McDermott must pay $1 million in leak case

[Newsjock]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- House Minority Leader John Boehner can collect more than $1 million in his lawsuit against Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

Chief Judge Thomas Hogan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued the decision in a decade-long dispute over an illegally taped telephone call. In the 1996 call, Republican leaders discussed an ethics case against then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga. A Florida couple recorded the cell phone call on a radio scanner, and McDermott leaked the tape to two newspapers.

Boehner, R-Ohio, sued, and a federal court found that McDermott had no right to release the calls. The Supreme Court decided in December not to revisit the case.

McDermott called the court fight with Boehner "a long and costly battle," but said the million-dollar judgment was "a small price to pay in defense of so fundamental a principle, and freedom, as the First Amendment."

Read more: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/357370_mcdermott02.html

[bluestateguy]

1. That shit was a long time ago

Boehner must be one bitter old man.

[Kool Kitty]

2. Now, now-be nice.

You don't want to make Boehner cry, do you? ;)

[gateley]

3. Please help McDermott out with a contribution if you can.

He did the RIGHT thing.

http://www.mcdermottlegaltrust.org/

[calimary]

6. Yes. This is a worthy cause. Besides, McDermott's a REALLY good guy, pro-IMPEACHMENT.

He already signed on to Kucinich's HR333 - one of the early ones to do so. A very good track record as a reliable progressive.

He's worth the assistance. He's a hero and a patriot!

Kicking!

[Pastiche423]

7. Thank you for posting that link

I've been sending Jim a little whenever I can.

[Virginia Dare]

4. I thought wire tapping phone conversations was a-okay..

unless you're a republican criminal, then your rights are protected?

[Supersedeas]

5. Boehner can be so proud of his partisan victory over the Constitution--filthy Repig

[fascisthunter]

8. I Would Love to See What Skeletons Boner Has in His Closet (nt)

[Bringer_Of_Light]

9. So what you're all saying is . . .

That you really have no objections to electronic interception of private phone calls?