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. Griffins attorneys say hundreds if not thousands of other people did exactly what Griffin did on Jan. 6 and havent been charged with any crimes. He is one of the few riot defendants who isnt accused of entering the Capitol or engaging in any violent or destructive behavior. The Court concludes that Mr. Griffins crossing of barricades to approach the Capitol were overt acts in support of the insurrection, as Griffins presence closer to the Capitol building increased the insurrectionists intimidation by numbers, wrote Mathew, who was appointed to the bench by former Republican Gov. 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. Cuoy Griffin, a 1/6 suspect, says he doubts two of the fatalities caused by the insurrection. Griffin added. Judge removes Otero County's Couy Griffin for Jan. 6 role : NPR . "I'm serious," he continued, "That's, that's how and I hate to be so crazy conspiracy-minded. (Griffin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 'Brainwashed' 1/6 Suspect Says Ashli Babbitt, Brian Sicknick May Not He also suggested that a new civil war could erupt over the wearing of masks and pushed conspiracy theories that claim Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick and rioter Ashli Babbit may not have died during the riot. But McFadden said Griffin's claimed contrition felt "in conflict" with his tweets and public statements. 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. Truth is I was 1 for 1 with the US Government. Its about protecting donors.. He is among only three riot defendants who have asked for a bench trial, which means a judge will decide his case without a . People try to storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Gift Article. I'm not even so sure Ashli Babbitt is dead.". Another state lawmaker, then-West Virginia state Del. Griffin is charged with two misdemeanors: entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds. Its the first time a U.S. president has sought to interrupt the peaceful transfer of power. 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. 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. 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. 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. as well as other partner offers and accept our. For the first time since the War of 1812, the U.S. Capitol was breached. Success in the latter scenario remains unlikely, especially in the absence of a criminal conviction. 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. 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.". Smith said prosecutors apparently believe Griffin engaged in disorderly conduct by peacefully leading a prayer on the Capitol steps. It was a busy week to be covering government in Otero County, as the years-long saga surrounding County Commissioner Couy . 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. 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. Contacted Monday, Griffin expressed concern that registering Cowboys for Trump as a political group could lead to reprisals against donors. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. With Struck on the stand, prosecutors played one video in which Griffin recounted members of the pro-Trump mob spilling over barriers outside the Capitol. "I'm really hoping that the judge will dismiss the charges," Griffin told the Albuquerque Journal in June. 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. Smith asked Struck if anybody appeared to be riled up by the prayer that Griffin led. Griffin founded an organization called "Cowboys for Trump.". Mr. Griffin was sentenced in June to 14 days in prison. 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. This story has been shared 264,224 times. Advocates for that approach now have a victory under their belts, though. Couy Griffin - Wikipedia After being convicted at trial, many defendants wait quietly for their sentencing. He has occasionally surfaced in national news for his violent rhetoric and his efforts to impugn the election results in his home state as recently as this summer.). video timeline of what happened on Jan. 6. It is unclear when McFadden will hand down his verdict. The actions and statements youve taken since then are in tension with that oath, the judge said. Griffin said he and fellow commissioners don't see the process as trustworthy. Defense lawyers plan to grill the Secret Service about ex-Vice President Mike Pence's whereabouts. 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. 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Abbott invoked the immigration status of shooting victims, How Trump made it cool for Republicans to hate their own party, JPMorgans acquisition of First Republic revives too-big-to-fail talk, removed Otero County commissioner Couy Griffin, to disqualify Socialist Rep. Victor Berger in 1919, sought to disqualify several members of Congress. 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. Also worth weighing here, Hemel noted, is whether disqualification is an appropriate remedy. Stay up to date with what you want to know. 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. Griffin is constitutionally disqualified from serving, the judge wrote. Updated: 6:15 PM EDT June 17, 2022. On the witness stand, Struck said he used to post videos on his Twitter account "before it was shut down.". 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. It could have real implications for protecting the country from people associated with the effort to overturn the last election., Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, adopted during Reconstruction to punish members of the Confederacy for taking up arms against their country in the Civil War, declares that no person shall hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath to support the Constitution, had then engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.. Mike Pence's whereabouts on Jan. 6 confirmed during trial of Couy 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. US Capitol riot: Army reservist with secret-level security clearance Matt Dahlseid/Santa Fe New Mexican, via Associated Press. Griffin was present at the Capitol during the riot but did not enter the building itself. 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. Prosecutors didnt give any opening statements. Griffin is charged with illegally entering Capitol grounds the day a pro-Trump mob disrupted certification of Joe Biden's presidential election victory on Jan. 6, 2021. They are as mistaken as you are, McFadden said. An online fundraiser for Griffin has also raised nearly $50,000. He shouldn't be punished for showing his pride in his country, Miller said. The 1 I lost I will appeal. 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. 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. At the outset of the bench trial, McFadden confirmed that Griffin wanted his verdict decided by a judge rather than a jury. Prosecutors have said that Pence remained at the Capitol complex during the relevant period. Thanks for contacting us. 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. "Several of the defendant's statements in the recording of the meeting constitute either direct admissions that he was illegally present in a restricted area or evidence of the defendant's state of mind during and after January 6, 2021," prosecutors said. The dismissed charge against Griffin carried a potential punishment of up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. McFadden dismissed that claim as "preposterous.". 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. McFadden acquitted Griffin of disorderly conduct but convicted him of the misdemeanor charge of entering a restricted building or grounds.
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