Ex-Congressman Can't Walk After Being Thrown From Horse

A former New York congressman has been left paralyzed after a recent horseback riding accident, and a GoFundMe is now trying to raise funds to "help Michael Grimm walk again." The Staten Island Advance reports the former Republican lawmaker, also an ex-Marine and ex-FBI agent who most recently worked as a Newsmax host, was playing polo in September when he was thrown from a horse. Greg Kelly, one of Grimm's Newsmax colleagues, had noted on his radio show that month that Grimm sustained a neck injury that required surgery, and that he'd been treated at a hospital in Westchester.

Vincent Ignizio, a former member of Staten Island's South Shore City Council who now works at the NYC Board of Elections, called attention to Grimm's plight in a Sunday Facebook post. "He needs help to cover the substantial costs that insurance doesn't cover on his long road to recovery," Ignizio wrote, linking to the GoFundMe about the "tragic accident," which had raised more than $95,000 as of Monday morning. The Hill notes that Grimm served in the House from 2011 to 2015, before resigning after being convicted of tax fraud. He served seven months behind bars and was released in 2016. (More Michael Grimm stories.)