Is The FBI Protecting Gambino Congressman Michael "Mikey Suits" Grimm?

At this point, even the DCCC's clueless selection of Brooklyn City Councilman Domenic Recchia as their candidate against Staten Island mobster Michael "Mikey Suits" Grimm may not be enough to save the seat for the GOP in 2014. It isn't about Grimm's crazily flip-flopping, schizophrenic record on issues, but about the corruption and ethics investigations that never go away. Yesterday the Washington Post reported that the Justice Department-- home of the FBI, where Grimm used to work before going rogue and joining the Gambino Crime Family-- asked the House Ethics Committee to again defer any action on Grimm.

"The Department of Justice has asked the Committee to continue to defer consideration of this matter and the Committee, following precedent, agreed to continue to defer consideration of this matter at this time," the committee said in a statement.

…The Justice Department is looking into allegations stemming from Grimm's first congressional campaign in 2010 that he broke campaign finance laws by using straw donors and pledged to obtain a green card for an Israeli national in exchange for securing donations from a New York synagogue.

Many people are wondering if the Feds will really ever indict Grimm or if they're just protecting him because he knows too much about too many bad FBI agents from his days with the Bureau. Or possibly Grimm's role in organized crime in Cyprus is getting in the way of some kind of Department of Justice operation. Who knows? But we do know that the House Ethics Committee has, once again, put its own investigation of Grimm's many scandals on hold.

Meanwhile, some New York City Republicans would like to see a business-friendly and very approachable conservative Democrat like Recchia beat him. The New York Post broke the story about GOP bigwig John Catsimatidis, who just ran for mayor, contributing to Recchia.

The in-laws of state GOP chairman Ed Cox are trying to knock off the only Republican congressman in New York City-- Staten Island Rep. Michael Grimm, The Post has learned.

Billionaire supermarket mogul John Catsimatidis and his family have pumped $19,800 into the campaign of Grimm’s Democratic challenger, Brooklyn Councilman Domenic Recchia, campaign records show.

The contributions to Recchia raised eybrows because Catsimatidis’ daughter, Andrea, is married to Cox’s son, Christopher.

Andrea Catsimatidis herself contributed $4,950 to Recchia’s campaign.

John Catsimatidis just ran a spirited campaign for the GOP nomination for mayor but lost to former MTA chairman Joe Lhota.

A combined four donations were made to Recchia under the name of John A. Catsimatidis totaling $9,900. The Recchia campaign said the contributions came from Catsimatidis and his son, also named John.

Catsimatidis’ wife, Margo, also kicked $4,950 into Recchia’s coffers.

Staten Island GOP sources were mystified by the Catsimatidis clan’s push for Recchia over the GOP incumbent. Grimm backed Lhota over Catsimatidis in the GOP primary, but the support was tepid.

“People on Staten Island are shocked. Not only because John ran for mayor as a Republican, but because of the Catsimatidis family ties to state GOP chairman Cox. It’s bizarre,” an island GOP insider said.

Catsimatidis insisted his financial backing of Recchia was not payback to Grimm for backing Lhota for mayor… Catsimatidis also said that Grimm requested a meeting with him a few weeks ago to clear to the clear the air, after hearing that the billionaire businessman donated to Recchia. He said Grimm told him that he backed Lhota as a debt to Rudy Giuliani.

Asked how he felt about trying to knock off the only Republican congressman from the city, Catsimatidis said, “Time will tell if I do anything further.”

In the last couple of years the Catsimatidis clan has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to politicians, almost all of it to Republicans, although New York Democrats have come to know that Catsimatidis is always good for a few thousand dollars for them as well. Steve Israel, for example, for $2,500 out of him-- even if the really big bucks, hundreds of thousands of dollars, are reserved for Republican committees like the RNC, the NRSC, the NRCC and state Republican parties. Recchia is right up his alley (as is Grimm, who he has also contributed to in the past).