James Adelbert "Jim" McDermott is the current U.S. Representative for Washington's 7th congressional district. The 7th District includes most of Seattle and Vashon Island and portions of Shoreline, Tukwila, SeaTac, and Burien.
The House ethics committee found Jim McDermott guilty of violating ethics standards by giving reporters access to an illegally taped telephone call involving Republican leaders a decade ago.
McDermott, who at the time was the panel's senior Democrat, failed to meet his obligations as a committee leader, said a report released two days after Congress adjourned for the year. The panel took no action other than the report.
"Rep. McDermott's secretive disclosures to the news media ... risked undermining the ethics process regarding" former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the committee said. It said McDermott's actions "were not consistent with the spirit of the committee's rules."
