you like 6`7.

ANDREWS: Again, not my fault.

I know that you`re a perfectionist like myself. I know that you`re competitive like myself. And who knows better about ballroom dancing than you? So I know if I can make you happy we`re golden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. We`ve only got a couple of seconds. But she`s looking good there. It doesn`t seem like her career has suffered.

WALTERS: Yes. Well, I mean, I think she`s just taking a really bad situation and making something good out of it, getting a show, making some money. That`s all you really can do. She can`t erase it.

So I think she`s trying to make something good out of it. But she did say she wanted him to be a sex offender. She was taking a very strong point today in court.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Got it.

Mike, always great seeing you. Thanks.

Before we end the show tonight, I want to share some really fun news from this past weekend. We had a blast. ISSUES had the honor of being nominated for a Glaad Award.

This past Saturday some of my staff and I attended the ceremony. It was an amazing, unforgettable night, held by a really wonderful organization. That`s the EP right there. Oh, my gosh, you have to see her. We`re going to put that photo up.

HLN`s Joy Behar got a very well-deserved honor, "Excellence in Media". A big shout out to Joy; she was so funny. And I also rubbed elbows with some funny folks. We had a great time. And we partied.

END