Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd called the suspect a bad rapper and also compared him to a "baby" at a news conference. The decision interrupts a string of adverse legal decisions for Griffin, who remains barred from elected office under a judges decision upheld by the New Mexico Supreme Court in February. FILE - Otero County, New Mexico Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks to reporters as he arrives at federal court in Washington, June 17, 2022. 1 dead, 1 hospitalized after shooting on East Central. The extra trip to New York City exceeds the scope of the authorized travel, court records state. In a pretrial order Friday, McFadden rejected the first argument, saying many others drawn to the Capitol have been charged and that Griffins leadership role and more blatant conduct at the scene might rationally merit different handling by prosecutors. In each of these cases, Griffin has associated criminality with his organization, Cowboys for Trump. Couy Griffin's Wife, Children Griffin is currently single, he was previously married to his girlfriend Kourtnie A Gates, but they were divorced in 2019. In bond proceedings but not in Mondays trial, prosecutors have cited videos in which Griffin also said he planned to return armed to Washington for Joe Bidens inauguration with his .357 Henry big boy rifle and single action revolver and rhetorically suggested the blood of political foes could be spilled at the Capitol in defense of the right to bear firearms. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Sanchez presented the allegations to Arrieta even after Griffin left the hearing. You are embarrassing yourself. Judge removes Otero County's Couy Griffin for Jan. 6 role : NPR But this is also a man who beat a "Mom and Pop business" that has 5 kids out of thousands of dollars. Lawsuit filed to remove Couy Griffin from office - CREW | Citizens for Dozens of Democrat elected officials decided to pass on president Joe Biden's speech in Maryland, opting instead to attend a tribute concert. Subscribe now to access decluttered news, chosen by you. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the worlds stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. Why on earth would someone put their reputation on the line for a person who is being exposed as a fraud and financial scammer? Couy Griffin back in court to fight for his job - Yahoo! News Prosecutors plan to call a Secret Service inspector and Capitol police inspector later on Monday. Prosecutors rested their case after Hawas testimony, but McFadden called her to return Tuesday morning. In response to the allegations, Griffin said in the April 7 email that "As far as Im concerned I will stand on the same principle Ive stated over and over. Oh, the furs and clothing, nope sorry Couy dont pay for clothing either, my bad. The ruling comes after lawyers for Griffin's ex-wife, Kourtnie, filed an emergency motion in May to modify their custody and visitation agreement. Trump cowboy seeks 2nd act in politics after U.S. Capitol breach So it becomes a security issue when they [rioters] were surrounding a secure site and potentially taking away options for our routes out, said Hawa, who is a veteran of the force for 23 years and served as the Pence security details liaison for his trip to the Capitol. The testimony resolves a mystery over Pences precise location during the attack, which defense attorneys for Griffin had sought to exploit and won permission from a federal judge in Washington to probe with a live Secret Service witness over the Justice Departments objections. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Couy gotarrestedon 17 January 2021 incharge of his connection in the riots at the U.S. Capitol. Couy isAmericanby nationality as he is a native of New Mexico. General Flynn is suing the federal government for $50 million. In 2019, he forged a group of rodeo acquaintances into the promotional group Cowboys for Trump, which staged horseback parades to spread then-President Donald Trumps conservative message on issues such as gun rights and illegal immigration. Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, the founder of Cowboys for Trump, takes in the view from his ranch in Tularosa, N.M., on Wednesday, May 12, 2021. Still waiting on jury deliberations. Federal prosecutors have offered Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin a plea agreement over charges that he illegally entered barricades during the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on January. Griffin said in a text message that he felt blessed to be judged by a jury of peers in his home community and has never felt as vindicated.. (Griffin is the founder of a group called Cowboys for Trump, which has been promoted by the former president. Griffin ignores the fact that his position as an elected official puts him in a different and nonprotected category from other rioters, McFadden said. Jury weighs whether Cowboys for Trump flouted campaign law Couy Griffin, who was charged for breaching the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, is disappointed the former president didn't follow through on his promise to jail Hillary Clinton. He shouldnt be punished for showing his pride in his country, Miller said. Representatives from the Otero County Clerk's Office were at the hearing, including attorney Daniel Ivey-Soto who was appearing on behalf of the County Clerk' Office. Pastor Dewey and his wife, Sharon founded FGGAM in August of 2012. Here are 13 more things about Couy: He began his career in Wild West shows and worked in Paris from 2000 to 2005. The group said this week seek arbitration in a fight with the New Mexico Secretary of State over fines and required reports. 2023 www.alamogordonews.com. If you dont believe me, ask all those who thought Dennis Rader was such a nice guy. We proceeded and the judge found for us.". Perhaps leadership is knowingly/financially or literally in bed with the candidate? Kourtnie Griffin, an Iraqi war veteran, understands "passions for God and country" and believes her ex-husband has a right to express his views, her lawyers said. It states his conduct resultedin his banishment from the Mescalero Apache Reservation, that he used county resources for non-commission reasons namely forGriffin's political advocacy companyCowboys for Trump, filing an improper travel voucher and violating the Gift Act when he received approximately $3,500 from a restricted donor to pay back the travel reimbursement from the travel voucher. That's what Otero County's District 2 Commissioner Couy Griffin alleged at a May 17 gathering in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Couy rarely would make headlines before his arrest. Hes going to run, and weve got to know whether hes allowed to run or not, Magliocca said. New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver is a Democrat who has called Trump the election denier-in-chief.. New images show Couy Griffin scaling barricade during Capitol riots A jury will consider this week whether the support group Cowboys for Trump and cofounder Couy Griffin violated state election law by failing to register as a political organization without filing related public financial disclosures. 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. FILE - Otero County, New Mexico Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks to reporters as he arrives at federal court in Washington, June 17, 2022. Copyright 2023 The Western Journal. I mean my goodness why on earth would you leave town with bald tires and faulty windshield wipers? Miller, a public defender, said Griffin's intention was to speak boldly and openly about common sense convictions and national pride without yielding to government control through the regulation of nonprofit groups. A grain-mill fire broke out in New Zealand on Thursday, with a fire official saying the plant was being "treated as a crime scene.". Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern, indem Sie auf unseren Websites und Apps auf den Link Datenschutz-Dashboard klicken. Griffin is one of at least 10 people charged in the riot who either held public office or ran for a government leadership post in the two-and-a-half years before the attack, according to an Associated Press tally. Griffin, the Cowboys for Trump founder and an Otero County commissioner, was arrested in Washington on Jan. 17, 2021, after allegedly posting a video on Facebook of himself on the inauguration stage next to the Capitol within the barricaded perimeter of its grounds during the Jan. 6 siege. Mr Griffin, a county official in Otero County, New Mexico, added that the aftermath of the election had added to difficulties with relatives and his divorced wife. It would be helpful if they would take this opportunity to rule really for the first time what Section 3 means.. It is their calling by God that established this ministry. Couy Griffin Wife- Is He Married? 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. The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards. Cowboys for Trump co-founder 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. Copyright 2020 Millions of Celebs. Also worth weighing here, Hemel noted, is whether disqualification is an appropriate remedy. 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. "To mount a meaningful defense Griffin must be allowed to test the veracity of the Government's contention that Vice President Pence was on the Capitol grounds during the relevant period," McFadden ruled. The C4T GoFundMe page states that all monies given will be a direct donation to founder Couy Griffin and will be used as Couy sees fit to move the organization forward, according to records. Trumps attack on democracy after the November 2020 election started out as an attempt to use the judicial process to deprive voters of their choice of leader. Griffin elected to have a bench trial, meaning a Trump-appointed judge rather than a jury of 12 will review the evidence and decide his fate. Effort to bar Jan. 6 figures from office notches historic win. But, he hasnt revealed the identity of his son. Conlee set up the original Cowboys for Trump GoFundMe page, court records show. McFadden, a former Virginia police officer and Justice Department criminal division official under the George W. Bush and Trump administrations, earlier admonished prosecutors for a sloppy mistake last year in which they claimed for months in court filings that vice president-elect Kamala D. Harris was also present on Capitol grounds during the attack. Biden enlists potential rivals as advisers ahead of 2024, Their toddler took a nap in an Airbnb and fentanyl killed her, removed Otero County commissioner Couy Griffin, to disqualify Socialist Rep. Victor Berger in 1919, sought to disqualify several members of Congress. Kourtnie Griffin, an Iraqi war veteran, understands passions for God and country and believes her ex-husband has a right to express his views, her lawyers said. 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. More:Griffin gets guns back, but only at home, Although Griffin's trip to Washington, D.C. in September 2019 was initially for the proper reason of attending a regional county commissioners conference, the reason stated on a travel voucher submitted by Griffin was "meeting with President.". Success in the latter scenario remains unlikely, especially in the absence of a criminal conviction. Karl, ABCs chief Washington correspondent, said last November in promoting his new book, Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show, that he had seen images taken by a White House photographer with Pence that day showing where he, his wife, Karen, and daughter Charlotte Pence Bond waited out the Capitol breach. "Pretty soon, it was like a huge, amazing Trump rally," Griffin said. Federal judge reverses detention order for N.M. county commissioner facing trial in Jan. 6 riot. New Mexico and ABQ News, Sports, Business and more, By Nicole Maxwell / Alamogordo Daily News Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul. 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. In my next musing I will explore Couys court records more thoroughly. The hearing was only to establish probable cause, in other words to determine if there wasevidence of truth to the charges alleged. For the first time since the War of 1812, the U.S. Capitol was breached. 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. . In a written closing statement in court, he had argued that he had been at the Capitol to lobby vice president Mike Pence to not certify the election results, and that, In no way does that pertain to nor support insurrection/rebellion, reported the Albuquerque Journal. Updated: March 23, 2022 - 2:43 PM Published: January 6, 2022 - 1:40 PM ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Couy Griffin, Cowboys for Trump founder and Otero County commissioner, was arrested last year for his. A Luna County man was arrested Monday for allegedly beating his older brother to death while he slept at their home outside of Deming. CNN A federal judge on Tuesday found Couy Griffin, a founder of Cowboys for Trump and the second January 6 defendant to go on trial as part of the Justice Department's massive prosecution,. Seriously girl, its time to come off your knees and wipe your chin. This would explain why Couys GoFundMe Page has beneficiary as a Deborah Foley, not Couy Griffin or his sister Kayrn Kay Griffin as being the beneficiary for supposedly Couys Legal Fund. Couy Griffin, a 48-year-old Republican elected official from Alamogordo, N.M., and founder of a pro-Donald Trump grass-roots group, had challenged U.S. prosecutors to prove Pence's whereabouts . Manage the news you want to see, read exclusive content and explore other subscriber benefits. On Sept. 23, 2019, Griffin submitted a travel voucher for $3,237, which included straight per-diem, meaning he did not submit receipts for the trip. N.M. Attorney General investigating Cowboys for Trump's Couy Griffin How about that? Griffin said in the video. Unlike that trial, which featured felony charges, Griffin was accused only of misdemeanor offenses. You want to say that was a mob? The dismissed charge against Griffin carried a potential punishment of up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Regardless, they said the law only requires that Pence was at the complex or "would be" returning to prove that Griffin unlawfully entered a Secret Service-protected area. But she "did not take her minor child to war with her" as Couy Griffin is doing by taking their son to President Donald Trump campaign events during a pandemic, the attorneys said. You know, and if we do, then its going to be a sad day, because theres going to be blood running out of that building. Trump cowboy found not guilty of campaign finance charge Indeed, Griffin has been that talk of the town since the news of his arrest swirled in the media. Otero Commissioners to discuss calls for resignation of Couy Griffin on Thursday, banishment from the Mescalero Apache Reservation, approximately $3,500 from a restricted donor, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Mike Pence's whereabouts on Jan. 6 confirmed during trial of Couy South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh has been found guilty on all four counts in connection with the 2021 murders of his wife and son. 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. ", Get caught up:Otero Commissioners to discuss calls for resignation of Couy Griffin on Thursday. What now? (Berger was later seated after his espionage conviction was overturned.). Hemel added: I wouldnt want Couy Griffin to be my county commissioner, or anyones county commissioner, but I think defenders of democracy need to think long and hard about whether judicial disqualification is the wisest approach.. They include GOP gubernatorial nominees Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania and Dan Cox in Maryland, who both organized buses for the Stop the Steal rally. 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. Griffin is reviled and revered in. SANTA FE, N.M. -. Last year, he became the first elected official to be banished from elected office in connection with the Capitol incursion. The disqualification of Berger, for instance, was later widely regarded as overreach.