Rove Protege Picked to Head RNC Oppo on Obama

TPM Election Central is reporting that Tim Griffin has been picked to head the Republican National Committee’s opposition research against Barack Obama.

According to TPM:

Griffin played a lead role in the GOP oppo operation during the 2004 campaign, unearthing info that damaged John Kerry’s presidential bid. According to the senior GOP operative, who’s familiar with Griffin’s past work, he was instrumental in unearthing a videotape of a 1971 interview that Kerry did in which he appeared to confirm that he renounced his medals to protest the Vietnam War.

The video was subsequently used in an ad by the Swift Boat Vets, whose work was renounced by McCain. The McCain campaign — and the RNC — declined to comment on Griffin’s hiring.

Following the 2004 election, Griffin came to the White House where he worked under former White House adviser Karl Rove. Griffen was a central figure in the U.S. Attorney scandal after he was appointed U.S. Attorney of eastern Arkansas in December 2006. Griffin withdrew his nomination after the scandal broke.