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March 29, 2006
Climate of Fear Part 41
This barely qualifies as a climate of fear because there was no violence or threat of violence, but there was still a crime that was politically motivated. I included it mainly because I was impressed that this case is still going as I thought it ended years ago. Anyways, in 1996 Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) obtained an illegally recorded phone call of current house majority leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio). Instead of turning the recording over to police like he should have, McDermott gave it to reporters.
I wonder if any other congressmen have been convicted of violating the rights of other congressmen before? Or if any congressman have been ordered to pay another congressman over a half million dollars by a court. I know the case of congressman Preston Smith Brooks (Democrat South Carolina) who was shot by Texas Senator Louis T. Wigfall before Wigfall became a Senator. Brooks later beat Senator Charles Sumner (Mass. Whig/Free Soil/Rep) unconscious on the Senate floor with his cane after Sumner made fun of Brooks speech impediment and said Brooks had a harlot named slavery. Nowadays that would result in a several lawsuits and definitely be a climate of fear entry.
Anyways, an appeals court just ruled against McDermott.
Here is the AP story:
WASHINGTON, D.C. A federal appeals court ruled today that Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., 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 ruled 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 court ordered McDermott to pay Boehner more than $700,000 for leaking the taped conversation. The figure includes $60,000 in damages and more than $600,000 in legal costs.
McDermott leaked a tape of a 1996 cell phone call involving former House Speaker Newt Gingrich to The New York Times and other news organizations.
Previous Climate of Fear
Posted by Pete at March 29, 2006 08:48 AM
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