Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci on Saturday joined Michael Grimm on the campaign trail, where he vouched for the former Democratic New York representative, who is seeking to return to Congress.
New York 1 reported that Scaramucci appeared alongside Grimm at a Staten Island campaign event. The former Trump administration staffer downplayed Grimm’s prison sentence for tax fraud.
“I’m a big believer in forgiveness. I’m a big believer in redemption. I think all of us, as a society, have to think that way,” Scaramucci reportedly said.
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Grimm has sought to align himself with President Trump. He told New York 1 in April that he and Scaramucci get along well.
“I think he knows that, just like what President Trump is going through, I went through a lot worse. I was railroaded by a corrupt Obama Justice Department,” Grimm said.
Grimm pleaded guilty in December 2014 to tax fraud related to his Manhattan health food business. He resigned from Congress less than a month later and was sentenced to eight months in prison. He was released in 2016.
Grimm last fall launched a campaign to win back his old House seat in New York’s 11th Congressional District, which includes Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn.
Rep. Dan Donovan (R-N.Y.) currently holds the seat. Donovan replaced Grimm after his resignation.