Mediaboss Marketing

Democrats said Tuesday that House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) should pressure Rep. Michael Grimm (R., N.Y.) to resign following reports that the lawmaker is expected to plead guilty to a felony tax-related charge.

Now that the election is over, Congressman Grimm is finally admitting the truth to his constituents, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said in a written statement Tuesday. Clearly, Speaker Boehner must insist that Congressman Grimm resign immediately.

We wont have any announcements until the speaker discusses the matter with Mr. Grimm, said Michael Steel, a spokesman for Mr. Boehner. It was not immediately clear when the two would meet. A spokesman for Mr. Grimm did not immediately return a request for comment.

Mr. Grimm, who represents Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, is expected to appear in federal court Tuesday at 1 p.m., according to the Brooklyn U.S. attorneys office.

A former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent who served in the Marines, Mr. Grimm was indicted after federal investigators spent more than two years looking into his political and business dealings. He was charged with evading taxes, perjury, obstruction and wire and mail fraud from his time as the co-owner of Healthalicious, a now-closed restaurant on Manhattans Upper East Side.

Mr. Grimm has called the charges a vendetta against him, and his backers have often noted that none of the charges relate to his official role in public office. Mr. Grimm won a second term in the House last month despite his indictment in April. He has said previously he would resign if convicted, though a person familiar with his thinking said that an immediate resignation would be unlikely.

Democrats said it was Mr. Boehners responsibility to oust Mr. Grimm.

Speaker Boehner and Republican leaders continued complicity in letting Michael Grimm stay in Congress despite his guilt of felony tax evasion is a disservice to the people of Staten Island and Brooklyn and a stain on the institution of the United States House of Representatives, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Josh Schwerin said in a written statement Tuesday.

So far Mr. Boehner has declined to say whether Mr. Grimm should resign. In April, Mr. Boehner said the lawmaker made the right decision by stepping down from the House Financial Services Committee.

A guilty plea this week could alter the dynamics on Capitol Hill and increase pressure on GOP leadership to ask Mr. Grimm to resign. If he remains in office, Mr. Grimm would likely continue to face an investigation from the House Ethics Committee, which started probing his activities last year. The ethics panel could make a number of recommendations following its investigation, including expulsion from the House. A supermajority of House lawmakers are required to expel a member.

See more here:
Democrats Press for Rep. Grimms Resignation