Klayman: When I started Judicial Watch, I had been a private lawyer for about ten or so years. I had my own law firm representing small and medium-sized business and individuals in Washington D.C. and throughout the world. I saw that my clients were less equal to the big corporations and labor unions that were effectively paying off politicians and influencing judges. Finally, I reached the point in 1994 where I said, AI can’t take it anymore. If I’m not going to quit this profession, I am going to turn the profession against itself.” And that’s what I did. I started Judicial Watch because my own profession had grown corrupt and I had to do something about it.

King: What is your largest success in these ten years?

Klayman: That we have, in effect, become a private justice department. Now you have to be careful when you say that. You don’t want to be vigilante lawyers. You don’t want to be seen that way. But we represent the people. We know whether it’s a Democrat or a Republican administration, the Justice Department is not going to bring cases against its own administration, so we stepped into that void.

King: But you don’t take clients, do you?

Klayman: Yes, we have clients, but those clients are supported by the American people. We represent them pro bono. We’re not in it for the money. We’re in it for the result which is to make sure that “no one is above the law.”

King: The huge amount of publicity that Judicial Watch has received has led some people to say that you’re in it for the publicity.

Klayman: That’s not the reason I started Judicial Watch. I felt strongly about changing the system, and that’s why we’ve been successful. You have to keep up that kind of intensity when you’re taking on the big and powerful. At Judicial Watch, our motto is, “Because no one is above the law.” So, consequently, we try to set an example by going after high public officials, lawyers and judges who’ve strayed from ethics. After a while, as you know, publicity really wears off. It is not what’s going to drive you in Washington. You have to have that core conviction. In the beginning when you break in and you’re not part of the establishment, the line is, “You’re just doing it for your 15 minutes of fame.” Obviously, I’ve lasted ten years doing this.

King: In your ten years, how many lawsuits have you launched against the rich and powerful?

Klayman: There are over 200 right now.

King: Conservatives, generally speaking, are against the excessive use of the courts. Where do you stand on tort reform?

Klayman: I do believe there needs to be tort reform, but what we really need are better judges. Our judges are chosen through political patronage in the federal system, by doing favors for the President or a Senator. They are not the best and brightest. All of the tools are there to prevent frivolous lawsuits, but we don’t have judges that will stand on principle. We have judges, frankly, that are politicians in robes, and they’re even more political than the politicians because they depend on the politicians to get their first job and every other job right up the line.

Linda Gasparello: Does it bother you that the American public is not more interested in the issue of the courts?

Klayman: It does bother me, but I think it is really a direct result of corrupt lawyers and judges who feather their own nests and scratch their own backs while failing to take into account the needs of the people in their courtroom.

Gasparello: Do you regret any of the lawsuits that you have brought forward or any of the complaints?

Klayman: No. You have to have a pretty thick skin in this town because people are going to attack you. You know, I’m between a rock and a hard place – between the Democrat and Republican parties. I am anti-establishment, as they perceive it. Things don’t always come out the way you want them to come out, but we’ve had tremendous success. We’ve had over 100 victories. Ken Starr did not get a finding that the President of the United States, Bill Clinton, had committed a crime. But we at Judicial Watch did, when the court found President Clinton committed a crime when he released private information about Kathleen Willey in an attempt to smear her name.

King: Clearly, you’re totally original in Washington. I think what you’re doing is something quite exceptional. I’m so glad that you’ve taken the time to be with us. Will you please come back?

Klayman: I would love to. Thanks Llewellyn and Linda.