Washington — An attorney for former presidential candidate John Edwards says he did not break the law.

The statement from Edwards lawyer Gregory Craig comes as the Justice Department is planning to bring criminal charges against the ex-North Carolina senator. A person familiar with the case says an indictment could come within days unless the 2004 vice presidential nominee reaches a plea deal. 

Craig's statement did not say whether a deal still could be reached. But it said the government's theory in the case is without precedent and "wrong on the facts and wrong on the law."

The charges are looming after a two-year investigation into whether the former Democratic White House contender illegally used money from campaign backers to cover up an affair and out-of-wedlock child.