Michael Grimm Will Resign From Congress
Representative Michael Grimm, the Republican from Staten Island who plead guilty to tax evasion and threatened to break a reporter in half has decided to resign from Congress, the New York Daily News reports.
When he entered his plea last week, Grimm said that he would continue to serve. He changed his mind after reportedly consulting with House Speaker John Boehner. According to the News, Grimm will announce his resignation on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Grimm's case was scheduled to go to trial February 2 before he plead guilty to one count of aiding in the filing of a false tax return in 2009. He had been charged with 20 felony counts related to his alleged underreporting of more than $1 million in wages and and sales at a restaurant he ran before entering Congress.
Despite the charges, Grimm comfortably won reelection this November, beating his Democrat challenger 55 percent to 42 percent. If and when Grimm resigns, Governor Andrew Cuomo will have to call a special election to fill the vacant seat.
Update, 12:14 a.m. – Grimm has released a statement confirming that he will resign. "The events which led to this day did not break my spirit, nor the will of the voters," the statement. "However, I do not believe that I can continue to be 100% effective in the next Congress, and therefore, out of respect for the Office and the people I so proudly represent, it is time for me to start the next chapter of my life."
[Photo credit: AP Images]