Michael Grimm pleads guilty but won’t resign

Quote:New York GOP Rep. Michael Grimm won’t resign from office despite pleading guilty to one felony federal charge of filing false tax returns for a restaurant he owned, raising a challenge for Speaker John Boehner and other Republican leaders if they seek to force him from office.
“No, as I said before as long as I am able to serve, I will serve,” Grimm defiantly told reporters in a press conference after leaving a federal court in Brooklyn.

At least he didn't threaten to throw them off a balcony or break him in half...so he's got that going for him.

That happens with all sorts of politicians.. I think Jesse Jackson, Jr was trying to still collect his salary for his State Senate position while in prison too if I recall correctly. I could be wrong.

If he doesn't resign, Grimm will be stripped of his Committee assignments by the House GOP caucus. That's a given. I suspect he will also -- again, assuming that he doesn't resign first -- be forbidden to cast votes on the floor of the House. I think that punishment must be voted on by the entire House, and would be one of the first orders of business when the new Congress convenes in January. If both of those things happen, the public pressure on him to resign would probably become unbearable.

The irony here is that if he resigned immediately, there is still a lot of support/sympathy for him among the people of his district. He could seek the GOP nomination in the special election, and -- if he wins -- could return to the House in a much stronger place than he is now. But there is a limited time-frame (1 week, max. if I had to guess) in which he can pursue that option. After that, the GOP in the Beltway and in NY-11 will begin to look at him as a festering sore.

Wasn't NY's Charlie Rangel in trouble? Did he resign? I don't think so.

(12-23-2014 05:51 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  Wasn't NY's Charlie Rangel in trouble? Did he resign? I don't think so.

What Rangel actually admitted to doing, was 1,000x sleazier than what Grimm has even been accused of doing. And so long as Rangel sits in the Democratic caucus, the GOP is right to ignore the Democrats' hypocritical and partisan calls for Grimm's expulsion or any other punishment beyond that meaningless fig-leaf known as "censure".

But with all that said, the fact remains that Rangel was not railroaded into pleading guilty to a violation of federal law, as Grimm has been. So there is a legitimate legal distinction there.

Isn't this the guy who was elected with the folks knowing this was going to happen?

Shows how bad the Democrat running was

(12-23-2014 06:03 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  Isn't this the guy who was elected with the folks knowing this was going to happen?

Well, they knew he was indicted. They didn't necessarily know which way the case would go. Yet, the more astute voters must've been aware that if Grimm were to plead guilty to just one (1) count in his indictment, the other 19 counts might just magically disappear. And -- lo and behold! -- that is exactly what was announced today.

Burying defendants with mass-indictments is one of the tricks of the prosecutorial trade, and an almost sure-fire way to ensure that the case ends with a conviction or plea to something. Thus, an extensive, three-year investigation into the campaign fundraising of an incumbent Congressman ends with a plea rooted in the payroll irregularities of a small salad-and-wrap restaurant ("Healthalicious").

Quote:Shows how bad the Democrat running was

The Daily Show (!) unloaded on that guy during the campaign. Even for NYC, it was stunning how inarticulate and uninformed Grimm's opponent was.

Does this mean Sharpton has to resign?

Democrats never resign why should Republicans. The Heck with Them.

Grimm is a fckwad. He deserves any and every hardship put in front of him. I hope he suffers horribly due to his criminal behavior.

It seems hard to have much sympathy for the guy. He is a crook regardless of what party he belongs to.

(12-23-2014 09:20 PM)CardFan1 Wrote:  Democrats never resign why should Republicans. The Heck with Them.

Do you do ANY research before you just post something?

(12-23-2014 05:51 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  Wasn't NY's Charlie Rangel in trouble? Did he resign? I don't think so.

Is Rangel a felon?

And before you go there...I've called for his resignation for years.

(12-23-2014 05:47 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:  If he doesn't resign, Grimm will be stripped of his Committee assignments by the House GOP caucus. That's a given. I suspect he will also -- again, assuming that he doesn't resign first -- be forbidden to cast votes on the floor of the House. I think that punishment must be voted on by the entire House, and would be one of the first orders of business when the new Congress convenes in January. If both of those things happen, the public pressure on him to resign would probably become unbearable.

The irony here is that if he resigned immediately, there is still a lot of support/sympathy for him among the people of his district. He could seek the GOP nomination in the special election, and -- if he wins -- could return to the House in a much stronger place than he is now. But there is a limited time-frame (1 week, max. if I had to guess) in which he can pursue that option. After that, the GOP in the Beltway and in NY-11 will begin to look at him as a festering sore.

I heard last night that Grimm already quit his one committee assignment, so they really have nothing much to do other than ask him to resign.

(12-24-2014 09:45 AM)Redwingtom Wrote:  I heard last night that Grimm already quit his one committee assignment, so they really have nothing much to do other than ask him to resign.

Threaten with expulsion/censure/etc., prevent him from voting on the floor... Plus (unofficially) deprive him of fundraising sources, etc.

So, one private little chat with the Speaker, and Grimm decides to change his mind. Interesting how these things work…

http://www.nydailynews.com/michael-grimm...-1.2060152

Timmy Geithner blamed turbotax for his false tax returns. Why did he get the job and stay on the job?

(12-30-2014 08:12 AM)maximus Wrote:  Timmy Geithner blamed turbotax for his false tax returns. Why did he get the job and stay on the job?

Was he a felon? No. Was he an elected official? No.

Not that I agree with him staying, but that was the main reason why he did.

(12-30-2014 10:10 AM)Redwingtom Wrote:  

(12-30-2014 08:12 AM)maximus Wrote:  Timmy Geithner blamed turbotax for his false tax returns. Why did he get the job and stay on the job?

Was he a felon? No. Was he an elected official? No.

So we have different ethical standards for elected officials and appointed cabinet members?

For the record, my position is that both should go.

Big deal. Democrats never step down after similar events. At least this guy has the nuts to do so.