How Boehner will spend $1 million

A federal court announced this week that Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., must fork over $1.1 million to Rep. John Boehner in the illegal taped call case that has dragged on for more than a decade.

Boehner, a West Chester Republican, says he hasn't gotten the dough yet.

"I've not seen any payment since the most recent ruling," he told reporters at a lunch meeting today, explaining that he'd offered McDermott since 2001 the chance to settle the case for $10,000 to a charity and an apology.

"He couldn't agree (to that), so he'll have to pay," Boehner said.

And what does the Republican leader plan to spend all that cash on?

"The million dollars? Almost all of the money that I've raised (for legal costs) has been on behalf of my colleagues. So the money will go to my colleagues to help defeat Democrats. Pure and simple," he said.

Also at the meeting:

-- Boehner declined to name names for who should be GOP presidential candidate John McCain's running mate, but he did give a description of what McCain should look for: a good conservative who is younger than McCain and who could fill his shoes if something happened.

Asked by a reporter if he thought Terrace Park Republican Rob Portman fit the profile, Boehner replied: "I do."

-- Boehner, who returned from a trip to the Middle East last week, amused reporters with a story about his visit with Libyan leader Col. Muammar Qadhafi. He described meeting with the leader in a tent in the middle of the desert and how Qadhafi, in the middle of their discussion, summoned an aide to give Boehner a pair of sunglasses, saying: "Desert not kind to blue eyes."

After the meeting, Boehner tried to return them, but Qadhafi said: "No, you keep. You need."

Asked by reporters what kind of sunglasses they were and if they violated the House ban on gifts, Boehner said they were too big and that they did not violate the ban.

The luncheon was sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor.



Here's another paper's take on the lunch.

And the Plain Dealer's take.