WASHINGTON — Embattled New York Republican Rep. Michael Grimm threatened to “break” a NY1 reporter and throw him off a balcony after President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday night.
The confrontation occurred on Capitol Hill when reporter Michael Scotto followed up questions about the President’s speech by pressing the congressman on a federal investigation into his fund-raising.
“Congressman Michael Grimm does not want to talk about some of the allegations concerning his campaign finances … but as you saw he refused to talk about that,” Scotto said as Grimm began to walk away.
Hearing Scotto’s comment, Grimm turned and walked toward the NY1 reporter.
“Let me be clear to you, you ever do that to me again I’ll throw you off this f—–g balcony,” Grimm said, according to the cable news channel.
“Why, why, I just wanted to ask you?” Scotto responded.
“If you ever do that to me again,” the Staten Island congressman shot back.
When Scotto replied, “why, why it’s a valid question,” Grimm said: “No, no, you’re not man enough, you’re not man enough. I’ll break you in half. Like a boy,” according to the NY1 transcript.
In a statement issued early Wednesday morning, NY1 Political Director Bob Hardt said, “It is extremely disturbing when anyone threatens one of our reporters – let alone a U.S. Congressman. The NY1 family is certainly alarmed and disappointed by the behavior of Representative Grimm and demands a full apology from him. This behavior is unacceptable.”
But Grimm said he was the victim of a “cheap shot” interview and offered no apology.
“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,” Grimm said in a statement.
“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,” Grimm added. “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.”
The confrontation occurred in the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building, part of the Capitol complex.
Grimm, a 43-year-old former Marine and undercover FBI agent, was first elected to Congress in 2010, representing all of Staten Island and part of Brooklyn. He is the only Republican congressman in New York City.
A two-year federal investigation of fundraising for Grimm’s 2010 campaign led to the arrest this month of a former girlfriend, Diana Durand.
She was accused of using so-called straw donors so she could exceed the $4,800 maximum allowable contribution to his campaign.
According to the criminal complaint, once she reached the donation limit, she gave money to at least two other people so they could contribute to Grimm.
Durand was the second person arrested in connection with the case. Ofer Biton, an Israeli citizen who helped Grimm raise campaign money four years ago, pleaded guilty on Aug. 18 to visa fraud as a result of the investigation.
Grimm has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged.
