After ‘I’ll Break You in Half,’ House Member Apologizes

WASHINGTON — Representative Michael G. Grimm...
 of Staten Island, once considered a rising star in 
the Republican Party, touched off a political firestorm 
after delivering unusually vitriolic threats against a 
reporter inside the United States Capitol building 
on Tuesday night, just moments after the State 
of the Union speech.

Mr. Grimm apologized to the reporter on Wednesday 
and also issued a statement expressing regret, 
but the damage to Mr. Grimm’s reputation appeared 
to already have been severe, as his threats became 
the subject of widespread denunciation and mockery.

Mr. Grimm, who was first elected with the help 
of Tea Party support, has been entangled in controversy 
involving a continuing federal investigation into 
his campaign fund-raising, including assertions 
by several contributors that Mr. Grimm or his 
chief fund-raiser told them that his campaign would 
find ways to get around the legal limit on donations.

And on Tuesday night, Mr. Grimm became enraged 
after the reporter, Michael Scotto of NY1, 
asked him about the investigation. 
His threats inside the United States Capitol
 were captured on video that quickly 
rocketed around the Internet....
[...] nytimes.com