NBC News reports that a grand jury investigating former Democratic Senator and nominee for Vice President John Edwards will videotape testimony from a key witness to use in a criminal trial. The only barrier to a formal indictment seems to be the Department of Justice:

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A two-year grand jury investigation of John Edwards has reached a decisive point. Prosecutors believe they have a strong case, but have not yet gotten a green light from the Justice Department to charge the former presidential candidate, NBC News has learned. The issue: did Edwards violate election laws by trying to cover up his affair with a campaign videographer, Rielle Hunter.

Sources close to the investigation say Justice Department attorneys are now conducting a final review of evidence, and an indictment could come within days or weeks. In what could be an ominous development for Edwards, prosecutors already are making arrangements to record the sworn testimony of a key witness for possible use in a future trial, said the sources, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“It would be surprising now if he wasn’t indicted,” said Stephen Saltzburg, a former federal prosecutor and George Washington University law professor. “If John Edwards was aware that money was being paid to hide his mistress… and it was done to help his campaign, then he’s in trouble.”

The testimony that the grand jury wants on videotape comes from Bunny Mellon, one of the benefactors that allegedly provided hush money and funding for sanctuary as Edwards tried to keep his relationship with Rielle Hunter from becoming public knowledge. Mellon will turn 101 years old this summer, and the grand jury does not want to lose her testimony before a trial. That indicates that Mellon has something very valuable to say in this investigation.

One can understand the extended consideration of the DoJ, which was mentioned in the article but not the video clip. The last time a scandal broke in national politics, a President got impeached but everyone involved in the process got covered in scorn for focusing on a politician’s sex life, despite the underlying corruption of the cover-up. After that spectacle, no prosecutor would relish the opportunity to play Kenneth Starr all over again. The grand jury may give Justice no choice in the matter, as failing to prosecute a former Democratic star in a Democratic administration would bring much larger public-relations problems.