$1,000,000.00 is more money than most families will see in a lifetime and this guy is a public servant? Great work if you can get it!

Let's get the facts correct.
Democrat McDermott didn't pay jack !@#$ !

Democrats never pay anything out of their pocket he begged for money through out Pioneer Square.

This guy is a criminal. His constituents should be ashamed of themselves for voting this crook in time and time again

Can someone tell me where Rep McDermott got 1 million dollars?

Democrat McDermott is a maggot, and his constituents should truly be ashamed! In true 'bleeding heart liberal' fashion, apparently the means and the party, have become more important than the message. He should resign!

that's how RICH crimianl do, they use money to pay for the crime they commited.
GOOD FOR YOU DEM!!!

For a conservative in the Peoples Republic of WA it doesn't get any sweeter than this!

Love to hear the wretched righties scream as THEIR world dissolves in the reality of public opinion. NOVEMBER!!!

Wow... such civility.

Postman, I respectfully request you delete comments with words like:
"maggot", "McDouchebag", and "crap".

This blog is generally a place for impassioned exchanges with at least some pretense of respect. Today's posts don't even pretend to be respectful.

McDermott knowingly broke civil law (not criminal law) by making public the recording of a 1996 telephone call where Republican leaders hatched a dishonest and corrupt strategy in the ethics case pending against former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
In the spirit of putting the country's best interest above one's own, it's been compared to Daniel Ellsberg's release of top-secret, Vietnam related Department Of Defense documents know as the Pentagon Papers.
In the latter, the Supreme Court upheld the right of free speech over the government's right to keep that particular information from the public.
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_Papers )
In McDermott's case, the appellate court upheld the lower court’s ruling of a civil rights violation and the Supreme Court refused to hear the case. Thus, exposing the corrupt attempt to shield Gingrich from investigation of ethics violations left McDermott liable for a civil rights violation.
I only wish we had more politicians who willingly sacrifice their own interests for the greater good of exposing this kind of corruption. If McDermott is short on cash, he should have no problem finding help from those who support this heroic patriotism.

To answer the question where he got the money... I nifty little feature in campaign funding is that you can use money raised for an election to pay off legal costs such as this. So everyone that donated to keep him in office is paying for his criminal act.

You really didn't think he would take personal responsibility for his actions did you?

I only wish we had more politicians who willingly sacrifice their own interests for the greater good of exposing this kind of corruption. If McDermott is short on cash, he should have no problem finding help from those who support this heroic patriotism.

Oh, give me a break. You're smarter than this.

He did it for a political gotcha and got nailed for it. Stop defending the crook.

Jim and Truth,
Give ME a break. You think he didn't know the probable consequences of what he was doing?
The legal costs he's liable for is chump change compared to what many sitting republicans (and democrats) are paying in legal costs to defend themselves in far more serious deeds than exposing blatant corruption, for goodness sake.
Sure - there was a political gotch'a involved. There always is when confronting the corruption of power.
That doesn't make it any less the right thing to do.
I not only defend him, I commend him.

Truth Detector,
Need to brush up on your "truth" here. There was no "criminal act". He's liable for a CIVIL RIGHTS violation - 64 in punitive and the balance in legal costs.
Civil, not criminal.
And that's the truth ;-)

Where did he get the money?

Awesome!
Nothing is funnier than reading an ignorant/small-minded liberal (no, wait, they're intellectuals, just ask them) get indignant & self-righteous about decorum and ethics.
WOW... How delusional and/or disingenuous do you need to be to call yourself a democrat?

Hey JimmyD-
You can mentally fist it to any drummed up and skewed factoid (and ultimately try to shift the focus and defer blame) but at the end of the day your boy Baghdad Jimmy is a pathetic, habitual liar who ALSO distorts the truth for his own means.
And Xad? My worlds not falling down, as much as you hope it will.
Only the soy crowd cares about the court of public opinion and your going to have a long, long day in November.

I not only defend him, I commend him.

Then I was wrong. You aren't smarter than that.

You know good and well you wouldn't be 'commending' a GOP member if they did the same thing. You'd be screaming to the high heavens.

I honestly don't know how some of you live with yourselves with all your contortions and justifications simply based upon partisan hacktitude.

Nonsense. McDermott did not commit a crime - he didn't even make the recording - and was simply sued for breach of privacy for passing it to the media for publication. He settled the civil case in one of several scenarios he obviously determined could occur when he decided to release the recording - including the obvious possibility that it would derail his career.
You act like he committed and was convicted of a criminal act. A better analogy is being sued by the criminal you injured while attempting to stop them.
You need to educate yourself about the facts and perhaps take a more objective look at what actually happened here.
As for your claim that I would think one way or another if the political parties were reversed, your presumption is as wildly disingenuous as your representation of the facts in this matter.
This is what happens when you get your news from opinion hacks who simply use you to perpetuate partisan disinformation.
McDermott lost a lawsuit brought by John Boehner who objected to his OWN WORDS being made public.
You take-up the cause of a politician who sues to keep his official dealings secret, then trash the guy who blew the whistle? And you're lecturing about partisan hackitude?

Gee David---
Cute headline.
Typical attempt to soften the FACT THAT HE PAID BECAUSE THERE WAS A FRIGGING JUDGMENT AGAINST HIM!

To JimD
You got to be kidding !
Not only is he a scumbag he carried Nam around his neck until he got caught then confessed he never went to Nam but was stationed in long beach during the war.
How anyone can defend this scum.

Jake,
You want to hang him for that? Fine. No argument from me. But lets put this in perspective; He sacrificed what little reputation he had left to help bury a corrupt Gingrich (a fellow scumbag who divorced his dying wife to marry his mistress).
If nothing else, I admire McDermott for putting his money where so many mouths are, and actually sacrificing something for the cause of helping stopping Gingrich's corrupt republican machine.
If it was the only honorable thing he ever did in office, I'd STILL commend him for doing it and STILL believe it was courageous and important.
How typical of your brand to think otherwise, as if one's moments of integrity are less worthy by virtue of their lesser behavior.
A tit-for-tat comparison of how low any of these players has gone will send both sides to hell in equal measure - Gingrich and his comrades in ethics corruption at the top of the list, no doubt.

to Jake

I will be more than happy to defend him and his record in Vietnam... he may have not actually gone to Vietnam, but was doing a very important job here at home for those who did go... I bet you don’t even know what he did do while he served, do you? Not only did he counsel those who went to fight he had to make very important decisions about those who had to go back to fight... don’t ever drag someone's military service into this back and fourth political banter about a lawsuit! He served! and im not assuming you didn’t serve in the military, but if you did not serve than how would you know what he did was not just as important as fighting?

im really surprised by the amount of people who are defending a lawsuit against some who leaked classified information on Fow news!

Both of you have to be kidding us!
To JimD,
I can’t believe what you’re saying,

“He sacrificed what little reputation he had left”

That’s a laugh he’s in the Republic of the far left Looney’s who gave him a badge of honor for lying about his tour in Nam! Birds of a feather flock together.

“Gingrich (a fellow scumbag who divorced his dying wife to marry his mistress).”

The democrats would have voted for him to President after doing this if he was a Democrat!

“If nothing else, I admire McDermott for putting his money where so many mouths are, and actually sacrificing something for the cause of helping stopping Gingrich's corrupt republican machine.”

You too must live in his district!

“If it was the only honorable thing he ever did in office, I'd STILL commend him for doing it and STILL believe it was courageous and important.”

You really can’t believe he did this for the good of the country unless you’re talking about another country like China!

To inthemiddle,

“I will be more than happy to defend him and his record in Vietnam... he may have not actually gone to Vietnam, but was doing a very important job here at home for those who did go... I bet you don’t even know what he did do while he served, do you?”

Another one from his district!

“Not only did he counsel those who went to fight he had to make very important decisions about those who had to go back to fight... don’t ever drag someone's military service into this back and fourth political banter about a lawsuit! He served! and im not assuming you didn’t serve in the military, but if you did not serve than how would you know what he did was not just as important as fighting?”

I know exactly what he did on the shores of the far west coast of California.
I pray every night for the men and women he counseled, as should you!

Look he lied about going to Nam! So don’t give me any crap about bring his military record into this lawsuit The reason for me to bring this up was to show the moral values he carries on his back. Yes, I did serve about the same time I think he did.

“im really surprised by the amount of people who are defending a lawsuit against some who leaked classified information”

Excuse me, who are you talking about Clinton or the Democrat party?

Dear Jake,

Thank you; I really appreciate you stereotyping me as someone from the Congressman’s district. I actually am not, nor am I a liberal. Are you from his district?

I also appreciate the inflection in your response that I am anti-military or that I do not value the service and sacrifice that you and your fellow servicemen gave. I value it every single moment, and yes I pray for them. And to show you some respect in my response to you, I thank you for what you did for the country, although you may not respect me and my convictions.

I do not believe that the democrats are better that the other side, there are democrats and republicans who have done much worst. And to answer your question about the leaking of classified information I was referring to the distinguish House Minority Leader, who leaked the information....

To inthemiddle,

“I also appreciate the inflection in your response that I am anti-military or that I do not value the service and sacrifice that you and your fellow servicemen gave. I value it every single moment, and yes I pray for them. And to show you some respect in my response to you, I thank you for what you did for the country, although you may not respect me and my convictions.”

I would never think your anti-Military, as I don’t know you and your response never gave me this impression.

I thank you for your kind words and I have no idea why you would think I have no respect for you this isn’t about you it’s about the scumbag.

You maybe too young as I once was to really understand what’s going on when you get to the late 40’s you too will see the light!

The whole deal here is AP , Postman you and Jimd makes it look like the scumbag paid from his own pocket and should be given a heroes status for doing this.
If he wasn't a congressman he may have went to jail.

Peace be with you!

OK, I deleted one comment. I don't really care how angry any of you may be, if you want to post comments here you have to do it with some sense of civility. Thanks for the reminder Aaron.

The tone some critics of McDermott are taking here is over the top. The venom is unnecessary here.

Love the pro Bagdhad Jim responses, I'm sure it's the same crowd that jumps for joy over a Scooter Libby conviction, even though it / he had nothing to do with "the outing" of Valerie Plame. Yeah, Jimbo is someone to be real proud of, the guy could commit rape and murder and the lefty liberals would continue to prasie him and call him a hero, yep, we get exactly what we deserve here in Seattle.

To those who defend McDermott, it demonstrates that Liberalism is a mental disorder, IMO. I'll just say that justice was served, which shows that the system - as broken as it apparently is, can still work.

Jake,
Hello? How could he possibly "go to Jail"? He was not, and has never been accused of committing any crime in any way, shape or manner what-so-ever. Turning over the recorded telephone call is not a criminal act. Have you graduated from high school? Do you read newspapers? Anyone home?
He was sued in civil court by Boehner, and lost. Period. Well worth the money, in my opinion, but that's another story.
As for all the "rapist", "murderer"... and other outrageous nonsense being thrown at him. It would read like a humorous parody of ignorant trailer trash culture - except it's an all too real. What a disgraceful display of intemperate ignorance and hate.

"What a disgraceful display of intemperate ignorance and hate"

Would that be the same ignorance and hate one would display by disgracing your president on foreign soil.....

No, it would not.

You forgot to preface that by saying "in my opinion", which by the way, just happens to be the minority opinion........

To JimD
Thanks for the laugh JimD, I know your not serious in your remarks.
Hey have a great weekend.
Peace be with you.
Jake

To the minority supporters of The Scumbag.

When I was in school many years ago we had a class called P.E.

You would line up in rows with the teacher in front of us.

We had one guy that would hit you in the back knowing you couldn’t hit him back without getting in trouble.

He would just about hold all his teachers hands through out the year for protection. This was the Scumbag your hero.

I’m sure the men in this blog had him in their class too.