House Ethics Committee investigating Rep. Michael Grimm
The House Ethics Committee announced Monday that it has formally opened an investigation into Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.), but will defer to the ongoing Justice Department probe of the Staten Island Republican’s fund-raising activities.
The committee, voting unanimously earlier this month, said it would investigate allegations that in his first congressional bid in 2010, Grimm broke campaign finance laws by using a system of straw donors and promised an Israeli national help in obtaining a green card in exchange for helping solicit donations from a large New York synagogue.
Federal prosecutors have charged Ofer Biton, the former Grimm fundraiser, with violating immigration laws, but are also probing whether he helped Grimm exceed campaign donation limits and allowed foreign nationals to donate to his campaign. Additionally, investigators are examining whether Grimm, a former undercover FBI agent who retired in 2006, went into business with a restaurateur with ties to organized crime.