GOP sources: Republicans considering withdrawing support for Grimm re-election
Washington (CNN) – Republican Party leaders are considering withdrawing financial and strategic support for Rep. Michael Grimm's re-election bid, GOP sources familiar with the discussions told CNN.
Grimm, a two-term Republican representing New York's 11th Congressional District, is the only GOP congressman from New York City and even before he was indicted Monday on 20 counts of fraud, he was facing a tough campaign to win a third term.
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By withholding party help, the GOP would likely be effectively ceding the House seat to Democrats, who see the race as one of their top pick up chances this November.
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A spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), charged with helping elect Republicans to the House, was non-committal on their support for Grimm going forward.
"We will continue to assess Congressman Grimm's re-election campaign while these legal proceedings are ongoing," said Andrea Bozek, spokeswoman for the NRCC.
Political handicappers the Cook Political Report and Rothenberg Political Report, which forecast political races, said Monday Grimm's race now leans towards the Democrats, and several GOP strategists are doubtful that Grimm can win re-election given the criminal investigation.
Grimm arrest makes re-election tougher
These GOP sources are more candid about the fact that it will likely make more sense for the Republican Party to spend its money on other competitive House races and not waste it in Grimm's high-priced New York City district.
Both parties were expected to spend millions in the race between Grimm and his Democratic challenger, Domenic Recchia Jr.
Back at work in the Capitol on Tuesday, Grimm was all smiles for the cameras, reiterating his intention to keep doing his job, and giving no indication that he intends to back away from his re-election bid.
"I am discussing things with [Republican] leadership, but the main point is I'm back to work. And that's exactly what I said I was going to do, get back to work. I'm back to work doing what the people pay me to do, represent them. So that's what's going to continue going forward,” Grimm told reporters.
Even if he did decide not to run, Grimm's name would almost certainly still be on the ballot. Sources in both parties say New York state law is very rigid. The only way to get Grimm's name off the ballot is if he dies or moves out of the district, or if he is nominated to be a judge on the New York Supreme Court, which would be hard to see happening given the federal criminal charges against him.
In light of the criminal charges, Grimm stepped down from the Financial Services Committee on Monday.
When asked by CNN if he would stand by Grimm’s re-election, all House Speaker John Boehner would say Tuesday is that he "made the right decision."
"I think all members should be held to the highest ethical standards. Mr. Grimm is under indictment. He resigned from his committee assignment. And I think he made the right decision," said Boehner.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee pounced on the NRCC's unwillingness to commit to pulling support for the embattled congressman, calling on the House Republican campaign committee to demand that Grimm return financial support from the group.
"Republican Leadership promised zero tolerance for ethics problems, but that isn't stopping the NRCC leaving the door open to pour resources into indicted Congressman Michael Grimm's race," said Josh Schwerin, spokesman for the DCCC, in a statement Tuesday.
CNN Senior Congressional Producer Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report.
"I think all members should be held to the highest ethical standards. Mr. Grimm is under indictment. He resigned from his committee assignment. And I think he made the right decision," said Boehner.
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I thought you said you won't put up with these shenanigans in your republican lead House Boehner? Another seat back in the blue column.
"I think all members should be held to the highest ethical standards. Mr. Grimm is under indictment. He resigned from his committee assignment. And I think he made the right decision," said Boehner"
Two thoughts:
1. How sweet the irony ... eh, John Boehner?
2. Yeah on withdrawing support.
Crooked is as crooked does!
(after all, its the Republican way!)
HILARIOUS watching Guns Over People teatards walk the plank toward another November. Drip,drip,drip.
Sorry but that`s not enough. To rebrand the party, you have to be unambiguious as to what you stand for and for far too long the GOP has stood with criminals, philaderers, tax manipulators that overly shift burdens to the middle class, liars; deceitful, shrill, proudly-ignorant, people. Then, after that, you have to have solutions.
Bobby Jindal just wrote an opinion piece in which he criticizes the "individual mandate" in Obamacare as insulting the intelligence of the American people. Do you know who first floated the idea of an individual mandate? Yep, that`s right – the REPUBLICAN party. Now isn`t Jindal`s [ and the rest of the GOP`s] rhetoric deceiful? Why should Americans support a party of questionable character and ZERO solutions?
Grimm should just change to the other party .
Nothing like deserting a sinking ship.....
Hmmmm, whazzat?
Maybe we should ask Gundy what he think. If Grimm lose seat, Democrats hold it for next century. Where is Gundy's Nanny now? Can Koch brothers write big check to save Grimm? Gundy does not know, but he will gladly do whatever rich brothers say, because if they are rich they are better than Gunderson.
Dems planted him in the repub party where he would mess up and make repubs look bad for once . !
Nothing new here, Republicans are always corrupt
This one should have been a no-brainer. Why Republicans waited until his inevitable conviction before they want to withdraw support is strange, to say the least. It was obvious that the man was severely damaged goods and most likely headed for jail.
They have enough solid evidence on this guy to put him away for hundreds of years. Let me put it this way. The federal investigators have their hands on the two sets of books that he mantained at his restaurant: one had the real numbers; one had conjured up numbers for his tax returns.
It's over for this loud-mouthed loser. Let's see how tough he talks in prison.
Take a seat Mr. Grimm.
Looks like he'll be taking that "sabbatical" that he said he wouldn't be taking two hours ago after all...
ROFLMAO.
Rudy NYC
Why Republicans waited until his inevitable conviction before they want to withdraw support is strange, to say the least
-------------------------------------------------Why ask why Rudy.
Republicans, as I know you well know, have become an inscrutable conundrum for me these past 6 years.
Inscrutable only in the sense that to admit that we have a Party in the US dedicated to their own selfish, greedy purposes versus the needs of the people that elected them into office would be something too sordid to really admit to ourselves.
So we're left with their "strange" behaviour, and the "wondering whys".
This is why they have no solutions to speak of that they are willing to voice.
If they actually gave voice to what they really stand for these days even the dummies that continue to vote and support them amongst the middle-class would dissappear.
They have gone from being the Party of Family Values, if ever they were, to the Party of sordidness, self-centeredness, and I-got-mine-and-yours-too-good-luck-to-'ya-America.
The Dems...don't get me started on the Dems. Scared of their own shadow....
It is not a good sign for the GOP; when the rats jump ship. It is also not a good sign for the dock where the rats land.
I'll tell you one thing, Grimm's facial expressions are sure in line with the pile of doo-doo he's in.
@Chris-E....al, so, you really think that a retired Marine and former FBI Agent is a Democratic Party plant to discredit the GOP? I really hope this is just a wierd joke, as opposed to another example of the rampant paranoia that has infected the GOP.
@profile, make money out of Wars, Foreign-Contracts like Halliburton type. Greedy, backed by Israel nonsense, NRA thugs, Fox garbage etc.
If you look up the word sociopath on Wikipedia you'll see a perfect description of Grimm, Palin, Giuliani, O'Reilly, many of our politicians and just about everyone on Fox News. All manipulative narcissists.
Dominican mama 4 Obama
Rudy NYC
Why Republicans waited until his inevitable conviction before they want to withdraw support is strange, to say the least
-----------------Why ask why Rudy.
Republicans, as I know you well know, have become an inscrutable conundrum for me these past 6 years.
Inscrutable only in the sense that to admit that we have a Party in the US dedicated to their own selfish, greedy purposes versus the needs of the people that elected them into office would be something too sordid to really admit to ourselves.
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Oh, yeah. I know most Republican actions are driven by greed. They prefer to call it "protecting the job creators", but it's still greed and the love of money just the same. Profit seems to be the common denominator behind most all of their policies.
Some would say that Republicans stand up for liberty, guns, and other populist issues. No, they don't. Republicans just want conservative voters to think that they do, but all that they really want are the votes so that they can get into office and implement capricious tax policies, such as the Ryan Plan, into law.
I challenge any conservative to name one good thing that George W. Bush did while he had control of both chambers for four years. Name anything. Uh, let's see. He implemented a tax cut weatlhy, and then another tax cut for the wealthy, while promising that both would be temporary. What a lie tht turned out to be when Republicans began trying to make them permanent. Let's see. He enacted the ADDI of 2004, which was probably the single biggest contributor to the proliferation of mortgates with ballooning payments.
What else did GWB do? He gave away one-time tax cuts to the poor in the summer of 2004, just in time for the general election that November. What else? Medicare Part D. He created an entire multi-billion dollar insurance industry of middlemen to siphon off tens of billions of dollars out of the revenue stream that pays Medicare bills. That was a great one for business, most especially if you were in on the inside when the concocted the whole thing. What other benevolent things did the "compassionate conservative" George W. Bush do? He slashed the VA budget, which caused many VA hospitals to contract or close. That wasn't nice.
What's to consider? The guy threatened to kill a reporter who asked him a question he didn't like. The guy's a nutjob.
"GOP sources: Republicans considering withdrawing support for Grimm re-election"
Ah yes, the GOP/Teatrolls have perfected the pull out method.
*pregnant pause*
@Chris-E...al: "Grimm should just change to the other party ."
To whom are you referring? Your posts are infantile, Chris ...
Look bad for once, really? How long have you been paying attention, your gop is on quite the roll as of late. They're are literally to many to mention.