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Tim Griffin Running For Congress

Eric Kleefeld | September 21, 2009, 3:25PM

Rep. Vic Snyder (D-AR) and former U.S. Atty. Tim Griffin (R)

AR-02, House '10, Tim Griffin, Vic Snyder

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Former U.S. Attorney Tim Griffin, a central figure in the 2007 U.S. Attorney firings, is now running for Congress against Rep. Vic Snyder (D-AR).

"The people of Central Arkansas deserve a congressman who shares their values and represents their views," Griffin told the Politico. The incumbent Snyder has not had a close race since his initial 52%-48% win in 1996, and has been easily re-elected ever since. On the other hand, the district voted 54%-44% for John McCain in 2008, and Snyder could possibly be vulnerable to a strong challenger.

Griffin had a previous career in the 1990's working on Republican legal investigations of prominent Democrats, and worked in opposition research for the Bush campaigns in 2000 and 2004, and was a protégé of Karl Rove. In September 2006 he became a special assistant to the U.S. Attorney in Arkansas, and was then appointed to replace his fired predecessor in December 2006, at the urging of Rove. Griffin was never confirmed by the Senate -- his appointment was done in such a way as to circumvent the confirmation process -- and he resigned in June 2007 in the wake of the controversy.

Late Update: A fun video that TPM produced in 2007, explaining who Tim Griffin was during the U.S. Attorney scandal, is available after the jump.

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14 comments

Recommend Recommend (1)

chimpale

September 21, 2009 3:40 PM

How appropriate. Now Griffin gets to see what it's like to be on the receiving end of oppo research. I hope he gets a face-full. With a fire hose.

Hey, Tim, have you ever said anything on the record that wasn't 100% true? You need to be held to the same standards you applied to Al Gore in 2000. I think we can already start calling you a liar.

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jzap

September 21, 2009 5:58 PM in reply to chimpale

I figured it couldn't hurt to throw $50 Vic Snyder's way via ActBlue. Might as well start manufacturing some ammunition. Remember: Guns don't kill people; bullets do.

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jdb316

September 21, 2009 3:43 PM

Arkansas, much like West Virginia, is a state that used to be very Democratic. It was somewhat socially conservative, to be sure, but Clinton was governor there for 10 years and twice won the state by double digits in his presidential campaigns. West Virginia used to be reliably Democratic; even friggin' Mike Dukakis won it in 1988.

Have these states gotten so conservative that they no longer identify with the national Democratic party? Or has the national party moved so far to the left that it has alienated states like these?

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mans_best_friend

September 21, 2009 3:55 PM in reply to jdb316

I don't think the party has shifted significantly since the '70s and '80s. Remember they nominated not just Dukakis, but Mondale in 1984, and neither one of them would ever be confused politically with Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor. The whole South USED to be reliably Democratic, but I'm sure I don't need to point out what happened.

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trblmkr

September 21, 2009 4:36 PM in reply to mans_best_friend

The quasi-educated in these areas a afraid of some ill-defined foe, foreign or domestic(see minorities) and think only Republicans will let them have all the gubs they need when their lives turn into the movie "Grindhouse". Most of them think the rise of the vampires is coming.

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trblmkr

September 21, 2009 4:39 PM in reply to mans_best_friend

uh, not 'gubs', 'guns'.

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Cal Damage

September 21, 2009 8:54 PM in reply to jdb316

In the hills of WV, cable's the only TV, FOX comes free, and the unemployed watch a LOT of TV.

You do the math.

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chimpale

September 21, 2009 3:43 PM

And by the way, Tim, thanks for helping to put the U.S. Attorney firings back in the public eye with your candidacy. We're looking forward to hearing a lot more about your cozy relationship with Karl Rove.

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Walter Mitty

September 21, 2009 3:47 PM

Isn't Griffin the best buddy of one of the Politico reporters - the reporter who was the yin to Ben Smith's Yang during the election? This name rings a bell for some reason.

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Walter Mitty

September 21, 2009 3:49 PM in reply to Walter Mitty

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/10/12/griffin/index.html

Yup. He and Jonathan Martin are buddies.

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verite

September 21, 2009 4:18 PM

Greg Palast, reporting for the BBC Television, that Tim Griffin " was the hidden hand behind a scheme to wipe out the voting rights of 70,000 citizens prior to the 2004 election.

Key voters on Griffin's hit list: Black soldiers and homeless men and women. Nice guy, eh? Naughty or nice, however, is not the issue. Targeting voters where race is a factor is a felony crime under the Voting Rights Act of 1965."

They showed emails from Griffin, then Research Director & Deputy Communications Director for the RNC along with caging lists with Af Ams including those serving in the Navy.

Here's hoping you dig up this story and make something of it, Eric!

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Dave Bowman

September 21, 2009 5:30 PM

Griffin is hoping for an Arkansas Cage Match.

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sashimi

September 22, 2009 8:39 AM

I can almost see Rove scrapping the bottom of the pot - he's really running out of names these days. Perhaps this is a chance to bring the famous "I don't recall x74 time in one hearing" record back to life in the national stage.

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