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.
