Tim Griffin is a case study of what happens when a story on the Internet takes on a life of its own.
Griffin, 41, is running for Congress in the 2nd District of Arkansas. He is seeking the seat that Democratic incumbent Vic Snyder has held since 1996. Snyder said earlier this year he would not seek re-election. Snyder announced his retirement on the heels of a poll that showed Griffin leading Snyder by 17 points.
Following the 2004 election, reporter Greg Palast alleged that Griffin was involved in the suppression of minority, homeless and service members’ votes while employed by the RNC in 2004.
“It’s hogwash,” says Griffin.
But not surprising, he says.
“While I am talking about private sector job creation, the cap-and-trade energy tax, Speaker Pelosi’s health-care bill and card-check legislation, Washington Democrats are defending groups like ACORN,” he says. “They are on the wrong side of the issues and know their views are wrong for Arkansas, so they attack me. It’s their way of trying to distract the voter, and it won’t work.”
Griffin has worked behind the scenes extensively in Washington.
At the Republican National Committee, he worked as research director and deputy communications director for the Republican National Committee in 2004 and deputy research director during the presidential campaigns.
In 2005, he served as special assistant to the president and deputy director in the Office of Political Affairs at the White House while Karl Rove was serving as deputy chief of staff. Despite repeated characterizations as a Rove aide or Rove protege Griffin did not directly report to Rove, however. His duties included organizing and coordinating support for the nomination of Judge John G. Roberts, Jr. as chief justice of the Supreme Court.
Griffin left the White House for military leave when he was ordered to active duty for a year as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Later in 2006, he was deployed to Iraq.
Upon his return, he hit the patch of hullabaloo.
He was appointed to U.S. attorney for the Eastern District by the Bush administration’s Department of Justice. At the time, Bush dismissed seven U.S. attorneys. Congressional investigations followed, focusing on whether the White House and Department of Justice were using the seats for political advantage.
At that high level, those angry at Bush and his appointments targeted Griffin.
In June 2007, the voter suppression matter was raised by Democratic Senators Edward Kennedy and Sheldon Whitehouse who sent a letter to the Department of Justice Inspector General’s Office seeking an investigation.
Congressional Democrats spent millions investigating the U.S. Attorney matter, but no one ever contacted Griffin.
In fact, Palast had photographs taken of himself giving information to House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers. Again, no one ever contacted Griffin.
Palast’s stories focused heavily on “caging,” a direct mail term that means the receiving, processing and reporting of mail results.
Griffin has described Palast’s obsession with him as “creepy at times.”
As the allegations swirled, Griffin wrote a 23-page letter to the Department of Justice in November 2007 denying any voter suppression and responding to Palast’s stories.
Numerous reports of voter fraud were reported in 2004 by both parties.
(2 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)
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