This rethuglican has big brass ones-- pleads guilty but won't resign from the House.

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U.S. Representative Grimm says will not resign after pleading guilty to tax fraud
By Nate Raymond, December 23, 2014

U.S. Representative Michael Grimm of New York said he would not resign from Congress following his guilty plea on Tuesday to a federal felony tax charge.

"As long as I'm able to serve, I'm going to," said Grimm, who noted he easily won a third term in November despite a 20-count federal indictment unveiled in April.

Grimm, a Republican, pleaded guilty in Brooklyn federal court to aiding the preparation of a false tax return in connection with a health food restaurant, Healthalicious, that he co-owned before his political career.

"While operating a restaurant, we underestimated the gross receipts and used some of the money to pay employees off the books and some other expenses," Grimm said in court.

As part of a plea deal, Grimm, whose trial had been scheduled for February, also signed a statement of facts, admitting to concealing over $900,000 in gross receipts from 2007 to 2010 and lying during a 2013 deposition.

Grimm's defiant declaration that he will not resign could put U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner and other Republican leaders in a difficult position as Democratic members have already begun calling for Grimm's resignation.

[Major snippage]
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Grimm's future in Congress "doesn't look very bright"
By CBS News, December 23, 2014

U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm pleaded guilty to a tax evasion charge in federal court in Brooklyn on Tuesday. The Staten Island Republican congressman has said that he has no current plans to resign his seat, but his GOP colleagues could persuade him otherwise.

CBS News chief White House correspondent Major Garrett told CBSN Grimm's future in Congress "doesn't look very bright." Speaker John Boehner and the House Republican leadership can pressure Grimm to step down. Boehner and Grimm have not yet spoken, but Garrett said he expects it to not go in Grimm's favor.

"Pleading guilty to a serious federal offense, as Congressman Grimm has just done, is a line that once crossed usually is irretrievable," Garrett said.

The Republican leadership has already signaled its displeasure with Grimm. At Boehner's urging, the Republican National Committee cut off financial assistance to Grimm's November reelection campaign, although Grimm easily won the race regardless.

"Politically, he was on his own and prevailed," Garrett said. "Legally, he's also on his own. I don't think he's going to legally prevail within the confines of the House Republican conference."

Grimm faces up to three years in prison when he's sentenced June 8. One thing that is working in Grimm's favor, according to Garrett, is that most if not all of the activity he plead guilty to happened before he was elected to Congress.

However, Grimm also admitted to lying to federal prosecutors in a 2013 deposition, after taking office.

"That's going to make it very very difficult for Congressman Grimm to persuade his Republican colleagues he should have a chance to stay in Congress," Garrett said.
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Why Republicans Will Likely Boot Out Michael Grimm
By Joshua Spivak, December 25, 2014

Despite pleading guilty to a felony for tax fraud and facing up to three years in prison, Representative Michael Grimm is trying to hold on to his Congressional seat. He has some reason to hold out hope – in the past members of Congress seemed to be able to serve out their terms in the face of scandal. But times have changed, and the nationalization of elections portends doom for Grimm.

[snipped]

But it takes an expulsion vote by fellow legislators to kick out scandal-plagued senators and congressmen. Senator David Vitter, whose name appeared in connection with a high-profile D.C. prostitution ring, easily survived the scandal and has since been reelected. Representative Charles Rangel received a House censure for various financial irregularities — but repeatedly won reelection after that.

Outside of the 14 Civil War Era members who were tossed out for supporting the Confederacy, the Senate has only kicked out one member. What they have done is push members to the door – Nevada Senator John Ensign resigned under an ethical cloud in 2011, as did former Oregon Senator Bob Packwood, who resigned in 1995 before facing an expulsion vote for multiple sexual harassment charges.

In the House, there are even fewer expulsions. The chamber kicked out Representative James Traficant in 2002 after convictions of racketeering and bribery. Representative William Jefferson, who was later hit with a 13 year prison term, managed to serve out his term despite charges of storing almost $100,000 in cash in his freezer.

But a recent trend against congressional inaction may be what dooms Grimm’s effort to remain on in Congress.  Thanks to the increasingly nationalization of politics, from political ads to the big cable networks, senators and representatives may face political repercussions for failing to push out misbehaving colleagues in another state. We’ve seen this repeatedly in recent years. From Trey Randel, who was convicted of cocaine possession, to New York bipartisan sex scandal casualties (Anthony Weiner, Erica Massa and Christopher Lee), Congress is seeing a host of resignations for embarrassing behavior that in most cases did not result in any formal charges.

The resignations were presumably preceded by massive internal pressure from the House and Senate leadership. Neither party wants to be seen as defending sleazy politicians. None of the members of Congress want to go on any record as supporting their misbehaving colleagues. And with the increased ability of the party leadership to cut off campaign funds and even punish potential supporters of a pariah congressman, will make Grimm’s future as a legislator very hard. And there is plenty of reason to think that the Republican leadership is probably willing to go the expulsion route to avoid facing charges that they are defending a convicted criminal in their midst.

Michael Grimm’s determination to hold onto his Congressional seat may have precedent, but recent congressional behavior suggests that he is [sic] days in Congress are numbered.
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Nancy Pelosi Calls On Michael Grimm To Resign
By Ashley Alman, December 23, 2014

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is calling on Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) to resign.

Grimm's unfavorable reputation was drawn back into the news Monday when it was reported he would plead guilty to charges of tax evasion. Pelosi responded Tuesday by calling on House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to urge the embattled representative to remove himself from Congress.

"Clearly, Speaker Boehner must insist that Congressman Grimm resign immediately," Pelosi said in a Tuesday statement.

Voluntary resignation is the only way Grimm -- who was surprisingly re-elected to Congress in November despite previously being indicted on 20 counts of fraud -- would leave Congress. On Monday, the New York Daily News reported the congressman has the right to return to Congress so long as he doesn't face jail time.

The Daily News reported Grimm will enter the guilty plea on Tuesday afternoon in Brooklyn federal court to a felony charge of dodging taxes at a Manhattan restaurant he co-owned.
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