Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank said Wednesday he is lending his campaign $200,000 of his own money “to defend against outside attacks from organizations which take advantage of loopholes in campaign finance law.”

“I will very soon be the target of a flood of right-wing attack ads by organizations that are angry about the tough financial regulation bill that I helped pass last year, by others which are angry about my outspoken advocacy for issues with which they disagree, and in some cases fueled by money raised because of the bigoted, anti-gay remarks by Rush Limbaugh and by the extreme members of the Tea Party movement,” Frank explained in a statement, noting his cash infusion will come out of personal retirement savings.