Rep. Michael Grimm appears to be facing indictment on campaign finance charges. We last heard from Grimm when he threatened to toss a reporter off a balcony after the State of the Union address. His response to this was far more subdued.
Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) has been secretly indicted by a federal grand jury in Brooklyn, according to people familiar with the case. The indictment is expected to be unsealed in the coming days.
A person briefed on the case said Grimm was indicted by a grand jury empaneled by the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn and that his attorney had been in talks with prosecutors. Grimm's attorney, William McGinley, confirmed in a phone call Friday that he had been informed of the pending indictment.
He declined to comment beyond a separate written statement that said: "We are disappointed by the government's decision, but hardly surprised. From the beginning, the government has pursued a politically driven vendetta against Congressman Grimm and not an independent search for the truth. Congressman Grimm asserts his innocence of any wrongdoing."
McGinley added that "when the dust settles" Grimm "will be vindicated." Until then, Grimm plans to continue serving in Congress, McGinley said.
Grimm appears to be in dire need of funds, too.
Grimm’s legal troubles appear to have depleted his campaign coffers. According to his most recent campaign finance disclosure report, Grimm had campaign debt of $453,656 at the end of the first quarter of 2014. He has paid roughly $220,000 in legal fees, but owes more than $417,000 in legal expenses dating back to 2012.
If only he could have waited for the Supreme Court to decide the McCutcheon case. Then the billionaires would have refilled those coffers without any need for him to dummy up donors.
