Letters to the Editor
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Token Democrats
Right, so I suppose they may have snagged a couple of Democrats to make this look like a "bipartisan" proceeding. Sigh.
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retribution?
The only reason I can think of why McDermmott is getting hassled by the Justice Department is that Boehner, the new majority whip, has asked them to. A little known fact, Boehner is suing McDermmott, making history for the first time of one congressman suing another. Boehner has asked the Justice Dept. to investigate McDermmott before hand as well, and when that didn't work, he took his problems to the courts and it has been won, overturned, won and appealed over and over (with McDermmott doing the winning).
Why is Boehner suing McDermmott? Because he is a petty, hateful man. McDermmott provides the full story here: http://www.mcdermottforcongress.com/boehnerfacts.aspx
I'm shocked the media has never picked up on this story. It's really fascinating and also, really ties into the history of corruption and lack of ethics these GOP leaders have shown over the years. It would be great if Salon did a report on it.
In a nutshell, Boehner is suing him because McDermmott made public a taped conversation between Gingrich, Boehner, Delay and other high-level republicans conspiring to disobey the terms of the settlement that was reached during Newt's final controversial year (and it is what eventually led to his downfall and exposure of no ethics).
If Boehner can implicate McDermmott via falsely lumping him in w/ other Abramoff connections, then it's just another step closer to burying that knife in his back Boehner so wants to bury.