Welcome

Welcome to my Legal Expense Trust Web site, created under authority of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.

My legal battle with Rep. John Boehner (R–OH) began nearly nine years ago when I was handed a tape recording of then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his leadership team plotting to evade the no-spin provision of a plea agreement with the House Ethics Committee. I gave members of the press access to that recording. They in turn published portions of the plot in their newspapers, and the story generated extensive public interest.

The Republicans responded with a lawsuit against me.

A July 1998 summary dismissal should have ended the matter. So should the 2001 U.S. Supreme Court rejection of a similar claim. Instead, the suit has now spawned a judgment that threatens the free speech rights of every whistleblower, reporter, publisher, blogger, and concerned citizen in America. In response to this potential threat to their ability to aggressively pursue stories of national interest, almost every major media outlet in the country has announced its support for my defense of the First Amendment.

By contributing to my Legal Expense Trust, you can help give me the means to defend our First Amendment rights before the courts. Your support also sends a strong message: We must preserve the people's right to know what their government and elected representatives are doing.

Sincerely

Jim McDermott
Member of the U.S. Congress,
Washington State District 7

Learn More Find links to news articles, editorials, and case documents related to Boehner v. McDermott.		Donate Help Rep. McDermott continue his defense of the First Amendment by donating to his Legal Expense Trust.