"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. Phone: 575-491-7265. The decision against Griffin, who made headlines earlier this year by refusing to certify his county's election results, comes after some similar, high-profile Fourteenth Amendment challenges to incumbent lawmakers across the country failed. 0:36. Amy Barela District 2 Commissioner. Daves Hot Chicken will have you begging for more, and maybe for mercy, Josiah Gray finishes April with a flourish as Nats avoid a series sweep, at least 163 Republicans who have embraced Trumps false claims, National Football League began playing Lift Every Voice and Sing, what is referred to the Black national anthem. The New Mexico Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld the State's authority to impose such mandates. Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP Judge removes Griffin from office for engaging in the January 6 0:36. New Mexico judge removes county commissioner from office for In a statement released on January 19, 2021, the two commissioners said, "Couy Griffin from his first day as an Otero County Commissioner had devoted himself to promoting Cowboys for Trump for Trump organization rather than being a county commissioner who serves the citizens of Otero County who elected him. Noah Bookbinder the president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW said the ruling against Griffin is the first time since the Civil War era that any public official has been removed under the provision of the Fourteenth Amendment, which bars anyone from holding state or federal office if they engage or support any kind of insurrection or rebellion against the U.S. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. He called it a great day for America and added, The people are showing that they have had enough, prosecutors said. 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He said the civil lawsuit that led to it was unfair and "purely political." Couy Griffin recall, Otero County, New Mexico (2021) "Public health orders carry the full weight of law in every New Mexico county," Sackett said. Griffin is the second person to be tried of over 700 charged in connection with the riot that day. Pinned Tweet. "A county commissioner could propose a resolution saying that pigs can fly, it doesn't make it true.". State executives | Attempts by the Alamogordo Daily News to contact Griffin about the ruling were unsuccessful. Griffin, founder of politicaladvocacy group Cowboys for Trump, also requested a discussion period be placed on the agenda which would focus on Chairman Gerald Matherly and Commissioner Vickie Marquardt's call for Griffin to resign his Commission seat. 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 2 years before the attack, according to an Associated Press tally. The Justice Department had initially asserted that disclosing Pences whereabouts could jeopardize national security interests. A former Disneyland Paris rodeo cowboy and self-styled preacher, Griffin is a stonemason and racial provocateur whose use of social media won him plaudits from Trump and an invitation to the Oval Office. 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.. He had also rhetorically suggested that the blood of political foes could be spilled at the Capitol in defense of the right to bear firearms. But the case against Griffin is unlike most Jan. 6 cases and may not be a bellwether for defendants who are charged with storming the Capitol. His name is Hiram., Griffin: As God as my witness I do not know his last name. Otero County, New Mexico - Wikipedia Smith said prosecutors apparently believe Griffin engaged in disorderly conduct by peacefully leading a prayer on the Capitol steps. The NAACP, Common Cause and the National Council of Jewish Women submitted amicus briefs stating their support for Griffin's removal as an Otero County Commissioner. Griffin is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17. Otero County Commissioner and founder of Cowboys for Trump. Griffin could have thought business was still taking place, but the burden was on the government to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, McFadden said. In . (Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP) Listen They are not above it. 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. [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. "I didn't have any intent of being a part of an insurrection or a violent mob. ( AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe, File) According to the judge's ruling, Griffin's group, called Cowboys for Trump, "played a key role in Stop the Steal mobilization efforts" ahead of Jan. 6, 2021. More:Couy Griffin released from pretrial detention after being held on Capitol riot charges, More:Matherly, Marquardt demand Griffin resign from Otero County Commission. More: Couy Griffin arrives for trial in Washington, D.C. Griffin is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17 in person in U.S. Federal Court. A news release regarding the request for resignation alleged Griffin "from his first day as an Otero County Commissioner has devoted himself to promoting his Cowboys for Trump organization rather than being a county commissionerwho serves the citizens of Otero County who elected him.". Couy Griffin speaks for three minutes during the public comment period of the Otero County Commission meeting on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. By allowing this case to move forward, youre going to set a very dangerous precedent, said Griffin. 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.In September 2022, Griffin was removed from office under the Disqualification . In an interview Thursday, Griffin told Source New Mexico that he learned of the judges ruling during a phone call from the Otero County manager. AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe, File A. Those actions must have occurred during the official's current term of office in order for a recall effort to be approved to circulate petitions. [7][8], Recall supporters listed five reasons for recall in their request to the Twelfth District Court, including:[2], At the recall hearing, Griffin called the recall supporters' allegations "frivolous, baseless and politically motivated," according to the Associated Press. 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. Otero County commissioner files restraining order against Couy Griffin COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' OFFICE 719-383-3000: CSU EXTENSION OFFICE 719-254-7608: HEALTH DEPARTMENT (LA JUNTA) 719-383-3040: HEALTH DEPARTMENT (ROCKY FORD) 719-254-5300: . That is our County Commissioners as well as County Sheriffs. 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. "We have been fortunate as a country to not have many episodes of insurrection and certainly not insurrections in which elected officials have played a part," Bookbinder says. Lowery was awarded the 2020 William S. Dixon First Amendment Freedom Award from the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, and the 2021 Sunshine Award from the New Mexico Press Association for his reporting that highlighted lack of transparency from multiple government agencies. It would be one thing if he were arrested for assaulting someone, for planning to enter the building, for threatening members of Congress inside. 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. He was charged with "knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority," according to the Alamogordo Daily News. But its been very difficult for me, Griffin said. Instead, he showed up as a passenger in a pickup truck that had a horse trailer on the back. All of this would suggest to a normal person that perhaps you should not be entering the area, McFadden said from the bench. District 2 Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, 48 of Tularosa, was found guiltyin federal court March 22 during a bench trial for trespassing on federal grounds during theduring the Jan.6, 2021 Capitol riot. Griffin was arrested on Jan. 8, 2021and 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. Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter. She's the current county commissioner for the area.. Much of Mondays trial was spent with the plaintiffs attorneys going over Griffins actions on January 6th, bringing up videos and pictures from that day. By New Mexico state law, any New Mexican can file to have any New Mexico county official removed from office. He is among only three riot defendants who have asked for a bench trial, in which judges decide a case without a jury. Griffins defense argued there was no evidence that he saw any Do Not Enter sign, was told by police that any area was restricted or knew that Pence was present at the Capitol the same time he was. Its very humbling, and its very disappointing. U.S. President | Official guilty of illegally entering Capitol grounds Jan. 6 Couy Griffin first elected official barred from office for participating in Jan. 6 attack. More than 770 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. Otero County Courthouse: 13 West 3rd Street. Couy Griffin is no longer the District 2 Otero County Commissioner per a ruling by District Judge Francis Mathew. Griffin was accused of trespassing onto the west steps of the Capitol Building Jan. 6. The Otero County Commissioners have had enough of Cowboys for Trump leader Couy Griffin. 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. By New Mexico state law, any New Mexican can file to have any New Mexico county official removed from office. 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.. Monday in court Griffin argued that he has already faced a criminal trial in the federal court system and that previous recall efforts to remove him from office failed. In considering closing arguments submitted by Griffin in the case asking Mathew to consider the will of District 2 constituents, the judge said: "The irony of Mr. Griffin's argument that this Court should refrain from applying the law and consider the will of the people in District 2 of Otero County who retained him as a county commissioner against a recall effort as he attempts to defend his participation in an insurrection by a mob whose goal, by his own admission, was to set aside the results of a free, fair and lawful election by a majority of the people of the entire country (the will of the people) has not escaped this court.". Media. La Junta, CO 81050 (719) 383-3000. 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. 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. The left is always crying about how our democracy is under attack. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. Jeter Downs needs to play to develop. If you have questions about your subscription, please contact Customer Service atAlamogordoDailyNews@Gannett.com or call1-877-301-0013. The courts ruling today is a historic moment for our country. That resolution was also sponsored by Griffin. The judge denied the motion and said he would refer Hiram to the disciplinary counsel for the investigation of possibly practicing law without having a license. 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. 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. Griffin is one of the few riot defendants who wasnt accused of entering the Capitol building or engaging in any violent or destructive behavior. According to Barron's Law Dictionary, moral turpitude is "a subjective term for baseness, vileness or dishonesty of a high degree A crime of moral turpitude is one demonstrating depravity in the private and social duties which one person owes to another and society at large,contrary to what is accepted and customary.". More than 230 riot defendants have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors, and at least 127 of them have been sentenced. Arguably, he was trying to calm people down, not rile them up, he said. While reading his verdict, he said Griffin was not on the steps. 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. Amy Barela | Otero County, NM He turned down an offer to plead to a lesser charge and probation, waived a trial by jury and took his chances with McFadden.
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