Gun rights group, store ask Supreme Court to block city's ban on assault weapons, White House says GOP's debt limit bill would nix 2K border patrol agents, 81K VA health jobs, Russia missile attack on Ukraine injures 25, damages homes, Federal suit demands 'Radical Catholics' doc from FBI, Justice Department, Report: FAA overruled engineers, let Boeing Max keep flying. If convicted, Griffin faces up to a year in prison on each of the two charges against him: trespassing and disorderly conduct on restricted Capitol grounds. Evans resigned shortly after the insurrection and before he was charged, but he has flirted with an attempted political comeback. The verdict from a 12-member jury capped a two-day trial in Alamogordo, the community where Griffin served as an Otero County commissioner until he was banished from office last year for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Liberal groups have filed legal challenges in Arizona, New Mexico, North Carolina and Wisconsin seeking to block lawmakers accused of supporting the Jan. 6 rioters including some prominent Republican members of Congress from holding office under the Constitution. Griffin arrived in a cowboy hat, and the trial featured video footage of him on the Capitol grounds. A New Mexico judge on Tuesday removed Otero County commissioner Couy Griffin by invoking the 14th Amendment's prohibition on those who engaged in insurrection from serving in office. He also said that, if appealed, it could give the Supreme Court an opportunity to weigh in on this question without directly deciding on a case involving Trump. ", "Others like himI don't believe Cuoy would be dangerousbut others like him can and will be dangerous.". Military Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin sentenced for trespassing The New Mexico county commissioner said he merely went to the Capitol to pray with protesters By Tom Jackman and. . Prosecutors didnt give any opening statements. Anyone can read what you share. Judge Trevor McFadden found Griffin guilty in March of trespassing on restricted Capitol grounds but acquitted him on a separate disorderly conduct charge. Contacted Monday, Griffin expressed concern that registering Cowboys for Trump as a political group could lead to reprisals against donors. The day-long trial is also expected to feature video footage of the January 14, 2021 meeting of the Otero County commissioners, where Griffin addressed his involvement in the Capitol attack. The confidential agreement was offered to Griffin during discussions at a Monday court hearing in Washington, D.C., according to the Associated Press. Griffin said he and fellow commissioners don't see the process as trustworthy. It would be helpful if they would take this opportunity to rule really for the first time what Section 3 means.. State prosecutors accuse Griffin of a misdemeanor violation of failing to register as a political group, which is punishable by up to a year in prison and an additional $1,000 fine. The riot: On Jan. 6, 2021, a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election results. The outcome of Griffins trial also could have a ripple effect, helping others to decide whether to let a judge or a jury decide their case. He told Griffin, Youre not being sentenced for your beliefs about voting fraud and took aim at those advancing similar claims about fraud nationally. Couy Griffin had returned to DC and was taken into custody just blocks away from the Capitol after Capitol Police officers ran his license plate and noticed that he had an outstanding warrant. Two other defendants have pleaded guilty to brining unregistered firearms in their vehicles. Griffin responded afterward that he felt he was upholding his oath to make sure that our elections are transparent and legal and that he traveled to Washington to stand and peaceably protest and represent millions of other Americans that feel the same way that I do.. The difference is they didnt then decide to storm the Capitol building.. Not Couy Griffin, a New Mexico county commissioner and founder of Cowboys for Trump.. Cowboys for Trump cofounder Couy Griffin is confronting a trial by jury on charges that he failed to register a political organization without filing related public financial disclosures. Cuoy Griffin, a 1/6 suspect, says he doubts two of the fatalities caused by the insurrection. Mr. Struck has an immunity deal with prosecutors for his testimony. Mar 21, 2022, 9:53 AM Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, in Santa Fe, N.M., as hundreds of advocates for gun rights rallied at the New Mexico Statehouse. I'm not even so sure Ashli Babbitt is dead.". The strikes left 34 people injured, including three children, and caused widespread damage. US Capitol riot: Army reservist with secret-level security clearance The verdict from a 12-member jury capped a two-day trial in Alamogordo, the community where Griffin served as an Otero County commissioner until he was banished from office last year for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Since early 2020, Griffin has resisted pressure to register the group as a political committee, including filing an unsuccessful petition with the 10th District Court of Appeals. Couy Dale Griffin (born 1973) is a former politician who served from 2019 to 2022 as a county commissioner for District 2 of Otero County, New Mexico, which covers Tularosa, Three Rivers, La Luz, the western parts of Alamogordo, and the Mescalero Apache Reservation. as well as other partner offers and accept our. I love the smell of napalm in the air, Griffin said in an apparent reference to a line by Robert Duvalls character in the war movie Apocalypse Now.. GOP commission refuses to certify New Mexico primary vote A Trump-appointed judge disagreed with Griffin's explanation while rejecting a legal argument that he was being "selectively charged" for his political beliefs in July. While the decision of a state court isnt binding elsewhere, New York Universitys Daniel Hemel noted, it could embolden similar efforts to disqualify people from office with more direct ties to the insurrection up to and including Trump. Prosecutors called Matthew Struck, who traveled with Griffin to Washington, DC, and recorded videos of him on January 6. February 28, 2023, 1:31 PM SANTA FE, N.M. -- Cowboys for Trump cofounder Couy Griffin confronted a trial by jury Tuesday on charges that he failed to register a political organization without filing related public financial disclosures. Couy Griffin: New Mexico county commissioner removed from elected Frankly, I think thats completely legitimate, the judge said. We've received your submission. according to the Congressional Research Service, challenge to the candidacy of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, an Arizona man who was falsely pegged as an undercover F.B.I. If this ruling stands up on appeal, it sets a significant precedent for the next election cycle, said Gerard Magliocca, a constitutional scholar at Indiana University who has studied Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. McFadden acquitted Griffin of disorderly conduct but convicted him of the misdemeanor charge of entering a restricted building or grounds. Until Tuesday, none had succeeded. Defense lawyers plan to grill the Secret Service about ex-Vice President Mike Pence's whereabouts. Brent Stirton/Getty. Trump cowboy found not guilty of campaign finance charge More than 770 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. AP. Back in the studio, Drew Griffin said that Cuoy Griffin was "so far off the rails" with his belief in the conspiracy theories, that "I would dare to use the loaded term, he is brain-washed. Griffins disqualification from office is not only retroactive to Jan. 6, 2021; he is also barred for life from holding any civil or military office in the future. The Associated Press reported the confidential plea agre After already serving 20 days in jail, Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin avoided additional prison time Friday as he was sentenced for his participation in the pro-Trump mob that attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021. A key question in Griffins case is whether he entered a restricted area while Pence was still present on Capitol grounds, a prerequisite for the U.S. Secret Service to invoke access restrictions. Griffin is constitutionally disqualified from serving, the judge wrote. And a judge acquitted him of disorderly conduct. After his sentencing, Griffin implored reporters to follow up on discredited conspiracy theories about the Capitol doors mysteriously opening on Jan. 6, an Arizona man falsely accused of being an FBI agitator in the crowd, and the possibility that voting machines in New Mexico might be electronically hacked. (Griffin is the founder of a group called Cowboys for Trump, which has been promoted by the former president. At his sentencing, Griffin told the judge, I have huge respect for law enforcement and I am a respecter of the system. He said he had been a pastor before entering politics in Otero County. In a statement, the FBI's Washington Field Office told Insider that Couy Griffin, an elected Republican county commissioner in New Mexico, was detained Sunday afternoon by US Capitol Police,. But the last time the section of the amendment was enforced was in 1919, when Congress refused to seat a socialist member who was accused of giving aid and comfort to Germany during World War I. Thats hugely significant. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. McFadden said the "vast majority" of Capitol rioters who remained outside the building were "not charged at all," and he suggested that Griffin only faced prosecution if he hadn't "gone to such lengths to publicize his actions.". "I'm . By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Newsweek has contacted Cuoy Griffin's county commission office for comment. Matt Dahlseid/Santa Fe New Mexican, via Associated Press. This just went from being theoretical to being something that is legally recognized and legally possible, said Noah Bookbinder, director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonpartisan watchdog organization that filed suit against Mr. Griffin on behalf of a group of New Mexico residents. In addition to those legal arguments, the Justice Department asserted that pinpointing Pence's precise location on January 6 would jeopardize the continuing security of future vice presidents, including Vice President Kamala Harris. A New Mexico judge has ordered Otero County commissioner and "Cowboys for Trump" founder Couy Griffin to leave public office immediately for his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. When asked whether he and Griffin had decided it would be "inappropriate" to enter the Capitol building, Struck replied, "I don't think we discussed that.". Evidence at his trial showed that Griffin and his videographer climbed over various barricades and barriers, then clambered onto the inauguration stage in front of the Capitol and spent over an hour speaking through a bullhorn to the surging mob. It was a busy week to be covering government in Otero County, as the years-long saga surrounding County Commissioner Couy . He is out there, he still believes this stuff. Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin arrives at the Federal Court House in Washington, Monday, March 21, 2022. After being convicted at trial, many defendants wait quietly for their sentencing. A Trump appointee, McFadden handed down the verdict because Griffin elected for a so-called bench trial, in which a judge rather than a jury reviews evidence and determines guilt or innocence. Cowboys for Trump, which Griffin founded in 2019, is also under fire. Prosecutors played video clips that showed Griffin moving through the mob that formed outside the Capitol, where police used pepper spray to quell rioters. In an hourlong hearing, McFadden sentenced Griffin to 14 days in prison but credited him for 20 days the Cowboys for Trump founder had served while awaiting trial. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin skirted extra prison time for The dismissed charge against Griffin carried a potential punishment of up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Instead, Griffinwho previously served as a preacher at a "cowboy church"crossed barriers to reach an area outside the building where he used a bullhorn to lead the crowd of former President Donald Trump's enraged supporters in prayer. Handing down the sentence, McFadden called the January 6 attack on the Capitol a "national embarrassment" and a "dark day" for Washington, DC, and the country. Griffin invoked free speech protections in declining to register and disclose donors to Cowboys for Trump, while expressing concern that financial contributors might be harassed. The recent bench trial was a disturbing tale of two realities. Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin sentenced for trespassing agent who had instigated the mob that day. McFadden also ordered Griffin, a New Mexico county commissioner, to pay a $3,000 fine and ordered a yearlong period of probation. SANTA FE, N.M. -- Cowboys for Trump cofounder Couy Griffin was found not guilty Wednesday of a misdemeanor charge of failing to register a political committee at a trial in southern New Mexico. We SHOULD have won a grand slam on both counts. He also amplified his unfounded claims that the riot was a left-wing plot when he tweeted last month asking where is the investigation into the coordinated and PLANNED SET UP of Jan 6th!. In the cross-examination of Struck, a defense lawyer for Griffin used his questioning to underscore that the "Cowboys for Trump" co-founder was not violent on January 6 and did not enter the Capitol building itself. The Justice Department said in charging papers that, following the January 6 insurrection, Griffin recorded a video in which he claimed to have "climbed up on the top of the Capitol building" and stated his intention to return on January 20 the day then-President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. Griffin's lawyers say that unlike the other protesters, he did not enter the Capitol, but instead stood on the steps of the building urging on others with a bullhorn, Buzzfeed News reported. In court testimony, State Elections Director Mandy Vigil said that state regulators typically negotiate with political groups to encourage registration without seeking sanctions. SANTA FE, N.M. -- Cowboys for Trump cofounder Couy Griffin confronted a trial by jury Tuesday on charges that he failed to register a political organization without filing related public financial disclosures. He took to Twitter, court papers said, and complained that Judge McFadden had issued a PRE written guilty verdict, decrying it as pathetic and adding, I wonder who wrote it?. 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 attacked. There, Mr. Griffin spent more than an hour addressing the mob, at times speaking through a bullhorn. According to a court document, he wrote on Twitter that District Judge Trevor McFaddens PRE written response announcing the verdict was pathetic! But McFadden said Griffin's claimed contrition felt "in conflict" with his tweets and public statements. As a strategic matter, Im skeptical that disqualification under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment is the best way or even a productive way to fight back against anti-democratic forces across the country, Hemel said. 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 . Judge Unseats Official Who Trespassed at Capitol on Jan. 6, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/06/us/politics/jan-6-griffin-insurrection.html. The answer to that was yes, as the clip then segued into an interview with Babbitt's brother, Roger Witthoeft who described how close the siblings had been and how he was dealing with her loss. Griffins lawyer said he doesnt plan to call any defense witnesses. In several high-profile races, those who didnt storm the Capitol but were otherwise involved in the Jan. 6 proceedings have won their partys nomination. Mr. At the outset of the bench trial, McFadden confirmed that Griffin wanted his verdict decided by a judge rather than a jury. The 2024 presidential race begins: Will it be a repeat of 2020? Some have. McFadden dismissed that claim as "preposterous.". On January 6, my actions were taken as the result of my faith and that was why I went down to the Capitol on January 6, to go pray with people., Griffin said there was no signage, there was nothing that indicated I was going into a restricted or unauthorized zone. McFadden responded that was preposterous and you knew you shouldnt be there and you continued to do it., I suspect you were prosecuted because you went to great lengths to publicize your actions. But McFadden noted that Griffin had not entered the Capitol building itself but only trespassed on the grounds outside the building, putting him at what the judge called the "minimal end of criminality.". Griffin added. What now? Griffin was previously convicted in federal court of a misdemeanor for entering restricted U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, without going inside the building. Instead, he showed up Monday as a passenger in a pickup truck that had a horse trailer on the back. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Magliocca said the issue could arise in a number of ways moving forward and is ripe for the Supreme Court to litigate before Trump might run for and potentially win the presidency in 2024. He posted a video of himself to the Cowboys for Trump Facebook page on the following day, bragging that he had "climbed up on the top of the Capitol building" and had a "front row seat" to the riot. video timeline of what happened on Jan. 6. He was arrested and charged upon his return to Washington. Magliocca said the New Mexico decision could reverberate, not just for people like Mastriano, but if Democrats retain control of Congress and want to challenge the seating of certain Republicans tied to Jan. 6. Griffin is thinking about running for Catron County sheriff. He was arrested on January 17 and charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority. Smith asked Struck if anybody appeared to be riled up by the prayer that Griffin led. Truth is I was 1 for 1 with the US Government. But he found that Griffins actions met the standard set forth by the 14th Amendment, citing Griffins violent rhetoric and evidence of his actions at the Capitol. The network's correspondent said he learned from pursuing the story that many of those who had stormed the Capitol still believed the line pushed by former President Donald Trump and his allies that the election had been stolen. Couy Griffin - Wikipedia Griffin, one of three members of the Otero County Commission in southern New Mexico, is among a handful of riot defendants who either held public office or ran for a government leadership post in the 2 1/2 years before the attack. "I mean, who's to say that was have you seen anything of any of her family?" Feb 24 Who is the guy in the blue jacket? . Heres what the criminal referrals mean. More: Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin questions Capitol . The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colombia said that after the incident, he had posted a video to the Cowboys for Trump Facebook page stating that he "climbed up on the top of the Capitol building and . The actions and statements youve taken since then are in tension with that oath, the judge said. Advocates for that approach now have a victory under their belts, though. A New Mexico judge on Tuesday removed Otero County commissioner Couy Griffin by invoking the 14th Amendments prohibition on those who engaged in insurrection from serving in office. I lived a life devoted to the Lord, Griffin said. The disqualification of Berger, for instance, was later widely regarded as overreach. They are as mistaken as you are, McFadden said. He said he would participate in an Otero County commission meeting later Friday by phone to refuse to certify a recent election until the voting machines are inspected. What I was a part of was a peaceful protest where I joined shoulder-to-shoulder with like-minded patriots who have concerns about election integrity. 6.). Instead of taking his case to a jury, Griffin elected a bench trial with McFadden, an appointee of former president Donald Trump. A federal judge found Couy Griffin, a county commissioner from New Mexico and founder of the group "Cowboys For Trump," guilty on one of two counts stemming from the Capitol riot. Official Couy Griffin found guilty of illegally entering Capitol In closing arguments Wednesday, prosecutors argued that Griffin used Cowboys for Trump to explicitly link political advocacy to appeals for online donations, while flouting registration and financial disclosure requirements for political committees that are designed to ensure transparency and fairness in elections. As early as November 2020, the ruling said, Mr. Griffin attended Stop the Steal rallies in his home state, some of them with a militia group known as the New Mexico Civil Guard. (Berger was later seated after his espionage conviction was overturned.). Derrick Evans, was sentenced to three months in jail this summer for committing civil disorder on Jan. 6. In a segment on Anderson Cooper 360, Drew Griffin was recounting his interview with the founder of Cowboys for Trump, Cuoy Griffin, who is also a New Mexico county commissioner. The ruling declared the Capitol assault an insurrection and unseated Couy Griffin, a commissioner in New Mexicos Otero County and the founder of Cowboys for Trump, who was convicted earlier this year of trespassing when he breached barricades outside the Capitol during the attack. Jurors deliberated for more than nine hours before delivering the verdict. The sheer number of members of Congress who voted both against certifying the election and, later, to convict Donald Trump at his impeachment trial had few if any historical parallels. Five people died on that day or in the immediate aftermath, and 140 police officers were assaulted.