--- title: State of the Union 2014: Michael Grimm Sorry For Threatening Reporter description: New York Republican Rep. Michael Grimm said Wednesday that “there’s no excuse” for his actions after he threatened to throw a reporter off a Capitol... canonical: https://time.com/archive/7179382/state-of-the-union-michael-grimm-apology-threat-reporter/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-01-29T17:10:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-18T06:07:17.881Z article:section: Politics og:title: State of the Union 2014: Michael Grimm Sorry For Threatening Reporter og:description: New York Republican Rep. Michael Grimm said Wednesday that “there’s no excuse” for his actions after he threatened to throw a reporter off a Capitol... og:url: https://time.com/archive/7179382/state-of-the-union-michael-grimm-apology-threat-reporter/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7aee9efe741312dc/698a9c9d09208f58034245a9/ap707981669992.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3035 og:image:height: 1707 og:image:alt: Michael Grimm og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: State of the Union 2014: Michael Grimm Sorry For Threatening Reporter twitter:description: New York Republican Rep. Michael Grimm said Wednesday that “there’s no excuse” for his actions after he threatened to throw a reporter off a Capitol... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7aee9efe741312dc/698a9c9d09208f58034245a9/ap707981669992.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) # Congressman Apologizes For Threatening Reporter > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=761aaa21-f867-4cc5-bd8e-7d5c1d5ba9d4&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Jan 29, 2014 5:10 PM UTC  FILE- This May 9, 2012 file photo shows Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y. speaking on Capitol Hill in Washington. Grimm is defending his actions after he physically threatened a reporter at the Capitol after President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday Jan. 28, 2014\. After cutting the interview short, Grimm told New York cable news station NY1's Michael Scotto, "You ever do that to me again I'll throw you off this (expletive) balcony." He also threatened to "break (Scotto) in half." (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) FILE- This May 9, 2012 file photo shows Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y. speaking on Capitol Hill in Washington. Grimm is defending his actions after he physically threatened a reporter at the Capitol after President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday Jan. 28, 2014\. After cutting the interview short, Grimm told New York cable news station NY1's Michael Scotto, "You ever do that to me again I'll throw you off this (expletive) balcony." He also threatened to "break (Scotto) in half." (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) ASSOCIATED PRESS—A2012 by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Jan 29, 2014 5:10 PM UTC New York Republican Rep. Michael Grimm said Wednesday that “there’s no excuse” for his actions after he [threatened to throw a reporter off a Capitol Hill balcony](http://swampland.time.com/2014/01/29/state-of-the-union-2014-michael-grimm-new-york-threat-balcony/) following the State of the Union address Tuesday night.more “Bottom line is, I lost my cool, and it shouldn’t have happened,” Grimm told reporters at the Capitol, adding that _New York 1_ reporter Michael Scotto was “gracious enough to accept my apology.” Grimm said he is an “extremely passionate” person, as his constituents have come to expect. “They expect Michael Grimm to have their back, and that’s what I’m known for,” he said. “I’m the guy that is going to stand up for those constituents. I’m going to be relentless, and I’m very passionate about it. … And unfortunately, when you’re that type of person that has a lot of passion, your emotions can get the better of you.” The exchange between Scotto and Grimm, a former Marine and FBI agent, took place on the Capitol balcony Tuesday night. Scotto attempted to ask the lawmaker about an ongoing investigation into his campaign finances when Grimm stopped him. “I’m not talking about anything that’s off-topic, this is only about the president,” he said, before threatening to throw him off the balcony. After inaudible cross-talk, Grimm said, “No, no, you’re not man enough, you’re not man enough.” “I’ll break you in half. Like a boy,” Grimm added. On Wednesday, Grimm said that “when you’re wrong, you’re wrong, you have to admit it.” Bob Hardt, NY1’s political director, [wrote](http://www.ny1.com/content/politics/ny1%5Fpolitical%5Fitch/202681/ny1-itch--a-grimm-tale-of-disunion-in-washington) on the network’s website that the episode was not an isolated incident. After a December 2012 interview with NY1’s Errol Louis, Grimm “blew his top” off-camera over a question regarding a Grimm associate who was charged with illegally donating $10,000 to his campaign, according to Hardt. “Grimm became red-faced and started yelling at both Louis and me, alluding to settling the issue by ‘taking it outside’ with our political anchor—acting as if he were in a bar instead of a TV studio,” Hardt wrote. Grimm denied that he had been drinking Tuesday night. videoid=3122220865001 ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7179382/state-of-the-union-michael-grimm-apology-threat-reporter/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7179382/state-of-the-union-michael-grimm-apology-threat-reporter/"},"headline":"Congressman Apologizes For Threatening Reporter","datePublished":"2014-01-29T17:10:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-18T06:07:17.881Z","description":"New York Republican Rep. 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