|
|
| |
| Fri, Aug. 29, 2008 |  |
 |
|
||
| |
E-mails show effort to defend Griffin appointment Saturday, Apr 14, 2007 By Aaron Sadler Stephens Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - Under relentless scrutiny from Democrats, interim U.S. attorney Tim Griffin joined a behind-the-scenes move to justify his appointment, an effort that included a White House request for one senator to ask "friendly questions" about Griffin's qualifications at a hearing. New e-mails released Friday show Griffin asked top Justice Department officials to emphasize it was not unusual for the White House counsel's office to be involved in the selection of federal prosecutors. The 2,394-page Justice Department release also included a document highlighting Griffin's education and experience, which he composed most of himself. Attached was an eight-point list of qualifications referred to as "Griffin Talkers." The e-mails indicate that the White House political office contacted Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., on Jan. 17 to request he ask favorable questions regarding Griffin at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing a day later. Griffin was named interim federal prosecutor in Little Rock in December, replacing H.E. "Bud" Cummins III, who was fired along with seven other U.S. attorneys last year. Democrats have assaulted Griffin's selection in the growing scandal over the Justice Department's handling of the firings. Griffin wrote to two assistant attorneys general and Gonzales' chief of staff from his personal e-mail account Feb. 28 to ask that they defend the White House's role in his appointment, even as Gonazales and his deputies were trying to downplay White House involvement in the firings. "It would be helpful in my estimation if someone would take the time to educate members of Congress and disabuse them of the idea that it is extraordinary when the White House counsel gets involved in the selection of U.S. attorneys," Griffin said. He added that former White House Counsel Harriet Miers was normally involved in judicial appointments while he worked at the White House. Griffin was a top deputy to White House political adviser Karl Rove and served two stints with the Republican National Committee. "Someone at the DOJ left the press with the impression that Harriet Miers vouching for me was some sort of extraordinary event. It wasn't," the e-mail added. Acting Assistant Attorney General Richard Hertling responded that the department was ready to "emphasize the normalcy of the process" regarding Griffin. In reply, Griffin wrote that it appeared "the problem lies with (our) ability to get our message out. In any event, thank you in advance for defending me." Griffin said Friday he "didn't have anything to add" regarding the ongoing controversy. The Justice Department has said Cummins was forced out specifically to make room for Griffin, who was appointed indefinitely by Gonzales under a provision of the Patriot Act that Congress has since voted to repeal. Cummins was initially said to be the only U.S. attorney fired with a successor already chosen. But Friday's documents show former Gonzales chief of staff Kyle Sampson, who played a key role in the firings and has since resigned, sent a list of possible replacements in four other districts in January 2006. Sens. Mark Pryor and Blanche Lincoln, both D-Ark., have called for Gonzales' resignation for his part in the controversy. Both senators opposed Griffin's appointment, angered by the administration's attempt to bypass the normal Senate confirmation process and concerned that Griffin had little legal standing in the state. A spokesman for Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., said the latest e-mails show more reasons why Griffin's name should have been submitted to the Senate. "Sen. Pryor has been saying from the get-go, if he's so qualified then send him through the process," Pryor spokesman Michael Teague said. "Sessions gets to get up there and say a bunch of nice things since there have been some questions brought up about it." A Sessions spokeswoman did not return calls seeking comment. An e-mail from former Gonzales senior counsel Monica Goodling to other Justice Department officials stated that the White House "reached out to Sen. Sessions and requested that he ask helpful questions to make clear that Tim Griffin is qualified to serve." Goodling resigned April 6 after saying she would invoke her Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination if questioned by Congress. Her e-mail also stated other Republicans on the Judiciary Committee should see Griffin's resume, the eight-item list of talking points and the narrative written mostly by Griffin entitled "Who is Tim Griffin?" That document was written in response to a New York Times article that said his legal record was "thin." Griffin touted his work as a major in the Judge Advocate Generals corps of the Army Reserve, where a supervisor described him as "a born litigator." Griffin, a Tulane Law School graduate, served in Iraq last year and also prosecuted cases at Fort Campbell, Ky. The document noted his work as a special assistant to both President Bush and a former assistant attorney general; his time as counsel for a House committee; and work as a prosecutor in Cummins' district in 2001 and 2002. He is currently taking part in three weeks of Army Reserve training at Camp Pike in Little Rock. Griffin has said he will not seek the prosecutor's job permanently. |
