Grimm Caught in Political Firestorm
One might think a former FBI agent and U.S. Marine would be the last person to find himself in the midst of uncomfortable ethical reports. But that's the position Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y. finds himself in.
Grimm has been replaced as one of Mitt Romney's presidential delegates in New York, sparking speculation that the ethical questions encircling him could be taking their toll on the freshman congressman.
Last month, the New York Times detailed alleged fundraising violations committed by Grimm's 2010 campaign, accusing the former FBI agent of, among other things, skirting fundraising limits and accepting $5,000 in cash in an envelope.
The New York Times ran another story on Thursday highlighting Grimm's checkered business record. According to the piece, Grimm entered into a business partnership with a fellow former FBI agent who was indicted on charges of racketeering and fraud. Grimm also once owned a Manhattan restaurant that "has been accused in a lawsuit of cheating its workers and fined by the state for failing to carry workers' compensation."
He has also faced questions over his backing of a natural gas pipeline in Queens and subsequently accepting campaign donations from the pipeline's supporters. And last year, a piece in the New Yorker contained an anecdote suggesting that, during his time with the FBI, Grimm abused his power during a conflict at a nightclub.
Grimm has continually denied any wrongdoing and defended his integrity. He has not been charged with a crime, and there is no evidence that he is under any official investigation. But the mounting negative press has fostered an image of the Staten Island freshman that, as the Times put it, "seems to clash in some ways with his image as a straight-arrow veteran of the Marine Corps and the F.B.I."
It remains to be seen how the allegations could alter Grimm's political future. Mark Murphy, the son of former Rep. John Murphy, is Grimm's most high-profile Democratic challenger at this point. But former Rep. Mike McMahon, who narrowly lost to Grimm in 2010, is reportedly considering another run in light of Grimm's recent troubles.
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