WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders are cutting off Staten Island Rep. Michael Grimm, denying cash infusions to the embattled lawmaker’s re-election campaign.
Without the campaign dough from DC, Grimm is effectively on his own as he tries to win in a competitive district while under federal indictment for tax fraud, obstruction and perjury.
“As long as these legal issues are playing out there, we’re going to hold off,” National Republican Congressional Committee chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) told The Post Tuesday, a day after Grimm was indicted.
“We have to look where we can go win seats. In any race, certain dynamics cause you to re-evaluate. And certainly a 20-count indictment causes you to re-evaluate,” Walden added.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) isn’t offering Grimm much public support, although Grimm told reporters the speaker hasn’t asked him to resign.
“I think all members should be held to the highest ethical standards,” Boehner said Tuesday.
Grimm, an ex-FBI agent and Marine, has already stepped down from his post on the Financial Services Committee and is set to sit down with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) Wednesday to discuss his future.
Even without support from party bosses, Grimm is vowing to beat the charges against him.
But his campaign already owes more than $400,000 in legal bills.
Grimm’s Democratic opponent, Domenic Recchia, said Tuesday the people of Staten Island and Brooklyn “deserve better.”
Additional reporting by Antonio Antenucci