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." Trump cowboy Couy Griffin found not guilty of. Stay up to date with what you want to know. But Griffin has resisted pressure to register the group as a political committee, including filing an unsuccessful petition to the 10th District Court of Appeals. Prosecutors didnt give any opening statements. Mr. Griffin represented himself in the 14th Amendment case. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider I'm not even so sure Ashli Babbitt is dead.". Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin arrives at the Federal Court House in Washington, Monday, March 21, 2022. Not Couy Griffin, a New Mexico county commissioner and founder of Cowboys for Trump.. But the judge had harsh words for Griffin, who maintained during his sentencing hearing Friday that he was unaware that the grounds outside the Capitol were restricted on January 6. WASHINGTON An elected official from New Mexico went to trial with a judge not a jury set to decide if he is guilty of charges that he illegally entered the U.S. Capitol grounds on the daya pro-Trump mobdisrupted the certification of Joe Bidens presidential election victory. This is a battle and a war we cannot lose, Mr. Griffin said. Griffins attorneys said in a court filing that Pence had already departed the restricted area before the earliest that Griffin could have entered it, but Secret Service inspector Lanelle Hawa testified that Pence never left the restricted area during the riot. 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. Two other defendants have pleaded guilty to brining unregistered firearms in their vehicles. Griffins case differs from the others in one crucial way: He was actually part of the crowd that stormed the Capitol and was later convicted of his role. SCOTUS Now Just Another Congressional Committee, Trump Ramps up Attacks on DeSantis: 'Dropping Like a Rock', Russian Strikes on Pavlohrad Aim to Hamper Ukraine's Counteroffensive, Greg Abbott Criticized for Response to Texas Shooting: 'A New Low', Democrat Sold First Republic Stock, Bought JP Morgan Before Collapse, Conservative Influencers Struggle With Countering Biden's Messaging. Griffin has been investigated by the state for corruption and is currently facing a recall effort, with around one-third of the required recall petition signatures having been gathered as of last week. Griffin is constitutionally disqualified from serving, the judge wrote. Derrick Evans, was sentenced to three months in jail this summer for committing civil disorder on Jan. 6. Griffins marching with the mob all the way to the inaugural stage, knowing the mobs insurrectionary purpose, likewise constitutes an overt act.. Griffins lawyer said he doesnt plan to call any defense witnesses. 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. 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. Struck received immunity for his testimony. He acknowledged that Griffin was not criminally convicted of insurrection and there is no evidence that Griffin engaged in violence himself. A judge said Couy Griffin's stated remorse for January 6 conflicted with incendiary public comments. Reffitt's trial presented a test for the Justice Department as it undertakes an investigation it has called "unprecedented," and the conviction marked a significant victory in the nearly 800 prosecutions related to the January 6 attack. I dont think justice was served, Griffin said of his case in a radio interview earlier this month. 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. ", "Others like himI don't believe Cuoy would be dangerousbut others like him can and will be dangerous.". AP. A judge said Couy Griffin's stated remorse for January 6 conflicted with incendiary public comments. WASHINGTON A judge in New Mexico on Tuesday ordered a county commissioner convicted of participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol removed from office under the 14th Amendment, making him the first public official in more than a century to be barred from serving under a constitutional ban on insurrectionists holding office. His lawyer, David Smith, requested two months probation. "There's nothing illegal about that You feel clearheaded now?" I went with the heart to pray with people, and that's what I did.". Couy Griffin serves as District 2 Otero County Commissioner and Otero County Commission Vice Chairman in New Mexico, according to the Alamogordo Daily News. Thanks for contacting us. Why Gov. Prosecutors played video clips that showed Griffin moving through the mob that formed outside the Capitol, where police used pepper spray to quell rioters. His advisory sentencing guideline range for the misdemeanor conviction was zero to six months. And while circumstances might make that difficult to replicate, its nonetheless a historic marker of what transpired 20 months ago. Judge Trevor McFadden served as a top Justice Department official in the Trump administration before the Senate confirmed him in 2017 to the federal trial court in Washington, DC. A judge in New Mexico declared Tuesday that the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was an "insurrection" as he ruled that Otero County Commissioner and "Cowboys for Trump" founder Couy Griffin must be . "I'm not convinced even a little bit," the judge said. Jurors deliberated for more than nine hours before delivering the verdict. We have not had to escalate the process for any other political committee, Vigil said. Plenty of history very bad history was made on Jan. 6, 2021. Some have sought to wield that seldom-invoked provision against members of Congress, without success, and even floated using it against Trump. Also worth weighing here, Hemel noted, is whether disqualification is an appropriate remedy. 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. He claims he has been selectively prosecuted for his political views. What now? 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. Griffin, a county commissioner in New Mexico, is the second accused participant in the Capitol attack to go to trial on January 6-related charges. While still a county commissioner, Griffin joined with Republican colleagues in refusing to certify results of the June 2022 primary election based on distrust of the voting systems used to tally the vote, even though the countys election official said there were no problems. as well as other partner offers and accept our. The actions and statements youve taken since then are in tension with that oath, the judge said. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Since Jan. 6, activists have sought to disqualify several members of Congress who supported questioning or overturning the 2020 election results, including Reps. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.) Instead of taking his case to a jury, Griffin elected a bench trial with McFadden, an appointee of former president Donald Trump. 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.". 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.. Mazza is the second person to be convicted of carrying a handgun in the Capitol riot, with charges pending against a third. 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.". The dismissed charge against Griffin carried a potential punishment of up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. The final hearing: The House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol held its final public meeting where members referred four criminal charges against former president Donald Trump and others to the Justice Department. 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. Federal prosecutors had pointed out that the secretary of state in New Mexico has asked for a criminal investigation into Griffins actions in refusing to certify the primary election there. Even after his criminal conviction, Mr. Griffin, a bombastic man who briefly considered riding a horse to his sentencing at the courthouse in Washington, continued to publicly disparage the case and insult the judge who heard it. Griffin has made a series of controversial statements calling for violence against his political opponents. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. I dont want the state of New Mexico to know who has supported Cowboys for Trump. At a stop in The Woodlands, Texas, on Jan. 1, 2021, the ruling said, Mr. Griffin urged a crowd to view the attempts to overturn the election as a last-ditch fight, comparing it to the famous standoff at the Alamo. 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?. Speaking to another crowd, he called on men from across our nation to come to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, because it might be a battle.. 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. had a first row seat.". They include GOP gubernatorial nominees Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania and Dan Cox in Maryland, who both organized buses for the Stop the Steal rally. He was arrested and charged upon his return to Washington. More than 230 riot defendants have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors, and at least 127 of them have been sentenced. Truth is I was 1 for 1 with the US Government. Griffin, the elected Republican commissioner of New Mexico's Otero County, was charged with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful entry on January 17. After he was sentenced, Mr. Griffin urged reporters to examine a series of debunked conspiracy theories about Jan. 6, including one about an Arizona man who was falsely pegged as an undercover F.B.I. 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. More than 770 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? The text of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment states (key parts bolded): The last time elected officials were disqualified from office using the 14th Amendment appears to be 1869, shortly after the Civil War and the ratification of the 14th Amendment. 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. Gift Article. 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. The secretary of states office initially prevailed in a June 2020 arbitration decision that ordered Cowboys for Trump to register as a political committee, file expenditure and contribution reports and pay a fine of $7,800. After his arrest, Griffin was initially ordered held without bond, in part because he said on a video he would return to Washington for the inauguration of Joe Biden and theres going to be blood running out of that building. He was released 20 days later, in part because he might be awaiting trial longer than the maximum six-month misdemeanor sentence he faced. Congress used the 14th Amendment to disqualify Socialist Rep. Victor Berger in 1919, but not the insurrection provision specifically, and this was not a court decision. Unlike that trial, which featured felony charges, Griffin was accused only of misdemeanor offenses. But the jury wasn't persuaded. People try to storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. "I'm serious," he continued, "That's, that's how and I hate to be so crazy conspiracy-minded. He told Griffin, Youre not being sentenced for your beliefs about voting fraud and took aim at those advancing similar claims about fraud nationally. More: Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin questions Capitol . McFadden is so far the only judge on the Washington, DC, federal trial court who has acquitted a January 6 defendant on all charges. Two states temporarily suspend gas tax to ease drivers' bu Woman has 'loud, full body orgasm' in the middle of LA concert, Bride killed, groom seriously hurt by drunk driver just minutes after leaving reception, All the red carpet highlights and star-studded fashionfrom the Karl Lagerfeld-themed Met Gala, The best-dressed celebs at the 2023 Met Gala: Rihanna, Gisele Bndchen, more, Kim Kardashians Met Gala 2023 look sparks comparisons to Playboy cover, Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson reunite at Met Gala 9 months after breakup, Khristina Williams previews the New York Liberty's 2023 WNBA season, Elon Musk Tells Bill Maher Woke Mind Virus Is Dangerous On Real Time, Katy Perry will be temporarily replaced on 'American Idol' amid drama. Smith said prosecutors apparently believe Griffin engaged in disorderly conduct by peacefully leading a prayer on the Capitol steps. the judge asked. Two days later, in Bowling Green, Ky., Mr. Griffin told a crowd that a war was underway with the elitist, gross, wicked, vile people, adding, We got to get our country back., In Atlanta, on Jan. 4, the ruling said, Mr. Griffin anticipated that there could be violence when crowds of people descended on Washington for Mr. Trumps speech. The difference is they didnt then decide to storm the Capitol building.. 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. 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. But the judge said very few people who didnt enter the Capitol on Jan. 6 were charged, and sentenced Griffin to 14 days in jail and a $3,000 fine. 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. Their first witness was Matthew Struck, who joined Griffin at the Capitol and served as his videographer. The Washington Post examined text messages, photos and videos to create a video timeline of what happened on Jan. 6. Griffin founded an organization called "Cowboys for Trump.". Another state lawmaker, then-West Virginia state Del. as conspiracy theories continue to swirl about the events of January 6, SCOTUS Now Just Another Congressional Committee, Trump Ramps up Attacks on DeSantis: 'Dropping Like a Rock', Russian Strikes on Pavlohrad Aim to Hamper Ukraine's Counteroffensive, Greg Abbott Criticized for Response to Texas Shooting: 'A New Low', Democrat Sold First Republic Stock, Bought JP Morgan Before Collapse, Conservative Influencers Struggle With Countering Biden's Messaging. Griffin said he and fellow commissioners don't see the process as trustworthy. A CNN reporter was left flabbergasted when a man charged with breaching the U.S. Capitol on January 6 said that he was not convinced about the veracity of two of the insurrection's fatalities. In some ways, Mr. Griffins case was a cleaner win for advocates seeking to punish officials connected to the riot because he was part of the mob that stormed the Capitol, not a lawmaker sitting inside. 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. Griffin is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17. He is out there, he still believes this stuff. The judges order grabbed the attention of advocates across the country who have been pushing to use the 14th Amendment to disqualify former President Donald J. Trump and elected officials who worked with him in seeking to overturn the 2020 election from holding office in the future. Its the first time a U.S. president has sought to interrupt the peaceful transfer of power. At the same time, Griffins conviction was for misdemeanor trespassing, for which he was sentenced to 14 days and a $3,000 fine. 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. . Judge Unseats Official Who Trespassed at Capitol on Jan. 6, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/06/us/politics/jan-6-griffin-insurrection.html. Why did he motion Byrd to wait? During the weeks that Griffin spent in jail following his arrest, he was placed in isolation due to his refusal to take a required COVID-19 test. In a challenge to the candidacy of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, a judge also said the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol qualified as an insurrection but said that there was insufficient evidence to prove that Ms. Greene engaged in it. Around that time, Mr. Griffin also took part in an attempt by the Otero County commission to reject certification of a recent local election until voting machines in the county were inspected. Griffin, a 48-year-old former rodeo rider and former pastor, helped founda political committee called Cowboys for Trump. He invoked free speech protections and said Cowboys for Trump used donations to travel and espouse support for conservative ideals, without raising money for a political candidate. Effort to bar Jan. 6 figures from office notches historic win. His trial comes just weeks after a jury in Washington, DC, found Guy Reffitt guilty on five charges, including possession of a firearm on Capitol grounds. There is an uncomfortable irony when, in the aftermath of that attack, we purport to defend democracy by using the judicial process to deprive voters of their choice of leader. Griffin was present at the Capitol during the riot but did not enter the building itself. People try to storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. agent who had instigated the mob that day. 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. McFadden dismissed that claim as "preposterous.". Struck testified that he and Griffin went to the Capitol to find a place to pray. WASHINGTON A New Mexico county commissioner who entered the restricted grounds on Jan. 6 was ordered to perform community service and pay a fine Friday, but . U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden is scheduled to hear attorneys closing arguments Tuesday for the case against Otero County CommissionerCouy Griffin, whose trial in Washington, D.C., is the second among the hundreds of people charged with federal crimes related tothe Jan. 6, 2021, siege. Griffin was sentenced to 14 days in prison but credited for the 20 days he served ahead of trial. 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 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. Reffitts conviction on all charges could give prosecutors more leverage in negotiating plea deals in many other cases or discourage other defendants from going to trial. Reporting and analysis from the Hill and the White House. The decision interrupts a string of adverse legal decisions for Griffin, who remains barred from elected office under a judge's decision upheld by the New Mexico Supreme Court in February. Pence remained in the loading dock location for four to five hours and never left the security perimeter before the joint session of Congress resumed on the night of Jan. 6, Hawa testified. video timeline of what happened on Jan. 6. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. 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. 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.". Heres what we know about what Trump did on Jan. 6. A Senate Judiciary Committee report stated that Mastriano and his wife took part in the January 6 insurrection, with video footage confirming that they passed through breached barricades and police lines at the U.S. Capitol. (Mastriano has said he never entered the Capitol itself, and he has been charged with no crimes.). "I mean, who's to say that was have you seen anything of any of her family?" All I wanted to do was speak on behalf of an America First agenda, which should all be protected under the First Amendment, he said. Sign up for notifications from Insider! An online fundraiser for Griffin has also raised nearly $50,000. Griffin was sentenced to 14 days in prison but credited for the 20 days he served ahead of trial. Heres what the criminal referrals mean. Thats hugely significant. 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. 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.. as well as other partner offers and accept our. Couy Griffin, a county commissioner in Otero County, New Mexico, speaks on June 17 outside federal court in Washington, D.C., where he was convicted of entering a restricted area during the. 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.. 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. Babbitt was shot and killed by police as she tried to force her way past a barricaded doorway. Cowboys for Trump, which Griffin founded in 2019, is also under fire. 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,. Last year, Griffin insisted that "the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat" and called on Trump to "hang" his opponents for their "Treasonous Acts." Cowboys for Trump cofounder Couy Griffin has been found not guilty of a misdemeanor charge of failing to register a political group and provide financial disclosures at a trial in southern New Mexico. The 1 I lost I will appeal. But legal experts say the ruling in New Mexico is significant nonetheless especially if it holds up. Read The Posts analysis about the committees new findings and conclusions. It was a busy week to be covering government in Otero County, as the years-long saga surrounding County Commissioner Couy . Griffin is thinking about running for Catron County sheriff. A January 6-related trial began Monday in the case of "Cowboys for Trump" founder Couy Griffin. 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. One was presented by a team of lawyers who showed video clips of Jan. 6, 2021, used testimony from a number of witnesses, and played Griffin's on-the-record statements before and after the event. The 2024 presidential race begins: Will it be a repeat of 2020? Griffin could face up to a year in prison is he is convicted. Hes going to run, and weve got to know whether hes allowed to run or not, Magliocca said. The trial forced prosecutors to disclose the location of vice president Mike Pence during the riot, over Secret Service objections, to prove that Griffin had entered a restricted area, though he did not enter the Capitol itself. The disqualification of Berger, for instance, was later widely regarded as overreach. Frankly, I think thats completely legitimate, the judge said. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The ruling made Couy Griffin, a county commissioner in New Mexico, the first official in more than 100 years to be removed under the Constitution's bar on insurrectionists holding office.. Success in the latter scenario remains unlikely, especially in the absence of a criminal conviction. 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. The Associated Press reported the confidential plea agre The strikes left 34 people injured, including three children, and caused widespread damage. In addition to objecting to being tested, Griffin has also been vocal proponent of ignoring medical advice calling for COVID-19 vaccinations or the wearing of masks amid the pandemic. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Griffin, one of three members of the Otero County Commission in southern New Mexico, is among a handful of riot defendants who either held.
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