President Donald Trump has granted a full pardon to Michael Grimm, the former Republican congressman who represented Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn before resigning after a tax fraud conviction. The surprise clemency announcement on Wednesday adds another name to Trump's growing list of pardons during his administration.
According to the Washington Examiner, the pardon was confirmed by a person familiar with the matter. The decision comes just one day after Trump pardoned reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley.
Grimm served in Congress from 2011 to 2015 before his political career was derailed by legal troubles. In 2014, he pleaded guilty to tax fraud charges related to a restaurant business he owned before entering politics, which ultimately led to his resignation from Congress.
Michael Grimm's political journey has been marked by both success and controversy. After his 2014 conviction and subsequent resignation from Congress, Grimm didn't stay away from politics for long.
In 2018, Grimm attempted to revive his political career by challenging then-incumbent Republican Rep. Dan Donovan in the GOP primary. Despite his efforts to reconnect with voters in New York's 11th Congressional District, Grimm failed to secure the nomination.
The pardon could potentially clear a path for Grimm to seek office again in the future. Having a presidential pardon removes a significant obstacle that might have prevented voters from supporting the former congressman in any future campaigns.
Trump's decision to pardon Grimm follows closely behind his clemency for Todd and Julie Chrisley, stars of the reality television show "Chrisley Knows Best." The couple was convicted in 2022 on serious charges including bank fraud and tax evasion.
The president also extended pardons to James and Marlene Kernan, who were convicted of willfully employing a convicted felon. These pardons were confirmed by the same source who verified Grimm's pardon.
This series of pardons has drawn both praise from supporters who see them as correcting injustices and criticism from those who question the selection criteria. The View co-hosts reportedly criticized Trump's pardon of the Chrisleys, stating that such actions are "not normal."
Grimm's legal troubles stemmed from his operation of Healthalicious, a Manhattan restaurant he owned before his time in Congress. The tax fraud case against him focused on allegations that he had concealed more than $1 million in restaurant sales and wages.
After initially fighting the charges, Grimm eventually pleaded guilty to a single count of tax fraud in December 2014. His guilty plea came shortly after winning re-election to a third term in Congress, but the conviction forced him to step down from his position.
The former congressman and Marine Corps veteran later served eight months in prison. His pardon now effectively erases the conviction from his record, potentially allowing him to pursue various opportunities that might have been limited by his criminal record.
President Trump's pardon of Michael Grimm represents another example of his willingness to use presidential clemency powers, which give him broad authority to grant pardons and commutations for federal offenses.
The Constitution provides presidents with essentially unlimited power to pardon federal crimes, a power that has been exercised differently across administrations. Trump has shown a pattern of granting pardons to political allies and individuals whose cases have received significant public attention.
Grimm's pardon adds to the list of former politicians who have received clemency from Trump. The full pardon effectively wipes away Grimm's conviction, restoring his civil rights and removing any legal disabilities resulting from the conviction.
