House Ethics Committee Defers Grimm Investigation To Justice Department

By on November 28, 2012  Politics
Nov 282012
 

Then-candidate Michael Grimm in 2010. (Photo by Brian Hedden)

Now that the 2012 election is over, it’s time to start talking about 2016, am I right?

At least, that’s the way it feels sometimes when reading news coverage, or especially watching cable TV news. Will Hillary run? Is Andrew Cuomo a viable candidate? Do Republicans still love Chris Christie? Since when did New York and New Jersey start hogging the potential Presidential limelight anyway?

But alas, there’s a lot more to how the government is run than speculating on who will become President over four years from now. Even beyond the national stuff like the fiscal cliff and filibuster reform, there’s movement at the local level, such as the leanings of Diane Savino and her Independent Democrat Conference in the State Senate, or the redistricting of City Council districts that may have an impact on 2013 municipal elections.

And of course, there’s also room to rehash stuff that happened in 2010.

WABC’s Sarah Wallace has reported on a newsworthy development in the probes of Staten Island/Bay Ridge Congressman Michael Grimm. Wallace reports that the House Ethics Committee has decided to defer an investigation into Grimm’s fundraising practices pending the conclusion of an ongoing probe by the Justice Department. Continue reading »

NY Times builds house-of-cards argument to criticize Grimm financial disclosure, Cyprus trip

By on August 10, 2012  Featured story, Politics
Aug 102012
 

Kyrenia, one of the cities in Turkish-controlled North Cyprus, in July 2011. Congressman Michael Grimm (inset) and Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis traveled to the Greek Cypriot part of the island, a trip whose funding is now called into question by the NY Times. (Both photos by Brian Hedden)

Allison Leigh Cowan and William Rashbaum of the NY Times has questioned the timing of a House Ethics Committee filing by the office of Congressman Michael Grimm, amended to include a trip to the Republic of Cyprus funded by Panayiotis “Peter” Papanicolaou, the chairman of the Cyprus Federation of America (CFA) that was charged with bribery by federal attorneys in June.

Grimm took the trip twelve months ago, in August 2011, with Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis as the second stop in a fact-finding trip that took them first to the State of Israel. The privately-funded Cypriot visit was pre-cleared by Grimm with the House Ethics Committee, and was “timely” reported to the House Clerk via post-travel disclosure form (as reported by Colin Campbell/Politicker).

However, the Cyprus trip was not included in a financial disclosure submitted this past May. According to Grimm’s office, the House Ethics Committee notified them of the omission on June 1, 2012, and Grimm’s office filed an amended disclosure on June 6. And the NY Times notes that Papanicolaou, who paid for the trip, was arrested on June 5, just before Grimm submitted the amended disclosure. Continue reading »