Sad: No Other Politicians Walked With Indicted Criminal Michael "Mikey Suits" Grimm In The Memorial Day Parade

Mikey Suits used to get funnier headlines

Anything you read about Staten Island Mafia figure/Republican Congressman Michael Grimm is a part of a carefully staged and choreographed production that is leading inexorably to his plea bargain. The slimy political operatives/lobbyists, Mercury Public Affairs, withdrew the campaign manager, Bill Cortese, last week. The NRCC dried up his campaign contributions and now he says he's going to run without TV ads. Grimm, of course, is playing little Miss Victim, always the bully's favorite pose. The media, he's been whining, is out to get him. Maybe he's mixing them up with law enforcement officials. "There's no question: I've been vilified by the press since the day I got here," he told Politico. "From the very beginning they had to figure out how to get rid of this guy." Is he also planting the seeds for an insanity plea?

Grimm told Politico that if he ran into a burning building to save a baby, "you know what the headline will be? 'Grimm starts the fire.' That's just the reality."

But his constituents, he said, "are behind me now more than ever, because I get results."

Asked if he is innocent of the criminal charges in a 20-count federal indictment, Politico said, "Grimm paused for four seconds, then chuckled softly. 'You know, uh. It depends on what you're asking me of,' he said."

He said he would be exonerated of all the charges.

Politico, which trailed Grimm for a day, also said that Grimm marched alone in the Staten Island Memorial Day parade, while Democratic opponent Domenic M. Recchia walked with Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other officials, including GOP Borough President James Oddo.

Oddo and Grimm have been on the outs since they were on opposite sides of the 2013 Mid-Island City Council primary.

Grimm told Politico he "screwed up" when he threatened NY1 reporter Michael Scotto, but said it reflected his frustration with the press.

Politico said Grimm "flashed anger" when asked about his image as the "bad boy" of Congress.

"No. You're wrong," he said. "That's the Washington image, because you're in a bubble." He said that being aggressive on behalf of Staten Island was part of his job.

Grimm also told Politico that he was prepared to go ahead with his campaign with or without the support of GOP leaders like House Speaker John Boehner, saying that support in Washington was "a luxury. It isn't a necessity."

Grimm also said that he'd stopped fundraising for his campaign and wouldn't start again until June.

He also suggested that he wouldn't need to air TV ads or send mailers to voters and that there would be "much more constituent interaction" and retail politicking in his re-election bid.