Capitol Police won’t pursue case against NY Rep. Grimm

United States Capitol Police told The Hill on Friday that it won’t pursue a case against Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) regarding his confrontation with a reporter this week.  

“Consistent with our law enforcement responsibilities, we looked into the event, determined there isn’t a complainant and have closed the matter,” Capitol Police spokesman Shennell Antrobus told The Hill.

The decision comes a day after Fox News reported that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia was considering pressing charges against Grimm for threatening a reporter at the Capitol on Tuesday after the State of the Union address.

{mosads}The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not confirm or comment on the conversations to The Hill on Thursday. 

“We typically don’t confirm or deny investigations, and we have no comment on this particular matter,” spokesman Bill Miller said in an email Thursday to The Hill. 

On Tuesday night, NY1 News reporter Michael Scotto interviewed Grimm about President Obama’s speech and then asked him to comment on new developments in the investigation into Grimm’s 2010 campaign finances. 

The congressman refused to respond, walked away and then returned to confront Scotto.

With the camera still rolling, Grimm threatened to throw Scotto off of the balcony they were standing on and to break him in half.

That night, Grimm defended his aggressive behavior in a statement, saying he had done Scotto a favor by doing the interview and Scotto had gone off-topic. 

On Wednesday, however, Grimm apologized to Scotto for threatening him, and Scotto accepted.

Meanwhile, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed an ethics complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics against Grimm. The group accuses Grimm of violating House Rule 23, which requires all members to conduct themselves at “all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House.”