McDermott to pay Boehner $1 million in legal fees

A federal judge has ruled that Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) can collect more than $1 million in legal fees in a lawsuit against Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) over a taped phone call, the Associated Press reports.

Boehner had sued McDermott for leaking a tape of a 1996 call featuring Republican congressmen discussing an ethics case against then-Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.).

{mosads} McDermott told The Hill that he is raising money to pay the penalty through a legal defense fund.

“I’ve been raising money the last few years,” McDermott said. “We’re a little bit short but we’ll get there.”

“Despite the adverse ruling, McDermott proclaimed victory.

“We won because we protected the First Amendment,” he said. “We told the American people what was going on in Congress.”

McDermott said he would abide by the ruling.

Alexander Bolton contributed to this story.