The case went to federal district court where a judge dismissed Griffin's case where he tried to have the New Mexico Campaign Reporting Act declared unconstitutional. As per edailybuzz, Couy Griffin is married to his wife, Kourtnie A Gates. Griffin is scheduled on Monday and Tuesday for a trial without a jury before 1st Judicial District Judge Francis Mathew in Santa Fe. Clements also asserted that the digital file containing the ballots from the 2020 elections had been deliberately wiped from the voting machines when in fact separate files are created for each election and the ballots and other records are preserved. As news of the attack came, he was in his cabin in the mountains of New Mexico with his wife and three young children. Mr. Griffin has opted to be defended by a public defender for this case with home court advantage. Couy Griffin was founder of a group called Cowboys for Trump and a member of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. "Due to the effects of the Mexican spotted owl, our access to timber on the federal lands was restricted," he said. Washington - The founder of the "Cowboys for Trump'' organization and commissioner of Otero County, New Mexico, Couy Griffin, was sentenced Friday to 14 days in jail, a $3,000 fine, 60 hours of . "And it forced us to go out of business and it's been something that I've never forgotten because it was so unfair and unjust.". Jeff Swanson, chairman of the Otero County Democratic Party, says Griffins divisive remarks hinder county efforts to secure state infrastructure spending, and he has engaged in intimidation by recording Cowboys for Trump videos from his office with a shotgun within view. The language, known as the disqualification clause, is part of a Civil War-era constitutional amendment intended to bar former Confederates from holding state or federal offices. "And they're trying to spin routine election administration processes as somehow improper. He delved into politics too, serving as a county Republican chair and as an unsuccessful Republican primary candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2014. I can handle a lot. Otero County commissioners in July rejected Griffins request for taxpayer-funded legal representation in the lawsuit. If local jurisdictions fail to certify their votes, it could throw the outcome of an election into chaos, raising doubt about the results and giving ammunition to losing candidates who refuse to accept their defeats. So who is the leader here today? Swanson asked. In the end, the commissioners voted to sue the secretary of states office for forcing them to certify the primary results. Guitarist Ottmar Liebert bringing his unique blend of music Ottmar Liebert and his band Luna Negra will perform with the New Mexico Philharmonic at Popejoy Hall on Saturday, March 11. I take the seatbelts very serious just because the amount of crashes weve both seen.Griffin: What is it? ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Couy Griffin, Cowboys for Trump founder and Otero County commissioner, was arrested last year for his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Couy Griffin: All of the videos that day that show Capitol police officers opening doors, fist-bumping people coming in and beating people up and assaulting people on Capitol grounds. Holmes said this is baseless and runs the risk of eroding trust in democratic systems. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Couy Griffin Wife, Children Griffin is currently single, he was previously married to his girlfriend Kourtnie A Gates, but they were divorced in 2019. I was to the point that, You guys arent even telling half-truths anymore,' she recalled. Officer: Where you headed to? (Those findings were comprehensively rejected by the Maricopa County Elections Department.). That case was appealed to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals which declined to reverse the federal district court decision, After an appeal to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals declined to reverse the decision made by U.S. District Court's dismissal of a case where Cowboys for Trump tried to have the. All they need to do to change the system, he assured them, is to win over a handful of commission votes. No fewer than 86 judges rejected at least one post-election lawsuit filed by Trump or his supporters, a Washington Post review of court filings found. Nichols, and awarded a nearly $50,000 contract to audit about 24,000 votes to Echomail, which was among the companies who audited the 2020 vote in Maricopa County, AZ. In addition Mr. Griffin sent an email to his supporters which said, If convicted of this charge I could be sentenced to a year in state prison. His words had an impact: In June, officials in three New Mexico counties where he made his case either delayed or voted against certification of this years primary results, even though there was no credible evidence of problems with the vote. Brittany Costello: A number of people are facing charges, including you. "It's been such a battle," he said. This Otero County election review is part of a nationwide trend. She said in an online press conference that she feared, "a scenario where the tabulators would instantly become, you know, questionable, and we would have to completely take them out of serviceIt's just a really scary, unfortunate and nonsensical situation. Gun safe storage bill inches closer to governor's desk Republicans express concern over high-profile measure Republicans express concern over high-profile measure during Fridays two-hour debate. With Trump or without, Griffin still ascribes to unsubstantiated claims of massive 2020 election fraud. And thats what we had.. 1:07. He perpetuates the former president's false claim that the 2020 elections were fraudulent. The motion said Couy Griffin "has. After years of unwavering support, Griffin suggested he. By March, volunteers organized by David and Erin Clements calling themselves the New Mexico Audit Force were going door to door in Otero County asking citizens about how they voted in 2020. . Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Skier Shiffrin locks up overall title, still chases, Olympic ticket sales for Paris Games gets off to, 7 Cubs pitchers combine for no-hitter vs Machado,, Mikal Bridges helps Nets rally to stun Celtics, 115-105, NASCAR star Elliott has leg surgery after snowboard, New images surface of Couy Griffin at Capitol insurrection, Report: Couy Griffin denies COVID test, delaying potential release hearing, Should we bring back the dodo? 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. New Mexicos secretary of state has also rejected the allegations. Griffin went to court over the seatbelt ticket where he was ordered to pay the $81 fine. She also worked as a podcast producer for The Economist among other outlets, and tries to meld a love of sound and storytelling with solid reporting on the community. He said the only good Democrat was a dead Democrat. Im a child of the trailer park. ", But despite conversations with a Department of Agriculture official, nothing happened. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Couy Griffin, Cowboys for Trump founder and Otero County commissioner, was arrested last year for his . The criminal complaint which is basis for the lawsuit states that "on or between January 15, 2020 and March 18, 2022, Couy Griffin did willfully and knowingly violate and provision of the Campaign Reporting Act by failing to register Cowboys for Trump as a political committee with the Secretary of State, by failing to file all required finance reports and by failing to pay statutory fines for failure to file; after receiving a lawful order to do so, a misdemeanor offense.". Im a big boy. NELIGH, Neb. . The allegations against CPAC chief Matt Schlapp. Published: January 6, 2022 - 1:40 PM. And if we dont fix our country, I cant go back to that world.. The folksy origin story might have helped his successful 2018 run for county commissioner but once in office Griffin amplified violence and bigotry. Cowboys for Trump co-founder Couy Griffin confronted a trial by jury on Tuesday on charges that he failed to register a political organisation without filing related public financial disclosures. Clements says he is not paid for his appearances but asks for donations for travel expenses at the door. Clements, who has no formal training or background in election systems, spent months crisscrossing the back roads in his home state of New Mexico in a battered Buick, trying to persuade local leaders not to certify election results. They also alleged that unnamed bad actors massively manipulated voter registration rolls, allowing people to illicitly vote in the last presidential election. He sees himself as governor one day. Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver said dozens of people have complained about volunteers associated with the audit going door-to-door and asking residents about their vote. "We would cut trees that had been blown over by the wind, we would cut trees that have been killed by forest fires," he said. In at least one case detailed in the affidavit, Griffin paid his ex-wife $350.00 from Cowboys for Trump LLC to cover his child support obligations. But despite the uproar of the last few years, he still believes he has a support base. My mom worked at Kmart and Lowes, my dad bagged groceries, he said. Dysfunctional family. Clements was saying, Youre zombies, man. Republican primary candidates embracing Trumps stolen election rhetoric have flourished this year. The first-term state representative and former Albuquerque middle school math teacher grew up in Chihuahua and has an engineering degree. Since then, Griffin has led an itinerant life. Neither, however, has experience running elections or formal education in voting machine systems. Theyre going to eat some crow.. Updated: March 23, 2022 - 2:43 PM. The believer. "My day consisted of everything non-violent and patriotic, but the media is trying to paint a different picture, and unfortunately, theyre having success at it," Griffin told KOB 4. New Mexico and ABQ News, Sports, Business and more, By Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer Couy Griffin, one of three commissioners in Otero county in southern New Mexico, was immediately removed from his position and cannot hold elected office again, Francis Mathew, a district judge in . Whenever you say, China stole the election. The New Mexico Supreme Court denied an appeal from former Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin in the case that removed him from office based on his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection. The lawsuit against Griffin was filed in March by Marco White and Leslie Lakind, both Santa Fe County residents, along with Mark Mitchell of Los Alamos County. With the pickup still running, the state cop walks back to his patrol car and notes to his partner.. Officer: Youre free to go. He says Griffin is right about lots of things, like the need for a border wall. In October, around the time he was fired from his university job, David and Erin Clements mailed a 261-page document to commissioners and county clerks across New Mexico alleging widespread issues with the voting systems what the congressional report called imaginary fraud.. "What I'm trying to do through this audit," he said, "is I'd like to create a blueprint for other counties to be able to follow as well. He sees. Their son was born in 2014. Its probably why New Mexico is a toilet. The audit later fell apart, with the firm hired to analyze the results agreeing to return part of its initial payment, stipulating they had found no evidence of fraud. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. I said, God save us, please, please save our country, he recalled in a speech in Michigan last year. At New Mexico State University, Clements was known for his engaging lectures, being available to students and grading papers late into the night, according to David Pecchia, a former student and retired Air Force master sergeant who was close to Clements and considered him a mentor. , VIDEO: Giant I-40 light poles sway in strong ABQ, Taxidermy birds used to make drones at New Mexico, PHOTOS: Storm leaves parts of state covered in snow, PHOTOS: Winter storm moves through NM leaving snow, PHOTOS: Storm causes snowy, icy roads across New, Map: New Mexico Veterans Monuments and Memorials, 13 Broadcast Pl SW, Albuquerque, NM, 87104, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Should Griffin be found guilty of the charge, he could be punished by a fine of up to $1,000 or by up to a year imprisonment, court records state. Weve got enough evidence to have indictments, people tried for treason and have the remedy of firing squads. The donut shop has announced it has closed its South Valley and Northeast Heights locations. The former Disneyland rodeo cowboy once rode down New York's Sixth Avenue wearing the furs of bobcats and coyotes he trapped and skinned, brandishing an American flag. I just went to stand in what I believe is my constitutional right, to peacefully protest. A New Mexico judge on Tuesday disqualified Couy Griffin, a county commissioner who founded Cowboys for Trump, from serving in public office ever again because of his participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.. Driving the news: The judge ruled that Griffin is "barred for life" from serving as an elected official, effective immediately, under the 14th Amendment because he took part in the . Allison Kuhn won outstanding team leader, Otero Electric Co-op Making Progress Restoring Power in Cloudcroft, Mescalero and Mountain Villages, KALH Radio Alamogordo Town News Exclusive PreTrial Interview with Attorney Johnathon C Miller, Ole Time Revival Feel Welcome to Counselor Johnathon C Miller Sets stage for Couy Griffin Trial, 2nd Life Media AlamogordoTownNews.com Event Calendar. FILE - Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, the founder of Cowboys for Trump, takes in the view from his ranch in Tularosa, N.M., May 12, 2021. Because what they get away to doing to me will be what they inevitably do to you. 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 Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United . Clements said in an interview that as an attorney he was eminently qualified to talk about the legalities surrounding voting machines, and that his wife, Erin, has two decades of expertise working with data as a civil engineer. In Otero, two commissioners who had voted not to certify earlier in the week reversed their decisions and approved the results, bowing to an emergency order from the states Supreme Court that mandated them to follow their statutory duty. Cowboys for Trump co-founder Couy Griffin confronted a trial by jury on Tuesday on charges that he failed to register a political organisation without filing related public financial disclosures. Couy Griffin was wanted on an arrest warrant after storming the barricades of the Capitol Jan. 6, said authorities. Any further details regarding Kourtnie have not been disclosed yet. You people are funny that claim I harass Mr Griffin. It sounds good and people believe it because it sounds authoritative if you dont know much.. Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican we should all want to make sure our elections are secure.. A group of prominent constitutional attorneys filed a friend-of-the-court brief on Aug. 1 arguing that Griffin should be removed from office. Thank you so much for your time and consideration. This could either be the final nail in my coffin or this could be a true day of reckoning. "The reports that we've subsequently seen put out by these people have been riddled with falsehoods," she said. As his zeal over election fraud heightened, other associates fell away. Investigators said the investigation was launched after Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver referred her investigation into Griffins refusal to register C4T as a political committee and disclose donors and expenses. Ramie Harper, a 67-year-old former bull rider from Fruitland, took a break from making custom hats to join the caravan. Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin will face off in court Monday against three New Mexicans who argue in a lawsuit that he should be removed from his post as an Otero County commissioner for participating in an insurrection against the United States. Griffin plans to ride the charges out to trial, claiming theres more than meets the eye. His 12 th-round knockout of Ilunga . He sees. Cowboys for Trump still owes the New Mexico Secretary of State's Office $7,800 in fines. The two-day trial began Tuesday with jury selection in state District Court at Alamogordo, the . "I was never involved in anything violent on that day, and there was never anything violently done around me," he said when asked about the incident. The first call to the press he made was to our reporter to the station we own. Brittany Costello: Do you personally have any of those videos? It singled out fraudulent audits in Maricopa County, Ariz., and Otero County as key drivers in an effort by malicious domestic actors to erode trust in American democracy. Their reports on election fraud are a jumble of conspiracy theories and full of errors. In Washington, prosecutors unveiled photographs of Griffin climbing a toppled fence and another barrier to access the Capitol steps. The political operative. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. emergency order from the states Supreme Court. He had hoped the president would address some problems with the forest near the town of Cloudcroft, which is at risk for fire. Who is going to break whose will? Clements said. "There's no absolutely no reason for this," she said. Griffin has been rebuked by some Republicans over his racial invective. And that was one that got me, said Brown, part of a committee seeking to recall Griffin. Griffin, who was once thanked by Trump for saying The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat and who was convicted of a misdemeanor for entering a restricted area during the Capitol riot, has long alleged the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Griffin was convicted in federal court of entering a restricted area outside the U.S. Capitol. Hes part of a smaller cadre who flirted with insurrection on Trumps behalf and may still pay a high price. Couy Griffin has been booted from his seat as Otero County Commission chairman for violating his oath of office when he participated in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. I dont have the same confidence in him, Griffin said. No matter what anyones opinion is of me, personally, that is irrelevant. He sees. I stand before you as someone who used to be an award-winning professor, an award-winning prosecutor who is unemployed, Clements said. But the project seems confusing at first glance, given that Trump won in Otero County. I wasnt charged with insurrection because the evidence to criminally charge me was not there according to the letter of the law, he said. Couy Griffin, the founder of the Cowboys for Trump group, appeared to turn on the former president during a QAnon event in Las Vegas. Griffin has suggested that voting machines provided by Dominion Voting Systems across New Mexico could have been hacked. Clements, 42, was a popular tenure-track assistant professor teaching law in the business school of New Mexico State University on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob loyal to Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol. I dont have the money to go up against those kind of people, Griffin said Friday. Both are extremely concerning and truly terrifying to say the least.. Get some lunch?Griffin: Im headed to get my truck washed. He was also one of three commissioners in Otero, a county of some . Griffin had recently been booted out of office following his conviction on federal charges for trespassing outside the Capitol building during the January 6 attack. "And I really thought that the president was going to come through on his end, and unfortunately, he never did. He has made baldly racist and violent statements. And he boasted about his participation in the January 6 storming of the Capitol. "It's not like I'm trying to overturn an election that we lost," he said. "I asked him, Mr. President, do you know where Cloudcroft, New Mexico is?" Its been real hard.. A Donald Trump supporter, Griffin founded Cowboys for Trump and listed his sister Kay Griffin as its organizer. And yet, Griffin said in an interview that the audit is strategic, designed to forge a path so other counties in New Mexico audit their elections, a gambit that echoes a nationwide push by Republican officials to sow doubt about election results by pushing for audits. They want to destroy our country, Griffin said in a video monologue. Couy Griffin, of New Mexico, was arrested today in Washington, D.C., and charged by criminal complaint with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful entry. Cowboys for Trump, or C4T as it is known colloquially, was ordered by the New Mexico Secretary of State's Office to file as a political action committee and file all campaign finance reports or face fines. South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh has been found guilty on all four counts in connection with the 2021 murders of . In the seatbelt citation, the officer would note Griffin got mouthy.. The need for the audit in New Mexico was more in the likes of Bernalillo County, and Sandoval County and Doa Ana County," referring to areas where President Joe Biden won the 2020 vote. Hear their stories. Pacing the room at the senior center in Neligh, microphone in hand, Clements put the matter in stark terms. Couy Griffin: You know, those would have to go through my counsel. The first-term county commissioner forged a group of rodeo acquaintances in 2019 into a promotional Cowboys for Trump posse to spread his conservative message about gun rights, immigration controls and abortion restrictions. Thats hard for me to accept.. And yet he remains determined. Griffin had recently been booted out of office following his conviction on federal charges for trespassing outside the Capitol building during the January 6 attack. Friday night on, Senate Bill 2 would bring the pay of state Supreme Court justices in line with. More immediately, Griffin is eyeing an open 2022 sheriffs race in another New Mexico county where he grew up. C4T still also has not filed as a political action committee. At the June hearing in Otero, David and Erin Clements turned up to a crowded meeting room to give the commission a nearly three-hour update on their findings. The couples conclusions prompted Griffin to chastise his own clerk, Robyn Holmes, a Republican who has 30 years of experience running elections in the county. The Cowboys for Trump website was not operational Feb. 13. Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin, who is facing charges in connection with the U.S. Capitol riot, has turned on the former president in a conference speech for abandoning January 6. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. Shows how clueless you really are. They are wrong about voting technology, election processes, certification, and legal requirements, Skoglund said. Trumps election defeat has left the 47-year-old father in a lonely fight for his political life after preaching to crowds at the U.S. Capitol siege, promising to take his guns to Bidens inauguration and landing in jail for over a week. 0:00. Given his intelligence and accomplishments, the fact that hes decided to pursue this provably false theory is tragic and surprising, said Chris Luchini, the head of the Libertarian Party of New Mexico and a former colleague of Clements. Its about the money, and this week in Otero County, New Mexico a jury will decide. He said people wanting to sing the song popularly known as the Black national anthem should go back to Africa. 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Clements is one among a tightknit circle of Trump supporters who travel the country as self-appointed election fraud evangelists. Pull him out of his pick-up, take him to the ground, and charge him with resisting arrest! Alice Fordham joined the news team in 2022 after a career as an international correspondent, reporting for NPR from the Middle East and later Latin America and Europe.