Trump Pardons Tax Felon Who Called LGBTQIA+ People “Child Mutilators”
A convicted felon. A restaurant scam. A live TV death threat. And now, a presidential pardon.
We’ve seen a lot of chaotic political moves lately, but this one hits a new low. According to LGBTQ Nation, former US congressman Michael Grimm just got a full pardon from Donald Trump, despite his criminal past and violent outbursts.
Grimm, a Republican from New York with a track record of public hatred towards LGBTQIA+ communities, spent eight months behind bars for felony tax fraud. The scam? He concealed nearly $900,000 in earnings from his health food restaurant in Manhattan, Healthalicious. The FBI and US Attorney’s Office began looking into him more than a decade ago, eventually exposing his fraudulent filings and under-the-table payments.
But this pardon isn’t just about dodgy taxes.
In 2014, while cameras were rolling at the US Capitol, Grimm threatened NY1 political reporter Michael Scotto during a post–State of the Union interview. When Scotto asked about the brewing campaign finance probe, Grimm snapped. “I’ll break you in half. Like a boy,” he warned, adding that he’d throw the reporter off a balcony.
Let that sink in. A sitting member of Congress threatened to kill a journalist on live TV — and now he’s walking free, thanks to Trump.
Grimm tried to justify the outburst by saying the question was off-topic and “a cheap shot.” He did eventually apologise, claiming he “lost his cool.” But the incident, like much of his public record, speaks for itself.
So why pardon someone like this?
Trump’s list of last-minute pardons has always raised eyebrows, but this one feels especially grim. It sends a loud message, and not the good kind. Grimm has repeatedly used slurs and spread dangerous lies about queer communities, calling us “pedophiles” and accusing allies of “child mutilation.”
What does this say about who gets second chances and who’s still fighting just to be heard?
Republican Michael Grimm, a felon who threatened to assault a reporting, is running for Congress again pic.twitter.com/Yt7DIOX6bQ
— NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) March 22, 2018
