Rep. Michael Grimm Will Face Criminal Charges, Lawyer Says

A lawyer for U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm said Friday his client is facing criminal charges from federal prosecutors amid a probe into campaign finance violations, the Associated Press reports.

“After more than two years of investigation plagued by malicious leaks, violations of grand jury secrecy, and strong-arm tactics, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has disclosed its intent to file criminal charges against Congressman Grimm,” attorney William McGinley said in the statement. “When the dust settles, he will be vindicated.”

McGinley called the investigation “a politically driven vendetta,” the New York Times reports.

Grimm, a former Marine and FBI agent who represents Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, New York, has drawn allegations of campaign violations since his first run in 2009 and 2010. Grimm gained attention in January after telling a local news inquiring about the allegations after the State of the Union, “I’ll throw you off this f—g balcony.” He later apologized for the incident, saying, “I lost my cool, and it shouldn’t have happened.”

Last November, the House Ethics Committee announced that it was deferring its investigation into possible campaign finance violations to the Justice Department.

Both the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s office declined to comment on the expected charges.

[AP]