From one guy with an awkward relationship with the media to another, Anthony Weiner took to the pages of the New York Daily News to dole out some advice to Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY).
In an op-ed piece published Thursday, the former congressman and New York City mayoral candidate — with his own, rich history of contentious media interviews — dispensed some pointers to Grimm, who threatened physical harm against a reporter during an interview following Tuesday’s State of the Union address.
The reporter, NY1’s Michael Scotto, had tried to ask about allegations regarding the congressman’s campaign finances, a question that prompted Grimm to lash out. After first showing defiance, Grimm eventually apologized to Scotto and the two plan to grab lunch.
Weiner said Grimm should follow “a few general rules” that he “learned the hard way.”
First, if you don’t want to talk about a scandal in which you’re embroiled, whatever that scandal may be, maybe it’s best that you don’t do interviews for a while. For that matter, you may not want to attend community meetings, visit your office or go a sporting event. Fact is, an investigation that’s hanging over your head is the kind of thing people might be curious about. People ask you about embarrassing stuff even when you want to talk about other things. Especially when you want to talk about other things.
Better yet, if you don’t want to talk about your fund-raising scandal, maybe just maybe don’t have one to begin with. I only know what I read in the papers about all this. (OK, maybe I know a bit more.) But it does seem like a lot of people are being investigated and indicted in connection with Mikey Suits’campaign.
If Grimm were to “ignore the first two rules,” Weiner suggested using a tough question like the one Scotto asked as “an invitation to explain some of the messy doings that have swirled around you since nearly the moment you were elected.”
