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Grimm listed his positions on various issues on his campaign website. The following were excerpts from Grimm's website:
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| —Michael Grimm, Campaign website (archive) | ||
Grimm listed several of his campaign themes on his website:
2012
Michael Grimm endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.
In a statement on September 5, 2013, Grimm said that the window for action had passed and that the feedback from his constituents had made him re-think his previous position.
“Thus, after much thought, deliberation and prayer, I am no longer convinced that a U.S. strike on Syria will yield a benefit to the United States that will not be greatly outweighed by the extreme cost of war,” Grimm said.
Grimm added, “Now that the Assad regime has seen our playbook and has been given enough time to prepare and safeguard potential targets, I do not feel that we have enough to gain as a nation by moving forward with this attack on our own.”
These statements were in contrast with his comments from August 31, 2013. Previously, Grimm had said he supported President Obama’s decision to launch military action in Syria, saying he was “supporting the president on this."
On June 22, 2013, Grimm held a press conference to call for water fees to be waived for Sandy survivors who had used little to no water in their damaged homes.
After having suspended sending water bills to Hurricane Sandy victims until June 2013, the New York City Water Board sent out bills with charges accrued since late October 2012. Under the city's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), homeowners are subject to a minimum charge of $1.19 per day, even if a home uses no water. Many displaced residents received water bills for $300 or more. Grimm sought to have the city waive all water fees for Sandy-impacted homeowners.
At the June 22 press conference Grimm expressed his support for waiving the fees, saying "The policy should be that if you're not in your home because of Sandy, then all fees [should] be waived until you move back in."
In April 2014, Grimm became the first sitting House Republican to go on the record stating his view that humans cause global warming. Speaking about his views on climate change, Grimm said: "The majority of respected scientists say that it’s conclusive, the evidence is clear. So I don’t think the jury is out.”
In December 2013, the Justice Department requested that the House Ethics Committee investigation into Grimm's possible campaign finance violations be deferred again. Grimm faced allegations of "soliciting and accepting federal campaign contributions, caus[ing] false information to be included in campaign finance reports, and improperly [seeking] assistance from a foreign national in soliciting campaign contributions in exchange for offering to use his official position to assist that individual in obtaining a green card." The statement from the Justice Department suggested they were still conducting their own investigation. The House Ethics Committee agreed to release a statement once a year, according to a joint statement released by Committee members Michael Conaway and Linda Sanchez.
| Grimm's January 28, 2014, interview with NY1 reporter. |
Following the State of the Union speech on January 28, 2014, Grimm threatened to throw a reporter off a balcony after being asked about his House Ethics Committee investigation. Grimm replied, "That’s off-topic. This is only about president’s speech,” and walked off camera, only to return after the reporter concluded the report.
Grimm issued a statement on January 28, 2014: “I was extremely annoyed because I was doing NY1 a favor by rushing to do their interview first in lieu of several other requests. The reporter knew that I was in a hurry and was only there to comment on the State of the Union, but insisted on taking a disrespectful and cheap shot at the end of the interview, because I did not have time to speak off-topic. I verbally took the reporter to task and told him off, because I expect a certain level of professionalism and respect, especially when I go out of my way to do that reporter a favor. I doubt that I am the first member of Congress to tell off a reporter, and I am sure I won’t be the last.”
Grimm apologized to the reporter on January 29, 2014. Afterwards, he issued the following statement: “I’m a human being, and sometimes your emotions get the better of you. The bottom line, though, is it shouldn’t happen, you shouldn’t lose your cool. That’s why I apologized. When you’re wrong, you’re wrong, and you have to admit it. It shouldn’t happen.”
On April 28, 2014, Grimm surrendered to the FBI, facing federal charges of tax fraud related to his restaurant, Healthalicious. Attorney Loretta Lynch was named to oversee the indictment. Grimm had been under federal investigation for campaign finance violations, but Lynch's indictment focused instead on Grimm's restaurant business. Grimm was charged with 20 crimes, including under-reporting income in order to avoid paying taxes, "conspiracy, obstruction, mail fraud, perjury and the unlawful employment of illegal immigrants." This was not the first time that Grimm had gotten into trouble for his restaurant, as Healthalicious was also charged $88,000 in January 2012 for allegedly not providing employees with workers' compensation insurance. The business was connected with his campaign as well. The Grimm company running Healthalicious was closely tied to Israeli fundraiser Ofer Biton, who communicated with Grimm on behalf of Israeli rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto. Pinto, who was worth close to $21 million, had many followers who contributed heavily to Grimm's successful 2010 campaign. Some of Pinto's followers admitted to illegally contributing tens of thousands of dollars to Grimm's campaign. Although campaign finance violations were not part of the indictment, Lynch said that the investigation was ongoing.
Throughout much of the case, Grimm's attorney, William McGinley, maintained that Grimm was innocent. McGinley stated, "the government has pursued a politically driven vendetta against Congressman Grimm" and "when the dust settles, he will be vindicated." Grimm ran unopposed in the Republican primary for New York's 11th Congressional District, and since the filing deadline had already passed, Republicans could not nominate anyone else to run for his seat. Despite calls for his resignation, Grimm repeatedly said that he would not resign, and that he would continue campaigning for re-election.
Diana Durand, a former girlfriend of Grimm, was arraigned on May 5, 2014, for violating campaign finance law in order to reimburse straw donors to Grimm's campaign. Her lawyer maintained that she did not know her actions were illegal. On September 3, 2014, Durand pleaded guilty to illegally contributing campaign money to Grimm and one other congressman via straw donors. This was one of the three counts for which she was indicted. Her plea implied that she had acted alone and did not incriminate Grimm. Durand's attorneys requested that Durand serve probation rather than a jail sentence.
On September 2, 2014, Grimm appeared in New York's Eastern District Court, where U.S. District Judge Pamela Ki Mai Chen ruled that Grimm's trial would begin on December 1, 2014. Grimm's attorney's argued that the trial should be pushed back. Attorney Jeffrey Neiman stated, "We’re obviously in the heart of an election cycle right now. The Democratic party recently put new ads, or are going to begin to air, featuring the U.S. Attorney and snippets of her press conference, which will be airing in, on television here, where our jury pool will be seated... We’re concerned about ensuring Mr. Grimm has a fair trial, and if the jury sees these repeated ads, we’re concerned that there may be prejudice.” Judge Chen refused to push the trial back, saying, "I don’t think given the nature of the publicity up til now and depending on what happens with the election that were [sic] necessarily going to get much of a break if I delay it by a month."
On October 21, the beginning of the trial was pushed back from December 1, 2014, to February 2, 2015.
In a hearing on December 23, 2014, Grimm pleaded guilty to tax evasion, one of the 20 counts of which he had been accused. On July 17, 2015, a federal judge sentenced him to eight months in prison. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of up to 30 months. At the sentencing, Grimm said, "All my life I have scraped and I have clawed and I have killed myself to better myself. Give me the opportunity to redeem myself," according to The New York Times. U.S. District Judge Pamela Ki Mai Chen, however, stated, "That this type of crime is common does not lessen its significance. Your moral compass, Mr. Grimm, needs some reorientation."
Grimm said in late 2014 that he would resign if found guilty, stating, "Certainly, if I was not able to serve then of course I would step aside and there would be a special election." Nonetheless, at a press conference following his guilty plea, Grimm said that he would not step down from office. He explained, "It happened before I was in Congress, and for the past four years I’ve been a strong, effective member of Congress." Republican leaders in the House were reportedly expected to pressure Grimm to leave office, but House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said that he wanted to talk with Grimm before publicly discussing any plans of action. In 2010, Boehner pledged up uphold a "zero tolerance" policy for ethics violations in the Republican caucus, putting pressure on him to reprimand Grimm.
After meeting with Boehner on December 29, 2014, Grimm announced that he would resign from Congress on January 5, 2015. Grimm announced, "I do not believe that I can continue to be 100% effective in the next Congress, and therefore, out of respect for the Office and the people I so proudly represent, it is time for me to start the next chapter of my life." The next day, Boehner commended Grimm for his resignation, stating, "Rep. Grimm made the honorable decision to step down from his seat in Congress."
Latest Action: House - 12/09/2014 Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Tracker:Latest Action: House - 12/02/2014 Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
Tracker:Latest Action: House - 11/14/2014 Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Tracker:
On April 28, 2014, Grimm surrendered to the FBI, facing federal charges of tax fraud related to his restaurant, Healthalicious. Attorney Loretta Lynch was named to oversee the indictment. Grimm had been under federal investigation for campaign finance violations, but Lynch's indictment focused instead on Grimm's restaurant business. Grimm was charged with 20 crimes, including under-reporting income in order to avoid paying taxes, "conspiracy, obstruction, mail fraud, perjury and the unlawful employment of illegal immigrants." This was not the first time that Grimm had gotten into trouble for his restaurant, as Healthalicious was also charged $88,000 in January 2012 for allegedly not providing employees with workers' compensation insurance. The business was connected with his campaign as well. The Grimm company running Healthalicious was closely tied to Israeli fundraiser Ofer Biton, who communicated with Grimm on behalf of Israeli rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto. Pinto, who was worth close to $21 million, had many followers who contributed heavily to Grimm's successful 2010 campaign. Some of Pinto's followers admitted to illegally contributing tens of thousands of dollars to Grimm's campaign. Although campaign finance violations were not part of the indictment, Lynch said that the investigation was ongoing. Throughout much of the case, Grimm's attorney, William McGinley, maintained that Grimm was innocent. McGinley stated, "the government has pursued a politically driven vendetta against Congressman Grimm" and "when the dust settles, he will be vindicated." Grimm ran unopposed in the Republican primary for New York's 11th Congressional District, and since the filing deadline had already passed, Republicans could not nominate anyone else to run for his seat. Despite calls for his resignation, Grimm repeatedly said that he would not resign, and that he would continue campaigning for re-election. Diana Durand guilty plea Diana Durand, a former girlfriend of Grimm, was arraigned on May 5, 2014, for violating campaign finance law in order to reimburse straw donors to Grimm's campaign. Her lawyer maintained that she did not know her actions were illegal. On September 3, 2014, Durand pleaded guilty to illegally contributing campaign money to Grimm and one other congressman via straw donors. This was one of the three counts for which she was indicted. Her plea implied that she had acted alone and did not incriminate Grimm. Durand's attorneys requested that Durand serve probation rather than a jail sentence. The trial On September 2, 2014, Grimm appeared in New York's Eastern District Court, where U.S. District Judge Pamela Ki Mai Chen ruled that Grimm's trial would begin on December 1, 2014. Grimm's attorney's argued that the trial should be pushed back. Attorney Jeffrey Neiman stated, "We’re obviously in the heart of an election cycle right now. The Democratic party recently put new ads, or are going to begin to air, featuring the U.S. Attorney and snippets of her press conference, which will be airing in, on television here, where our jury pool will be seated... We’re concerned about ensuring Mr. Grimm has a fair trial, and if the jury sees these repeated ads, we’re concerned that there may be prejudice.” Judge Chen refused to push the trial back, saying, "I don’t think given the nature of the publicity up til now and depending on what happens with the election that were [sic] necessarily going to get much of a break if I delay it by a month." On October 21, the beginning of the trial was pushed back from December 1, 2014, to February 2, 2015. Guilty plea In a hearing on December 23, 2014, Grimm pleaded guilty to tax evasion, one of the 20 counts of which he had been accused. On July 17, 2015, a federal judge sentenced him to eight months in prison. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of up to 30 months. At the sentencing, Grimm said, "All my life I have scraped and I have clawed and I have killed myself to better myself. Give me the opportunity to redeem myself," according to The New York Times. U.S. District Judge Pamela Ki Mai Chen, however, stated, "That this type of crime is common does not lessen its significance. Your moral compass, Mr. Grimm, needs some reorientation." Resignation Grimm said in late 2014 that he would resign if found guilty, stating, "Certainly, if I was not able to serve then of course I would step aside and there would be a special election." Nonetheless, at a press conference following his guilty plea, Grimm said that he would not step down from office. He explained, "It happened before I was in Congress, and for the past four years I’ve been a strong, effective member of Congress." Republican leaders in the House were reportedly expected to pressure Grimm to leave office, but House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said that he wanted to talk with Grimm before publicly discussing any plans of action. In 2010, Boehner pledged up uphold a "zero tolerance" policy for ethics violations in the Republican caucus, putting pressure on him to reprimand Grimm. After meeting with Boehner on December 29, 2014, Grimm announced that he would resign from Congress on January 5, 2015. Grimm announced, "I do not believe that I can continue to be 100% effective in the next Congress, and therefore, out of respect for the Office and the people I so proudly represent, it is time for me to start the next chapter of my life." The next day, Boehner commended Grimm for his resignation, stating, "Rep. Grimm made the honorable decision to step down from his seat in Congress." Campaign finance summary Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.Michael Grimm campaign contribution history YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures2018U.S. House New York District 11Lost primary$478,170 $500,578 2014U.S. House (New York, District 11)Won $2,000,574 N/A** 2012U.S. House New York District 11Won $2,263,993 N/A** 2010U.S. House New York District 13Won $1,278,332 N/A** Grand total$6,021,069 $500,578Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycleNote: Totals above reflect only availabale data. Personal Gain Index The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants. It consists of two different metrics: Changes in Net Worth The Donation Concentration Metric
Grimm's January 28, 2014, interview with NY1 reporter. Following the State of the Union speech on January 28, 2014, Grimm threatened to throw a reporter off a balcony after being asked about his House Ethics Committee investigation. Grimm replied, "That’s off-topic. This is only about president’s speech,” and walked off camera, only to return after the reporter concluded the report. Grimm issued a statement on January 28, 2014: “I was extremely annoyed because I was doing NY1 a favor by rushing to do their interview first in lieu of several other requests. The reporter knew that I was in a hurry and was only there to comment on the State of the Union, but insisted on taking a disrespectful and cheap shot at the end of the interview, because I did not have time to speak off-topic. I verbally took the reporter to task and told him off, because I expect a certain level of professionalism and respect, especially when I go out of my way to do that reporter a favor. I doubt that I am the first member of Congress to tell off a reporter, and I am sure I won’t be the last.” Grimm apologized to the reporter on January 29, 2014. Afterwards, he issued the following statement: “I’m a human being, and sometimes your emotions get the better of you. The bottom line, though, is it shouldn’t happen, you shouldn’t lose your cool. That’s why I apologized. When you’re wrong, you’re wrong, and you have to admit it. It shouldn’t happen.”
In December 2013, the Justice Department requested that the House Ethics Committee investigation into Grimm's possible campaign finance violations be deferred again. Grimm faced allegations of "soliciting and accepting federal campaign contributions, caus[ing] false information to be included in campaign finance reports, and improperly [seeking] assistance from a foreign national in soliciting campaign contributions in exchange for offering to use his official position to assist that individual in obtaining a green card." The statement from the Justice Department suggested they were still conducting their own investigation. The House Ethics Committee agreed to release a statement once a year, according to a joint statement released by Committee members Michael Conaway and Linda Sanchez.
