Boehner: Resignation of NY Rep. Grimm 'honorable'

WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner says Rep. Michael Grimm made the right decision by resigning from Congress after pleading guilty to tax evasion charges.

Boehner, an Ohio Republican, says Tuesday that Grimm’s action was “honorable,” adding that he knows Grimm made his decision “with the best interests of his constituents and the institution (of the House) in mind.”

Grimm is a New York Republican who had vowed to stay in Congress as long as he could, even after his guilty plea last week. But he said Monday night that he plans to resign effective Jan. 5.

Grimm said he did not believe he could be fully effective in the new Congress and needed to start the next chapter of his life.

BY LARRY NEUMEISTER and STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press