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Email Amy Barela. Griffin was booted from the board earlier in the week by court order due to his participation in the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Griffin could not only lose his seat on the commission but could also be barred from ever running for office again. Now its no longer the peoples choice. Watch Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin get arrested in Washington D.C. Couy Griffin has been charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority. [3], Griffin, who founded the organization Cowboys for Trump, was arrested in Washington, D.C., on January 17, 2021, for his alleged role in the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. WASHINGTON A federal judge on Tuesday convicted an elected official from New Mexico of illegally entering restricted US Capitol grounds but acquitted him of engaging in disorderly conduct duringthe riotthat disrupted Congress from certifyingJoe Bidens presidential election victory. The courts ruling today is a historic moment for our country. Regardless of what happens next, Bookbinder says this is the first time a court has ruled that what happened on Jan. 6 was an insurrection. Couy Griffin, an Otero County commissioner, responded to questioning in court, after watching a video of himself on U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021. Judge Mathew ruled Tuesday that Griffin was to be removed from his elected position and barred for life from holding any other elected federal and state positions. Couy Griffin is no longer the District 2 Otero County Commissioner per a ruling by District Judge Francis Mathew. The ruling also states that although the plaintiffs in the case presented evidence to support their claim, Griffin did not present any evidence for his defense. He breached security barriers outside of the building and eventually assumed a leadership role in the mob and egged on the violence, Mathew said in his ruling. Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin back in court - KRQE District Court Judge Francis Mathew ruled that Couy Griffin, an Otero County commissioner, is now disqualified from holding public office because he violated Section 3 of the Fourteenth. New Mexico county certifies election results, bowing to court order They are not above it. Leading up to Jan. 6, Griffin and his organization helped mobilize the "Stop the Steal" movement that falsely claimed Donald Trump's election defeat in 2020 was the result of widespread fraud, an assertion rejected by multiple courts, state election officials and members of his own administration, Mathew wrote. State District Court Judge Francis Mathew wrote in his decision that Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, founder of a group called "Cowboys for Trump," violated Section 3 of the 14th. The judge also said it would be preposterous to require the Secret Service, before it could enforce a given security perimeter, to announce in advance that a person under its protection was present. Judge removes Griffin from office for engaging in the January 6 Failing to be present at county commission meetings, Being unable to perform his duties within his district due to being banned from the sovereign nation and lands of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, Filming a video inside the County Commission Administration building to solicit funds for a political organization, Filing a travel voucher with the county to pay for events that did not relate to his duties as a county commissioner, Soliciting and receiving a donation from a restricted donor. [3], Griffin was elected to the three-member Otero County Commission in 2018, defeating Democratic candidate Christopher S. Jones with 65% of the vote. Griffin said he plans to appeal the ruling and that during the appeals process, he wont be representing himself. The Otero County Commission met Thursday for the first time since former Commissioner Couy Griffin was removed from office by court order earlier this week because of his participation in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Follow Source New Mexico on Facebook and Twitter. He said the civil lawsuit that led to it was unfair and "purely political." | Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Sackett said the resolution was preposterous. The left is always crying about how our democracy is under attack. In his ruling on the case, Mathew contended that Griffin was not eligible to . If you have questions about your subscription, please contact Customer Service atAlamogordoDailyNews@Gannett.com or call1-877-301-0013. I know that sometimes you travel down a hard road to get to a better road, but Gods a gracious God, and I think hes got me on that track., GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX, by Ryan Lowery, Source New Mexico September 9, 2022. The second proposed resolution is not the first which Otero County has considered in objection to New Mexico's public health emergency orders. Pence remained in the loading dock location for four to five hours, until the joint session of Congress resumed on the night of Jan. 6, Hawa testified. Couy Griffin found guilty, here's what it means to Otero County This has been the hardest time of my life, not that Im trying to get anybodys sympathy. "(Griffin) became constitutionally disqualified from federal and state positions specified (under the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment, Section 3) and forfeited his current office as Otero County Commissioner effective Jan. 6, 2021," Mathew's ruling states. Coronavirus: Otero County approves out-of-state travel resolution Couy Griffin is no longer the District 2 Otero County Commissioner per a ruling by District Judge Francis Mathew. [15], Supporters of the recall against Griffin filed paperwork with the New Mexico Twelfth Judicial District Court on March 11, 2021, requesting a hearing to determine if their recall petition could be circulated. And in May, officials in Georgia ruled that Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene could remain on the ballot after her role in the Capitol riot. Judge: Now Imgoing to ask you again, who drafted those pleadings? Griffin was released from federal prison on February 5, 2021. I love the smell of napalm in the air, Griffin said in an apparent reference to a quote from the war movie Apocalypse Now.. Phone: 575-491-7265. More:Couy Griffin released from pretrial detention after being held on Capitol riot charges, More:Matherly, Marquardt demand Griffin resign from Otero County Commission. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Behind US recruitment woes, Joes risky alternative strategy and other commentary, Pence testifies for 7 hours before Jan. 6 grand jury after Trumps bid to block him fails, Former Rep. Liz Cheney to publish book warning of Trump threat, Capitol rioter who crushed officer with shield gets 7 years. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. Humility, brother, he said with a chuckle. What kind of security issues does that raise if the Secret Service is required to tell people who is in a restricted area, for the restricted area to have teeth? McFadden asked. [5][6], Recall supporters said Griffin had used the office for personal gain. The video also showed he spent more than an hour on the front railing of the inaugural stage with a bullhorn, ignoring the lingering odor of police-deployed pepper spray and leading the crowd below in prayer. Griffin, who attended proceedings in a black cowboy hat, left the courthouse in D.C. echoing former president Donald Trumps baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen. Brazilian police and environmental protection agents were ambushed by illegal gold miners on the Yanomami Indigenous reservation in the Amazon on Monday and four miners were shot dead in the exchange of gunfire, a government statement said. Of the many agenda items concerning the commissioner on the April 8 agenda, the item that generated the most contentious discussion was the ratification of a press release that Commissioners Gerald Matherly and Vickie Marquardt -- both Republicans -- sent to media calling for Griffin's resignation. A federal judge on Tuesday convicted Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin of trespassing in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, handing the Justice Department its second victory at trial in the probe and affirming its use of an unusual misdemeanor charge against breach participants who, like Griffin, were not violent. Maureen Cohen Harrington via Storyful, Storyful, U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment's Disqualification Clause, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Couy Griffin first elected official barred from office for participating in Jan. 6 attack. Griffin says he was not violent while at the Capitol that day and wasn't aware that he was trespassing at the time. ", Mares did not elaborate on what "moral turpitude" entails. He covers politics and criminal justice and has reported on New Mexico for the Las Vegas Optic, Santa Fe Reporter, Los Angeles Times and others. Both carry maximum sentences of one years imprisonment. Nora Meyers Sackett, a spokesperson for Gov. Couy Griffin removed from District 2 Otero County Commissioner seat This decision marks the first time since 1869 that a court has disqualified a public official under Section 3, and . FILE - Otero County, New Mexico Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks to reporters as he arrives at federal court in Washington, June 17, 2022. Otero County Courthouse: 13 West 3rd Street. Struck has an immunity deal with prosecutors for his testimony. Otero County, N.M., Commissioner Couy Griffin was arrested Sunday for illegally entering the Capitol on Jan. 6. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Griffin and his two fellow commissioners voted to conduct the audit despite concerns about its legality noted by County Attorney R.B. I only know him by his first name, which his first name is Hiramand hes not a licensed attorney, hes not a BAR-certified attorney, hes a friend of mine who knows the law.. [9], That is to prayerfully hold the line on a constitutional side, to fight for individual rights, individual liberties and individual freedoms which I believe that by God's grace I have been able to do today. In September 2022, it was employed by a judge in New Mexico, who removed Couy Griffin, a county commissioner in Otero County, from office for his participation in the January 6 insurrection. His lawyers argued that he was selectively prosecuted for his political views. District Court Judge Manuel Arrieta ruled in favor of the recall effort. Commissioners | Otero County Prior to the verdict, the New Mexico Attorney General's Office discussed what a conviction would mean for the Otero County Commission, where Griffin holds the District 2 seat. Attempts by the Alamogordo Daily News to contact Griffin about the ruling were unsuccessful. He claims the plaintiffs in the case were from liberal counties in the state and were being supported by liberal groups. Otero County Commission Vice-Chairman Couy Griffin sponsored two resolutions on the Commission's agenda: one calling for the FBI to investigate the destruction of the Soldier's Monument in Santa Fe, and another labeling New Mexico Gov. 7 Apr. Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter. "I didn't have any intent of being a part of an insurrection or a violent mob. "(Griffin) became constitutionally disqualified from federal and state positions specified (under the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment, Section 3) and forfeited his current office as Otero County Commissioner effective Jan. 6, 2021," Mathew's ruling states. It is named for Miguel Antonio Otero, the territorial governor when the county was created. Approximately 100 others have trial dates. Monday - Friday 8 am to 5 pm. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. US District Judge Trevor McFadden heard one day of testimony without a jury on Monday before handing down a verdict in the misdemeanor case against Otero County CommissionerCouy Griffin, a 48-year-old former rodeo rider who helped found a group called Cowboys for Trump. Griffin was arrested when he returned to Washington on Jan. 17, 2021, after saying during an Otero County Commission meeting that he planned to return for Bidens inauguration with his .357 Henry Big Boy rifle and single action revolver. Otero County Commissioner and founder of Cowboys for Trump. Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin leaves the federal court in Washington on March. Couy Griffin (@CowboyCouy) / Twitter Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin skirted extra prison time for By allowing this case to move forward, youre going to set a very dangerous precedent, said Griffin. [4] The New Mexico Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's ruling on June 28, 2021, allowing the recall effort to move forward. Couy Griffin removed from Otero County Commission, disqualified from I feel like I was just really railroaded," Griffin said. More than 230 riot defendants have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors, and at least 127 of them have been sentenced. Defense attorney Nicholas Smith said the case against Griffin was built on a series of false assumptions and premises. Trial testimony showed Griffin went to the Capitol to support free and fair elections, Smith told the judge. Federal courts | Otero County commissioner files restraining order against Couy Griffin The Washington Post has reported that at least 163 Republicans who have embraced Trumps false claims are running for statewide positions that would give them authority over the administration of elections. "His protestations and his characterizations of his actions and the events of Jan. 6, 2021 are not credible and amounted to nothing more than attempting to put lipstick on a pig," Mathew's ruling states. Griffin said the allegations against him were baseless and politically motivated. An unusual series of items is scheduled for discussion at the March 11 Otero County Commission. Amy Barela District 2 Commissioner. [1], Recall supporters filed paperwork on March 11, 2021. But its been very difficult for me, Griffin said. He turned down an offer to plead to a lesser charge and probation, waived a trial by jury and took his chances with McFadden. Judge Mathew ordered that effective immediately, Griffin is "barred for life" from serving as a senator, congressman, elector or from holding any civil or military office federally or in any state. In a court filing, prosecutors called Griffin an inflammatory provocateur and fabulist who engages in racist invective and propounds baseless conspiracy theories, including that Communist China stole the 2020 Presidential Election.. State executives | Prosecutors played video clips that showed Griffin moving through the mob that formed outside the Capitol, where police used pepper spray to quell rioters. White, Mitchell and Lakind were represented by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the New Mexico-based law firms of Freedman Boyd Hollander and Goldberg P.A, Dodd Law Office, LLC, and the Law Office of Amber Fayerberg, LLC, as well as by Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC. Tweets. Griffin was arrested on Jan. 18, 2021after being charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building relating to his participation in theCapitol riot. My own actions were lawful.". State legislature | Earlier this year in New Mexico, Otero County commissioners at first declined to certify the county's primary election, citing baseless claims about the security of voting machines. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Griffins trial in Washington, DC, was the second among the hundreds of federal cases arising from the Jan. 6, 2021, siege. Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter. | Instead, he will be hiring some great legal minds.. District Court Judge Francis Mathew ruled that Couy Griffin, an Otero County commissioner, is now disqualified from holding public office because he violated Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment by participating in the Jan. 6 siege. Judge Unseats Official Who Trespassed at Capitol on Jan. 6 The outcome of Griffins trial could have a ripple effect, helping other Capitol riot defendants decide whether to let a judge or a jury decide their case. I think that its just very difficult that I dont have the respect of being able to be out by Friday without having the county sheriff or the sheriffs department standing guard.. They are not above it. [2] District Court Judge Manuel Arrieta ruled on April 8, 2021, that the recall effort could move forward. Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Its the governors choice.. Griffins trial posed a different legal test, requiring U.S. prosecutors to prove that the defendant knowingly breached a restricted area where then-Vice President Mike Pence or others receiving Secret Service protection were or would be present. [3] The case against Griffin was initially filed in March by three New Mexico residents who argued Griffin should be removed from his elected position for violating the Constitution, specifically because of his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. McFadden, an appointee of President Donald Trump, said there was ample evidence that Griffin knew he was in a restricted area and didnt leave. Judge Mathews decision is a signal to elected officials everywhere who want to snub their noses at the constitution, foment mob violence and disobey the law, said Mario Jimenez, executive director of Common Cause New Mexico, in a news release. In Tuesdays decision, Judge Mathew ruled that Griffin had broken his oath to support the Constitution when he participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack in Washington, D.C., violating Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. Thats also when he learned he no longer had access to his county office, and that his county-issued computer had been removed from his office. The Albuquerque Journal has reported that Griffin's commission term concludes at the end of the year, but that he is considering a run for sheriff. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. He was charged with "knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority," according to the Alamogordo Daily News. In July, Griffin filed a motion to quash the lawsuit. Griffin was removed from office under theU.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment's Disqualification Clause, which states that an elected official may be removed from their position for acts against the government, including insurrection which some experts have labeled the events of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots. But Griffin also used the final minute of his allotted time to address his removal from office, telling those in attendance that his computer was seized by county officials before he was notified that District Court Judge Francis J. Mathew had ruled Griffin could no longer serve in his elected position or any other for the rest of his life. [3], Griffin also said the recall hearing proceedings were tilted against him as Judge Manuel Arrieta had been appointed by a Democratic governor. Griffins nameplate and chair were both absent from the dais as the two remaining commissioners called the regular meeting to order. He has supported a $50,000 taxpayer-funded audit of the 2020 election results in the small conservative county, whose 24,000 votes Trump carried by 25 percentage points. "I just want those that have already come to the conclusion that I'm guilty, I just again ask you to put the brakes on a little bit and let the legal process take place," Griffin said. CREW represented three New Mexico residents who brought the civil lawsuit against Griffin this past March and called for him to be removed. The quo warranto complaintasking for Griffin's removal from office was filed by Marco White on Santa Fe County, Mark Mitchell of Los Alamos County and Leslie Lakind of Santa Fe County. How to vote | Marquardt and Matherly, along withNew Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas, asked Griffin to resign following his Jan. 17 arrest in which he was charged withknowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority by federal authorities foris participation in the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol building. Griffin, an ardent conspiracy theorist who refused to certify the state's primary election results this summer in Otero County, told CNN he has been ordered to clean out his office and. Otero County, N.M., Commissioner Couy Griffin stands outside the federal court after receiving a verdict in his trial on March 22, 2022 in Washington. New Mexico StateAuditor Brian Coln said his office's work would continue in the face of the conviction. Some Republicans in Washington state cast a wary eye on an election security device, Scandal-plagued Rep. Madison Cawthorn is ousted in North Carolina primary, Georgia officials rule that Marjorie Taylor Greene can remain on the ballot. Griffin, who is defending himself, said he went to Washington D.C. to peacefully protest and pray. I kind of was bracing myself because I figured that it was going to go this way, Griffin said. An effort to recall Couy Griffin (R) from his position as the District 2 representative on the Otero County Commission in New Mexico did not go to a vote in 2021. The three New Mexicans were not the only ones who expressed interest in removing Griffin from office. The courts ruling today is a historic moment for our country. In his ruling on the case, Mathew contended that Griffin was not. Well what bigger example is there whenever the courts remove a duly elected representative only to make way for the governor to hand select who she wants to represent the people? Griffin said. It really looked a whole lot like what the framers of the Fourteenth Amendment had in mind.". "I don't think it's fair to accuse me of insurrection," he says. As of 1 p.m. March 22, Otero County had not responded to inquiries for comment from theAlamogordo Daily News. Couy Griffin @CowboyCouy . 1,584 Following. Protecting our democracy cannot be optional the people of Otero County deserve elected officials committed to protecting and upholding our laws.. Mr. Griffins removal and bar from holding office again is a step towards obtaining justice and restoring the rule of law, Dodd Law Office, LLC President Christopher Dodd said in a Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington news release. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. We've received your submission. Couy Griffin arrives for trial in Washington, D.C. Cowboys for Trump founder guilty of illegally entering US Capitol grounds in Jan. 6 riot, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. He [Griffin] crossed over three walls, McFadden said. Video from that day shows Griffin "working up" supporters of Trump against then-Vice President Mike Pence, the court says. A key question in Griffins case was whether he entered a restricted area while Vice President Mike Pence was still present on Capitol grounds, a prerequisite for the US Secret Service to invoke access restrictions. Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals, Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; editing by Jonathan Oatis, Texas man accused of killing five neighbors was deported four times, US may default June 1 without debt ceiling hike; Biden calls McCarthy to meet, US to end COVID vaccination requirements on May 11 for foreign travelers, federal workers, Biden urges Republicans take debt default off table, warns interest rates would jump, Brazil police shoot dead 4 illegal gold miners on Yanomami reservation, British royals release photo of a beaming Princess Charlotte, UK retailers report record food inflation but see falls ahead, US lawmakers dig into partisan corners as debt ceiling default looms, Sudanese fleeing north face arduous crossing into Egypt. Griffin told NPR he will appeal this latest ruling. Replies. However, after Griffin was arrested in January 2021, Otero County business could continue so long as a quorum of at least two county commissioners were present at Otero County Commission meetings, the meetings can continue. District 2 Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, 48 of Tularosa, was found guilty in federal court March 22 during a bench trial for trespassing on federal grounds during the during the . Griffin is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17. Address 1101 New York Avenue Alamogordo, NM 88310 Each speaker was given three minutes to address the commission, and Griffin used his time to discuss two items on the agenda funding for a road and a contract extension for the county attorney. Gemunu Amarasinghe / AP file "I have huge concerns with the voting machines," said Commissioner. A criminal court convicted Griffin of misdemeanor trespassing on Jan. 6, which he plans to appeal. "But now we had this thing happen where people in the U.S. engaged in an armed insurrection to stop the legally mandated counting of votes and the peaceful transfer of power. Attempts by the Alamogordo Daily News to contact Griffin about the ruling were unsuccessful. "His protestations and his characterizations of his actions and the events of Jan. 6, 2021 are not credible and amounted to nothing more than attempting to put lipstick on a pig," Mathew's ruling states. The ruling also states that although the plaintiffs in the case presented evidence to support their claim, Griffin did not present any evidence for his defense. Griffin was charged with two misdemeanors: entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds. Commissioners ultimately voted 2-1 for certification, with Griffin the lone no vote. She's the current county commissioner for the area.. La Junta, CO 81050 (719) 383-3000. In the first trial of a felony defendant earlier this month, a jury deliberated barely two hours before finding Guy Reffitt guilty on all five counts, convicting the recruiter for a self-styled Texas militia movement of felony charges including obstruction of an official proceeding, witness tampering and interfering with police in a riot.

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