Although many politicians have gone to prison over the years, none have successfully governed from inside a penitentiary.
However, freshly re-elected Representative Michael Grimm would like to be the first to try after pleading guilty to aiding the filing of a fraudulent tax return today. Grimm was subsequently sentenced to 33 months in prison, in accordance with a deal made with the prosecution.
Grimm was accused of hiding profits in order to pay lower taxes for his Staten Island restaurant Healthalicious. Although he maintained innocence throughout a hard fought campaign throughout 2014, now he is singing a different tune.
Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress are calling for the disgraced legislator to abdicate his seat, in the interest of his constituents.
“Now that the election is over, Congressman Grimm is finally admitting the truth to his constituents,” said Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House minority leader, in a statement. “Clearly, Speaker Boehner must insist that Congressman Grimm resign immediately.”
However, Grimm remains resolute in his convictions to be a proxy Staten Island in the House of Representatives. While speaking to reporters outside of court, Grimm reiterated his intents.
“As of right now, I’m still in a capacity to serve and that’s exactly what I plan on doing,” said Grimm after the hearing. “I’m going to get back to work and work as hard as I can.”
The ultimate decision rests with the Speaker of the House, John Boehner (R-OH), who has the political power and muscle to force the congressman to either resign or be subjected to a House Ethics Committee investigation and face a vote of expulsion from his peers.
“We won’t have any announcements until the speaker discusses the matter with Mr. Grimm,” said Michael Steel, press secretary for Boehner, in an e-mail before the hearing.
While highly unusual, a vote to oust a sitting representative is not unheard of; if a vote is brought to the floor, two-thirds of the House of Representatives must be in favor of expulsion for the measure to pass.
