Griffin joins consulting firm

Job won’t conflict with state law, lieutenant governor says

In this Jan. 16, 2015 photo, Arkansas Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin is interviewed in his office at the Arkansas state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark. Griffin says he wants to use the state's No. 2 post to promote the agenda of fellow Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and is urging lawmakers to scale back some of his office's powers. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)
In this Jan. 16, 2015 photo, Arkansas Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin is interviewed in his office at the Arkansas state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark. Griffin says he wants to use the state's No. 2 post to promote the agenda of fellow Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and is urging lawmakers to scale back some of his office's powers. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)

Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin said Monday that he's joined an Alexandria, Va.-based communications firm called Purple Strategies as an Arkansas-based senior adviser for communications and growth strategies for business clients.

The Little Rock Republican was sworn in as the state's lieutenant governor Jan. 13 after serving four years in Congress. He has also served as an aide to President George W. Bush and as an interim U.S. attorney.

Griffin said he had discussed the position with Purple Strategies last year, adding that he disclosed that to the U.S. House Ethics Committee to be consistent with federal law and House ethics rules.

He said he'll advise clients on "crisis communications, strategic communications, branding, marketing, etc.

"I am excited about the opportunity to work with this team known for unmatched innovation, excellence and energy," Griffin said in a written statement. "I look forward to using my background and experience to help companies solve complex problems, grow and compete."

The firm's clients have included BP, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, McDonald's, NASCAR and Time Warner Cable, according to media reports.

Griffin said he won't lobby, work as a political consultant or advise political campaigns as part of his work with Purple Strategies. He said he doesn't intend to restart his law firm or his public affairs firm.

"I may be involved in some way with a presidential campaign, as I was with Mitt Romney's Arkansas chair as a congressman, but that will not be part of my work with Purple Strategies," Griffin said.

Purple Strategies was founded in 2008, and its partners include Republican political strategist Alex Castellanos, who is the company's chairman, and Democratic strategist Steve McMahon, who is the firm's president and chief executive officer.

Purple Strategies offers services in strategic communication, public affairs, issue advocacy, public opinion research, advertising and media relations, said attorney Jane Duke of the Mitchell, Williams, Gates & Woodyard PLLC law firm, who was hired by Purple Strategies to research the state's laws governing outside employment by Griffin.

Although the company operates its subsidiary, Purple Advocacy, as a government affairs and lobbying group, Griffin's "employment relationship is limited to the entity Purple Strategies and he will be based in Little Rock," Duke wrote in a seven-page memo to Purple Strategies.

Griffin "has no employment or agency relationship with Purple Advocacy and will not engage in lobbying at either the state or federal level," she said.

Duke's memo said Griffin may maintain private employment separate from his constitutional office because the Arkansas Constitution and state law don't limit or even address private employment of a lieutenant governor.

The lieutenant governor's main duties are presiding over the state Senate when it's in session and serving as acting governor when the governor is outside the state. The lieutenant governor's annual salary is $42,315.

Lieutenant governors in Arkansas have come from various employment backgrounds and have included attorneys, business owners, ministers, teachers and farmers. Previous lieutenant governors typically maintained private employment or had other sources of income.

The previous lieutenant governor, Springdale Republican Mark Darr, reported income from being an employee and manager of a pizza parlor that he formerly owned and from being an insurance salesman in 2013. He resigned in February 2014 after the Arkansas Ethics Commission fined him $11,000 for 11 violations of state ethics laws and regulations, including misspending campaign funds and taxpayer dollars.

Under state law, Griffin is prohibited from using his lieutenant governor post to secure "special privileges" for Purple Strategies and its clients and barred from conducting business for People Strategies through the use of state resources, Duke said.

Griffin said that if a conflict of interest arises between his work for Purple Strategies and his job as lieutenant governor, he'll apply state and federal law to make sure it is handled properly.

"I will immediately discuss it with my staff and the Arkansas Ethics Commission to make sure it is handled promptly and properly," he said. "I will take whatever action is warranted, including recusal and voluntary disclosure as warranted."

Metro on 01/20/2015

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