Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin says Special Counsel on Russia not a ‘witch hunt’

Arkansas Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin, R-Ark., has held a variety of roles in public service, but many may be unaware of his time spent working on a Special Counsel case involving Clinton administration Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros.

With that background coupled with his experience in the George W. Bush White House political operation, as a former member of Congress, and a previous stint as U.S. Attorney, Griffin offers a unique insight into what’s going on politically and pragmatically in Washington, D.C.

When asked if the newly appointed Special Counsel, Robert Mueller, will conduct a “witch hunt,” as President Trump describes it, Griffin disagrees.

“No, I think ultimately they [investigations] are a search for the facts, and I think in this particular case, with the appointment of Bob Mueller as special counsel, I think both Democrats and Republicans have confidence in him,” said Griffin, who appeared on this week’s edition of Talk Business & Politics.

Griffin says Mueller is in the process of setting up a separate office, independent of the Department of Justice. He’ll be recruiting FBI agents, investigators and prosecutors to assist in his exploration of Trump’s ties to Russia. In essence, he’ll be a U.S. Attorney whose only jurisdiction is this one case.

Griffin said in the short-term, the appointment of a Special Counsel will give some relief to Congress and the White House.

“The way it helps Congress is they’re able to say, ‘look, there’s a criminal investigation now…’ members of Congress are able to say, ‘look, that’s being handled by Mueller. We’re going to do some stuff in the appropriate committees because people want to know what happened and members of Congress want to know.’ But for the most part, it allows members to go back to what I am most concerned about.”

He said that includes working on issues such as healthcare and tax reform.

It’s too early to predict what the outcome of the investigation will be. Griffin says for it to have a major disruption in Washington, there will have to be more than just small illegalities or technicalities uncovered.

“Usually, I’s being dotted and T’s not getting crossed aren’t the problem. That’s not what causes problems. There is a lot we don’t know and a lot of this is just to get to the answers,” he said. “Let’s see where the facts lead.”

Watch his full video interview below.