The real culture of corruption...


A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that Rep. Jim McDermott violated federal law by turning over an illegally taped telephone call to reporters nearly a decade ago.

In a 2-1 opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld a lower court ruling that McDermott violated the rights of House Majority Leader John Boehner, who was heard on the 1996 call involving former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

The lower court had ordered McDermott to pay Boehner more than $700,000 for leaking the taped conversation. The figure includes $60,000 in damages and at least $600,000 in legal costs.

McDermott, D-Wash., leaked to The New York Times and other news organizations a tape of a 1996 cell phone call The call included discussion by Gingrich, R-Ga., and other House GOP leaders about a House ethics committee investigation of Gingrich. Boehner, R-Ohio, was a Gingrich lieutenant at the time and is now House majority leader.

A lawyer for McDermott had argued that his actions were allowed under the First Amendment, and said a ruling against him would have "a huge chilling effect" on reporters and newsmakers alike.

Figures, Democrats think the First Amendment excuses them from breaking the law, and violating others' privacy... Interesting how Democrats are not furious over this, but they are over the wiretapping of terrorists... Hmm...

Figures, Republicans think a seat in Congress excuses them from violating Congressional ethics rules...Interesting that you are not furious over the ethics violations of Gingrich and Boehner...Hmm...

BTW, no one was wiretapped in this case. The mobile phone call by Gingrich was inadvertantly intercepted on the police scanner of a Florida couple, who taped it. They gave the tape to McDermott, who immediately turned it over to the House ethics committee.

http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/01/ ... ndex.shtml

I suggest that when Republicans in Congress are conspiring to violate House ethics rules, perhaps they should use more secure means of communication.