Griffin, Pat

Grefen, Pat Griffin Leaving Congressional Liaison Post By Artn Devroy The Whitewater controversy trapped so small" working in the White House, Washington Pest Staff Writer dozens of Clinton aides in Republican he said, that he is unsure of what to do congressional hearings and in Novem- next. Patrick Griffin, who has directed ber 1994, Democrats lost control of Griffin may have had one of the the White House congressional rela- Congress for the first time in a gener- toughest jobs in the Clinton White ons operation through one of the ation. House, being in charge of congression- most tumultuous periods in American "I'm exhausted," Griffin said cheer- al strategy while surrounded by for- blitics, plans to leave his post by Feb. fully yesterday in explaining his depar- mer congressional strategists and She said yesterday. ture in the midst of a nasty and unre- working for a president and first lady Griffin, 47, who ran a successful lenting battle over the federal budget. fond of speed-dialing members of Con- bbying firm here before joining the He said his calculation and that of the gress to chew things over. White House, signed up for the con- White House is that the budget battle White House Chief of Staff Leon E. ressional post at one of the legislative will be over, one way or another, by Panetta is a former member of Con- high points in the administration: the the time of the president's State of the gress and the key congressional strate- eginning of the drive for President Union address, scheduled for Jan. 23. gist in the White House. Senior adviser linton's health care reform proposal Administration officials said Griffin George Stephanopoulos has wide rang- 1994 when Democrats controlled had told the White House he wanted to ing congressional experience and is a oth chambers of Congress and the leave months ago but said he was well-known back-channel strategist. White House asked to stay on through this budget But Griffin said he knew what he Within months, the proposal season. was getting into and has no regrets. ame entangled controversy, falling Griffin said he will not return to his "One becomes accustomed here to the defeat at the hands not only of Re+ lobbying firm or start a new one and fact that everybody is an expert on ev- jublicans but also fellow. Democrats. has no definite plans. "You'i life gets erything," he joked yesterday. NEW DISTRICTS IN GEORGIA L ast month, a divided federal court in Georgia in his 8th District, and the black voting-age redrew the state's congressional boundaries, population in Republican Rep. Charles Whitlow eliminating two of Georgia's three majority-black Norwood Jr.'s 10th District would more than House districts. The plan would bring significant double. demographic changes to seven of the state's 11 The new map follows a Supreme Court ruling districts. last June that declared Georgia's redistricting plan Under the new.configuration, the 11th District unconstitutional because race played a of Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D) and the 2nd District predominant role in the drawing of McKinney's of Rep. Sanford Bishop (D) would no longer be district. That left it to the Georgia legislature to majority black, leaving Democratic Rep. John draw a new map, but state lawmakers failed to Lewis's 5th District as the sole majority-black agree on a plan after a 20-day special session that district. McKinney would reside in the 4th District, ended in September. Thus, the remapping was which is currently represented by Republican Rep. left to a three-judge panel. John Linder, and Bishop would reside in the 3rd The American Civil Liberties Union, District of Republican Rep. Mac Collins. representing a group of voters in McKinney's In addition, under the new map, Republican district, plans to appeal the federal judges' decision. Rep. C. Saxby Chambliss would no longer reside - Kevin Merida THE WASHINGTON POST THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 1996