Congressman Michael Grimm was caught on a television camera saying to a reporter, "I'll break you in half," after he was asked in an interview about a federal investigation into campaign finance violations.
He could be heard saying, "I'll break you in half," and NY1 said he threatened to throw Scotto over a balcony, reports Reuters.
Grimm issued a statement late Tuesday, saying the reporter had taken a "cheap shot" by asking a question about a topic other than President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, which the president had just delivered.
A fundraiser for Grimm, Diana Durand, was arrested this month on charges she illegally funneled more than $10,000 to his campaign.NY1.com has released this transcript of the video:"And just finally before we let you go, we haven't had a chance to talk about some of the..." Scotto began before Grimm cut him off."I'm not speaking to you off-topic, this is only about the president," said Grimm, before walking off camera."So Congressman Michael Grimm does not want to talk about some of the allegations concerning his campaign finances," Scotto said before tossing back to the station. But as the camera continued to roll, Grimm walked back up to Scotto and began speaking to him in a low voice."What?" Scotto responded. "I just wanted to ask you..."Grimm: "Let me be clear to you, you ever do that to me again I'll throw you off this f-----g balcony."Scotto: "Why? I just wanted to ask you..."Grimm: "If you ever do that to me again..."Scotto: "Why? Why? It’s a valid question."Grimm: "No, no, you're not man enough, you're not man enough. I'll break you in half. Like a boy."