OCE Report Regarding Rep. Michael Grimm

OCE Report Regarding Rep. Michael Grimm

On April 9, 2014, the Office of Congressional Ethics transmitted a referral to the Committee on Ethics of the United States House of Representatives regarding Rep. Michael Grimm.

Nature of the Review

On January 28, 2014, following the President's State of the Union address, Representative Michael Grimm participated in a television interview with a reporter in the Cannon House Office Building Rotunda. After the interview ended, but while the television camera continued filming, Representative Grimm threatened the reporter.

If Representative Grimm threatened to do bodily harm to or assaulted a reporter, then he may have violated the D.C. Code and House rules.

OCE Recommendation

The Board recommended that the Committee on Ethics further review the allegation concerning Representative Grimm's actions in threatening a reporter, as there is substantial reason to believe that Representative Grimm threatened a reporter with bodily harm and engaged in a threatening or menacing act that created a fear of immediate injury, in violation of the D.C. Code and House rules.

Committee Action

On June 25, 2014, the Committee on Ethics released the OCE report regarding Rep. Grimm, but not the findings. The Committee released a statement indicating the Department of Justice had asked the Committee to defer consideration of this matter and the Committee, following precedent, unanimously voted to defer consideration of this matter at that time.