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Grimm Denies Being Behind Donovan Accusations

Disgraced former rep is challenging Donovan for his old seat

Former Rep. Michael Grimm is challenging his successor, Rep. Dan Donovan, in the Republican primary for a Staten Island district. (Tom Williams/Roll Call via Getty Images file photo)
Former Rep. Michael Grimm is challenging his successor, Rep. Dan Donovan, in the Republican primary for a Staten Island district. (Tom Williams/Roll Call via Getty Images file photo)

Former New York Rep. Michael Grimm denied that he is behind a complaint that Rep. Dan Donovanused his political leverage to get his partner’s son out of a drug bust.

Grimm is running against Donovan in the Republican primary for New York’s 11th District. Grimm resigned from the seat in 2014 after pleading guilty to tax fraud and spent seven months in prison.

Donovan is currently under criticism after a complaint was filed with the Office of Congressional Ethics that he used his position as a member of Congress to get Timothy O’Connell, his girlfriend’s son, out of a heroin-related arrest.

Donovan denied the claims at a news conference on Monday, NBC News New York reported, in which he alluded to who he thinks is behind the accusation.

“I never went to the 122 Precinct that night. I didn’t make any phone calls. I didn’t know Tim was arrested until after he was released,” he said.

“I don’t know if Michael Grimm is the anonymous source, but someone had to instruct this individual how to file a House Ethics Committee complaint,” Donovan said.

“Someone who may know is a person who has had allegations made against them for threatening to throw a reporter off the rotunda after the State of the Union address, for FEC filings,” he said. “So someone who has had complaints against them filed might know how to do it.”

Donovan was alluding to an incident in the Capitol in which Grimm threatened a NY1 reporter in 2010.

Grimm fired back at Donovan, telling SILive that the congressman’s counter-accusations amount to a “desperate blame game.”

“Donovan could put this scandal to bed once and for all by releasing his, his girlfriend’s and his chief of staff’s cell phone records from the night of O’Connell’s heroin bust to prove he had no knowledge of involvement in the case,” he said.

Donovan said he would release his phone records and schedule as proof he was not at the 122nd Precinct, where the bust occurred, according to NY1.

Stonick criticized the public scrutiny that her son faced.

“While we know that our lives must be public to some degree, there are certain things that should not be used for political enterprise,” she said. “The struggle of an addict is one of them.”

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