Republican Lawmaker Attempts To Use Bill Maher's Insults To His Advantage

In an email titled "The Liberals Are Coming," Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) warned against the "anti-Catholic, leftist propaganda" pushed by comedian Bill Maher and urged supporters to donate to his reelection campaign.

The New York Observer reports the fundraising email, sent on Sunday, comes just after Maher named Grimm one of the very worst members of Congrees as part of Maher's "Flip a District" campaign.

Grimm, who was caught on video threatening to "break" a reporter "in half" earlier this year, was one of sixteen to representatives to make Maher's "Tweet Sixteen" cut.

"He’s a guy who thrust himself into the running this year by threatening to throw a reporter off the balcony of the Capitol,” Maher told viewers last week. “He seems to be all of Staten Island distilled in one man and there is a lot of enthusiasm out there for making him go away.”

But as Grimm's email indicated on Sunday, the embattled lawmaker is not taking Maher's campaign lightly:

"Like Bill Maher, the [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee] and Mayor de Blasio (aka the most progressive Mayor of New York City has ever seen) want this seat because it would make their lives much easier –- let’s face it, I am the only one standing between them and a liberal take over of NYC.

"I am the only Republican Congressman who represents a borough within New York City, a city of 8.5 million people. THEY WANT ME GONE!

Grimm went onto claim Maher, along with Democrats, were out to ruin him because they abhor the fact that he is a marine veteran and former FBI agent. Read the full text of the email at the Observer.

Grimm's "hot" battle to fend off Democratic challenger Domenic Recchia Jr. is one of the top House races in the country, according to the Staten Island Advance, and Recchia recently said he is pleased with his campaign so far.

"The pot is boiling," he said. "The campaign is going extremely well."