Griffin Returns From Guantanamo Bay Visit

Congressman Tim Griffin (AR-02) today issued the following statement after returning from his first visit to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Monday as part of a bipartisan delegation of Members of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) inspecting detention facilities there:

"The visit was a learning experience and showed me that we have the state-of-the-art facilities to safely detain and prosecute those being held at Guantanamo Bay. It is important we hold accountable those responsible for attacks against the United States, while not risking danger by importing terrorism to our homeland. Guantanamo Bay remains the safest place to house and try these dangerous individuals - it must stay open."

Griffin has been tapped by HASC Chairman Buck McKeon (R-CA) to focus on Guantanamo Bay because of his experience as a JAG officer in the U.S Army Reserve.

Griffin will participate in a press conference to discuss the visit at 12:30 p.m. ET, today in HVC Studio A in the Capitol Visitor Center.

Who: Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-CA); Armed Services Committee Vice Chairman and Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX); Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Rob Wittman (R-VA); Rep. Tim Griffin (R-AR), Army Reserve JAG officer; Rep. Bobby Schilling (R-IL)

What: Press Conference to Discuss Fact-Finding Trip to Inspect Guantanamo Bay Detention Facilities

When: 12:30 p.m. ET, Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Where: House Visitor's Center (HVC) Studio A

About Congressman Tim Griffin

Congressman Tim Griffin was elected the 24th representative of Arkansas's Second Congressional District on November 2, 2010. For the 112th Congress, he is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on the Judiciary while also serving as an Assistant Whip for the majority.

Griffin is a graduate of Hendrix College in Conway and Tulane Law School in New Orleans, and attended graduate school at Oxford University. He has served in the U.S. Army Reserve for 14 years, was deployed to Iraq and holds the rank of Major. He also served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas and Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush. Griffin lives in Little Rock with his wife Elizabeth and their two children.

Griffin's congressional offices are located in Little Rock and Washington, D.C., and are open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT, except for federal holidays. Office locations and directions are available online at www.Griffin.house.gov, by phone (501) 324-5941 or by writing the Office of Congressman Tim Griffin, 1232 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515.

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