Panel: McDermott Violated Ethics Standards

No Further Sanctions Against Washington Democrat In 1997 Leak Of Gingrich Call

(AP)  Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., violated ethics standards by giving reporters access to an illegally taped telephone call involving Republican leaders a decade ago, the House ethics committee said Monday.

McDermott, who at the time was the panel's senior Democrat, failed to meet his obligations as a committee leader, said a report released two days after Congress adjourned for the year. The panel took no action other than the report.

"Rep. McDermott's secretive disclosures to the news media ... risked undermining the ethics process regarding" former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the committee said. It said McDermott's actions "were not consistent with the spirit of the committee's rules."

The ethics complaint stems from a tape recording made by a Florida couple, who gave it to McDermott in January 1997. The tape recorded then-Speaker Gingrich, R-Ga., in a December 1996 conference call with GOP leaders regarding a separate ethics investigation of Gingrich.

McDermott leaked the tape to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The New York Times, which published stories on the case in January 1997.

Gingrich, who was heard on the call telling House Republicans how to react to the ethics charges against him, was later fined $300,000 and reprimanded by the House.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled against McDermott in a related civil case in March. The 2-1 opinion upheld a lower court ruling that McDermott had violated the rights of Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, who was heard on the 1996 call. Boehner, then a Gingrich lieutenant, is now House majority leader.

The full nine-member appeals court vacated the three-judge ruling this spring and heard new arguments in the case in October. A ruling is expected next year.

McDermott, in an e-mail to The Associated Press, said he was pleased the ethics panel had concluded he did not violate overall House rules.

"I am also pleased with the committee's acknowledgment that pending litigation in the federal court will decide the question of law over the First Amendment issues involved," he said.

Because of the pending civil case, McDermott said he would not offer additional comment.

Rep. David Hobson, R-Ohio, a former ethics committee member who filed a complaint against McDermott in November 2004, said he was disappointed the ethics panel did not sanction McDermott.

"I'm not sure this decision reflects well upon the House as a whole or the ethics process," Hobson said.

He said he might change his long-standing support for an internal ethics panel and consider replacing it with an independent inspector general to investigate House members.

[creeper00]

Good grief! They're dredging up an incident from ten years ago? Talk about an act of desperation!

If they can clear Mark Foley's enablers of imperiling pages how can they condemn McDermott for telling the truth?

[bluestardad]

With Mark Foley introducing Congressional Pages to the Ole TexasDicktater and getting off scott free how can anyone in Congress fault McDermott for anything?

[bluestardad]

We need to send Congress a crate of chickens so they leave the Congressional Page Boys alone.

So now we are digging up stories from 10 years ago? Talk about mud slinging politics...geez

[frankly6]

Janem4

Are you on top of this?

Wow this is big..very big! His actions "were not consistent with the spirit of the committee's rules." Ouch! That's just scathing language. Is he stepping down yet?

[frankly6]

Another one straight from the GOP vault. Dust off the dinosaur sh*t before you roll thes out guys.

[rafterman1]

Nice try righties for trying to make something out of this McDermott thing. Being cited for an ethics violation by secretly releasing evidence of a more serious ethics violation is not exactly the worst crime I can think of. Apparently, McDermott's crime is jeopardizing any possibility of a coverup.

And as far as Jefferson goes, at least he was removed from his committee position by the Democrats - unlike Tom DeLay, who got a standing ovation from Republicans in a closed door meeting of him "explaining himself". It looks like Dems plan on dealing with their ethics violators, not cover them up like Repubs have been doing.

Imagine that. Dems get in and suddenly, the ethics panel starts doing work, there are checks on the President, people start talking of bipartisianship again and Congress will start working a full 5 days instead of the last do-nothing Congress's pathetic 3 days. Not a bad start - considering Dems haven't even officially taken control yet.

[frankly6]

Janem4

Are you on top of this?

When will he resign? Check with Rush and get back to us.

This is going to blow the lid off this whole Democratic corruption thing that janem4/bellaL/lestb35 has been talking about.

Man this is just huge!! Like colosal dinasaur t*rd huge!

Huge!

[frankly6]

The HUGENESS of this HUGE scandal is mind blowing!

HUGE!!!

[frankly6]

People are you listening?

HUGE!!!!!!

Tell them how huge this is Janem!

[frankly6]

Man..I just can't believe how HUGE this is! Where's the outrage people?! I for one am changing my party affiliation back to Republican. This is the straw that broke this camels back.

This unethcal attempt to uncover a cover up about an ethics violation is just.....just....unethical. I am totaly disgusted and demoralized here. Everything I thought was right and true...all the values I held near and dear...shattered. Shattered!!!

[frankly6]

janem4

Please tell the people how HUGE this is.

[frankly6]

McDermott seems to be saying something important in this photo. Perhaps he's saying the word HUGE!!!

HUGE!!

[frankly6]

janem4

I don't think the HUGENESS of this HUGE scandal has really sunken in here. Please check with Rush and report back to us on what this means.

[frankly6]

janem4?

[rafterman1]

Yeah, what about Rahm Emanuel? Nice try to suck the Dems into the Foley scandal. But Foley was the Repub's boy and their responsibility, not Emanuel's problem and not the Dem's problem. Of course, if Emanuel had said something, he would have been accused of dirty political tricks.

[swift2--2008]

THIS IS FROM TEN YEARS AGO, ABOUT THE LAST TIME THE ETHICS COMMITTEE ACTUALLY LOOKED AT ANYTHING.

Is this the best you can do?

I'll give you one: this guy Jefferson, whom the party did its best to demote, defeat and then keep demoted, is corrupt. Sadly, he won his election. Maybe because he's corrupt.

[frankly6]

Another one straight from the GOP vault. Dust off the dinosaur sh*t before you roll these things out guys.

[rafterman1]

Ah, another "had this been a Republican..." take. Until November, the Repubs had the Presidency, House, Senate and a majority of the governorships. They had control of everythng, yet, somehow, they were always the "victims". You know, if it makes you feel better to think you are somehow persecuted, knock yourself off.