Yes, they say there was quite a time at a bar (this time in Bay Ridge) — Yes, they say there was wine involved — and yes, there was an unnamed young woman (if you want more than that, read the articles yourself) — Oh, and yes, they say it happened the night before the government shutdown
The story was first reported in a local magazine (See “Did a Congressman Have Sex in a Brooklyn Bar Bathroom?” by Henry Stewart, 10/15/13, Brooklyn Magazine [http://www.bkmag.com/2013/10/15/did-a-congressman-have-sex-in-a-brooklyn-bar-bathroom/]). However, it has quickly been picked up by another broader media outlet that has done a bit of a rewrite or retelling of the original (See “Michael Grimm Sex Scandal? Republican Congressman From New York Slapped Woman's Butt, Spent 15 Minutes With Her In Brooklyn Bar Bathroom, Witness Claims” by Howard Koplowitz, 10/15/13, International Business Times [http://www.ibtimes.com/michael-grimm-sex-scandal-republican-congressman-new-york-slapped-womans-butt-spent-15-minutes-her]).
It’s all very gossipy. As far as it’s been reported so far, except for the date, Friday, September 27th, it seems a little tread-bare on some key details of date, time and place — like, which bar in Bay Ridge and at what time.
And of course, Congressman Grimm is not a family man, he’s a bachelor — so it’s not on it’s face a huge scandal, although the story is a bit down and dirty. So, even as it stands, this isn’t a little deal; and maybe it is a big deal — just like Fossella's.
18 comments:
Is he married? No. So who cares...?
What a disappointment Lhota's campaign is. We're going to be left with Mayor de Blasio because the NYC GOP is incompetent as usual. I walked by the Brooklyn Republicans office tonight on 17th Avenue and it was closed! What the heck are these folks up to anyhow? That Eaton guy has got to go, he loses all the time and now he doesn't even care about the mayor's race, what the heck?!
UPDATE: THE “PAGE SIX – SIXIER THAN EVER” EDITION
Little by little the “Grimm bar quickie” story gets less and less threadbare, as more and more reporters dig into the story. And the New York Post gets a response from the Brooklyn and Staten Island Republican Congressman – well sort of.
The place where the alleged shenanigans happened was identified in the New York Post as “an upscale Brooklyn wine bar ...[t]he Owl’s Head on 74th Street in Bay Ridge, part of Grimm’s district, which straddles [that part of] Brooklyn....”; and the time on the clock supposedly moved seventeen minutes (17 min.) while the congressman was installed in the loo with the still unidentified, but described as "comely gal pal" (See “Rep. Grimm, gal in bar bathroom for 17 minutes” by Kate Sheehy, 10/15/13, NY Post [http://nypost.com/2013/10/15/us-rep-grimm-gal-pal-disappear-into-bar-bathroom-for-17-minutes/]).
The NY Post article by Kate Sheehy included the following response, purportedly by Congressman Grimm: “This never happened, and I will not dignify this absurd distortion of the facts with a response, except to [ ] say that this is nothing more than a typical Democrat-led smear campaign.” The congressman’s remarks were reported to have been made in an e-mailed statement. The Post coverage also contained this description and explanation in from a third party: “A source close to Grimm added, ‘Yes, they were there, they were having a good time. This was an old friend[.”] *** ‘I think he did go in ( [to the bathroom with her], in Post article) to check on her. She was upset. But it certainly wasn’t 15 minutes’ and they did ‘absolutely not’ have sex.”
This is the most intriguing quote in the Post article, “‘It just so happened a couple people ( [at the bar], in Post article) knew exactly who he was and kept an eye on him,’ said one source, a Brooklyn Republican political operative who received a phone call from one disgusted eyewitness.” What I’d like to know is who this “Brooklyn Republican political operative” might be that has people phoning them with dirt on Congressman Grimm and who dished it to the NY Post reporter ? Now, there’s somebody who I need as one of my Baker Street Irregulars.
This particular comment is very oddly placed in this comments thread about the growing scandal about Congressman Michael Grimm's Bay Ridge wine bar episode.
In any case, I have it on the best authority that the bulk of the Eaton faction are very busy assisting in the defense of the lawsuit brought against them by the State Senator Martin Golden faction, who were supposedly Lhota's supporters.
Something is very wrong with this whole story and even more is wrong with the individual parts of the story. There is more than a two week time lag between the supposed events in the wine bar on September 27th and the appearance of stories on October 15th. All the sources seem to know Grimm and/or are Republican activists, and then most of the facts of the story are admitted by Grimm and/or his staff. Then Grimm says it's all just a Democrat dirty trick. Some of the facts that are not in dispute are the size of the group Grimm was with (basically, it's three couples) and that Grimm had three wines in three fresh glasses. Also there is little or no dispute that Grimm and the gal in question did separate themselves for several minutes away from the others in the group behind closed doors.
Who all gave this information to the press, with enough second sourcing for the story? That's a lot of cooperation by people who had some connection to Congressman Grimm.
BACKFILL: THE “WEAK FUNDRAISING ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE” EDITION
GRIMM AND RECCHIA VERY CLOSE IN AVAILABLE CASH BECAUSE OF LACKLUSTER EARLY FUNDRAISING IN 11th CONG. DIST.
Even with an incipient sex scandal threatening to become part of his political narrative with less than a year until the 2014 election campaign, Congressman Michael Grimm’s main concern might be elsewhere. I don’t mean what is happening in Washington, D.C. and the fireworks surrounding the controversial positions Grimm has staked out in the debates involving the Tea Party caucus, the so-called Government shutdown and a fix to Obamacare, or the increase to the National Debt limit in the face of some threatened default.
Michael Grimm is beginning to see some real shortcomings when it comes to fundraising for the 2014 race and other necessaries between now and then, including the expenses arising from his ongoing legal problems. A quick rundown on those problems appeared in the Daily News at about the same time that Grimm’s possible sex scandal was hitting the press (See “No Big Fundraising in Numbers in Staten Island Race” by Dan Friedman, 10/15/13, NY Daily News /Mouth of the Potomac [http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/2013/10/grimm-stumbles-in-third-quarter-fundraising]).
According to Friedman’s report, “Grimm's reelection campaign raised $272,269 in from July through October. But he also reported $160,000 from other political action committees, as the national Republican party ramps up efforts to help Grimm and other vulnerable members. ***
Still Grimm's total is short of the $439,000 what he raised last quarter. *** Grimm now has about $828,000 in cash on hand. But he still has $458,210 in debts due to legal fees run up amid federal and House Ethics probes into his 2010 fundraising.”
By contrast, Congressman Grimm’s likely opponent, Dominic Recchia, an outgoing New York City Council member, reports that he took in $304,000 in campaign funds over the same period. That total is hardly overwhelming, but it helped Recchia’s campaign to edge past Grimm’s in total cash.
He's a bachelor.
He hops around !!
UPDATE: THE “GRIMM WINE BAR BATHROOM STORY HAS SOME LEGS” EDITION
Coverage of Congressman Michael Grimm’s restaurant bathroom antics has gone into another day of the MSM news cycle. Those cited below are mostly those that missed it on day one or posted late in the day on day one.(See “Staten Island congressman denies 17-minute sex romp in Brooklyn wine bar” by Joey Scarborough, Dan Friedman and Corinne Lestch, 10/16/13, NY Daily News [http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/congressman-denies-steamy-romp-brooklyn-wine-bar-article-1.1487070#commentpostform];; “Grimy Grimm? Us Rep. denies having sex in Bay Ridge hipster bar bathroom” by Paula Katinas, 10/16/13, Brooklyn Daily Eagle [http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/grimy-grimm-us-rep-denies-having-sex-bay-ridge-hipster-bar-bathroom-2013-10-16-153000]; “Michael Grimm Denies Having Sex in Brooklyn Bar Bathroom” by Ross Barkan, 10/15/13, NY Observer/Politicker, also Albany Times Union/ Capitol Confidential [http://politicker.com/2013/10/michael-grimm-denies-having-sex-in-brooklyn-bar-bathroom/], [http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/197023/michael-grimm-denies-having-sex-in-brooklyn-bar-bathroom/]). The Day Two and other later coverage could easily be called “A time of Denial” ....
Among the many pieces about this episode is a very succinct and provocative item that appeared in New York Magazine (See “Staten Island Congressman Michael Grimm Did Something in a Bar Bathroom With a Lady Friend for 15 Minutes” by Dan Amira, 10/15/13, New York Magazine [http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/10/congressman-and-lady-spend-long-time-in-bathroom.html]), here it is: “We won't pretend to know what happened in there, but in general, there are only three things you can do in a Bay Ridge bathroom for fifteen minutes: Have sex, snort coke, or deal with some kind of gastrointestinal crisis. And you typically don't bring your date with you for the third one.” The downside for Mr. Grimm is that this item merely puts into print what a lot of people are thinking right now.
Ah, yes. And a true conservative at that. He certainly reflect my traditional family values.
Kind of hard to support candidates when fellow Republicans are tearing the county apart by suing you.
his former wife would have beat him..lol she is the daughter of a grandmaster karate lol I found pic of their wedding here
http://wagpolitics.com/susan-kim-piazza-congressman-michael-grimms-ex-wife/
Sounds like our Congressman is a cross between a Larry Craig Republican and a Jim McGreevey Democrat.
UPDATE: THE “GRIMM TAKES A NEW TACK — AND TRIES TO LAUGH IT OFF “ EDITION
GRIMM TRIES TO LAUGH HIS WAY THROUGH ANOTHER NON-DENIAL DENIAL TO STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE
This story still has some legs and, judging from the comments, lots of people are still interested. So Congressman Grimm has adjusted his approach to the scandal – try to make a joke out of it (See “Staten Island's Rep. Michael Grimm laughs off sex story: 'Only mistake was going to Democratic bar'” by Judy Randall, 10/16/13-10/17/13, SI Advance [http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/10/staten_islands_grimm_if_there.html]).
The problem is that each and every time Grimm or one of his people talk about the incident, they pretty much admit that it did happen. Here’s the key exchange between Grimm and the SI Advance, as reported by Judy Randall: “ ‘The only mistake I made was going to a Democratic bar,’ said Grimm, chuckling. ‘I was surrounded by the enemy.’ *** So he wasn't in the bathroom with a woman? *** ‘Nothing inappropriate happened,’ said Grimm, still chuckling. *** So was she a new girlfriend? An old flame? *** ‘No more comment,’ said Grimm, laughing, ‘no more comment.’
The only things new are Grimm’s phony laughs.
Randall repeated a key part of the story, “A source close to Grimm said the comely woman was upset about a personal matter and Grimm went to the restroom to check on her.” So, this whole story is basically coming from Grimm, himself, and those close to him.
The only one not yet heard from is the woman. Who is she, and why was she upset ?
If that pig Marty Golden wasn't suing Eaton for winning his election, maybe he would be focusing on the mayoral election. But, Marty's true intentions are now evident - he wants power, control and cannot stand to lose. He can't deal with putting up a candidate for Republican Chairman, Mr. Tim "Hotdog" Cochrane, and losing. That's the bottom line.
I guess the envelopes wrapped in newspapers handed off outside the FBI office building at midnight are getting lighter?
No, there were two other couples in the same group with Grimm. They are likely to know everything that led up to the prolonged behind closed door meeting between Grimm and the woman in the bathroom.
BACKFILL: THE “JUST BECAUSE IT’S WEIRD DON’T MEAN IT AIN’T SO” EDITION
Yuh gotta luv a blog that features a lady in a shiny Cat Woman suit with a whee-up or is that a lasssooohoo — and the graphic graininess of her image makes it even more yummy....
Somebody called “Wonkette” seems to have picked up on something a few people around here have been suggesting about our Republican-Conservative congressman from the Island of Staten and a few points Narrowsly East. Her conclusion is, as follows: “In fact, we’re gonna go with ‘Michael Grimm leaked this his own bad self,’ because that is what we would do....” (See “New York Rep. Michael Grimm Says He Did Not Sex That Lady In The Toilet” by Rebecca Schoenkopf, 10/16/13, Wonkette [http://wonkette.com/531801/new-york-rep-michael-grimm-says-he-did-not-sex-that-lady-in-the-toilet]).
UPDATE: WHO EVER SAID “POLITICS AIN’T BEANBAG” MUST HAVE HAD INCIDENTS LIKE THE MICHAEL GRIMM WINE BAR EPISODE IN MIND
Whether the whole “sex in the wine bar bathroom” story was or wasn’t a Democrat dirty trick in the first place, as Congressman Michael Grimm has both suggested and said outright, or it was “just one of those things...one of those crazy flings...a trip to the moon on gossamer wings...” that can happen sometime in some bathrooms — to which Cole Porter could probably attest in either song or affidavit; in today’s world of media and politics, it is just more grist for the mill.
Colin Campbell has written in the Politcker that “The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee started a new Tumblr compiling things Republican Congressman Michael Grimm “could have done in 17 minutes” – a direct reference to the amount of time a New York Post report suggests Mr. Grimm recently spent in a bar bathroom having sex....” (See “DCCC Seizes the Michael Grimm Bathroom Story” by Colin Campbell, 10/17/13, NY Observer/ Politicker [http://politicker.com/2013/10/dccc-seizes-the-michael-grimm-bathroom-story/]).
It doesn’t even matter if Grimm’s denials and/or damage control has any traction. It won’t deprive the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committeean an opportunity to call attention to controversies and positions they hope to wield against the Staten Island Republican as he seeks re-election in the very competitive, Staten Island-West Brooklyn based district next year. In keeping with the spirit of the moment, one of the DCCC items simply reminds folks that Mr. Grimm once joked that the best perk of being a congressman was “...all the ladies. I get little notes, so-and-so wants to go out to dinner.”
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