Investigation Of Congressman Grimm Handed Over To The Department Of Justice
The House of Ethics Committee put a halt on their investigation of recently reelected Congressman Michael Grimm and deferred it over to the Department of Justice.
“The Department of Justice has asked the Committee to defer consideration of this matter and the Committee, following precedent, unanimously voted to defer consideration of this matter at this time,” said the a statement, issued by committee Chair Representative Jo Bonner and member Representative Linda Sanchez. “At least annually, the Committee will make a public statement if it continues to defer taking action on the matter. The Committee notes that the mere fact of conducting further review of a referral, and any mandatory disclosure of such further review, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the Committee.”
The investigation centered around allegations that Grimm asked for and accepted illegal campaign donations and falsified financial reports. Also, several individuals connected with Grimm’s fundraising campaign have seen their share of allegations of improper spending and falsified documents.
According to the New York Daily News:
The independent Office Of Congressional Ethics closed its own inquiry into Grimm in July, having referred the case to the HEC [House of Ethics].
Specifically, the HEC said the referral questioned whether Grimm “may have violated federal campaign finance laws by soliciting and accepting prohibited campaign contributions, caused false information to be included in campaign finance reports, and improperly sought assistance from a foreign national in soliciting campaign contributions in exchange for offering to use his official position to assist that individual in obtaining a green card.”
While the HEC is retaining the right to jurisdiction over the matter, the body has agreed to stand down while DOJ [Department of Justice] does its work.
“Today’s announcement by the House Ethics Committee comes as no surprise. We appreciate the Committee’s decision to defer consideration of this matter while we continue to work with the Department of Justice to favorably resolve the false allegations against Congressman Grimm,” said Grimm’s lawyer, William McGinley to Politico. “Any fair and objective review of all of the facts in this matter will conclude that Congressman Grimm engaged in no wrongdoing. We are confident that the Department of Justice and the Ethics Committee will reach that result.”