Im a child of the trailer park. I never ever got the impression he was so radical about things like that and I felt stupid I had submitted a letter for this guy nominating him for this great award.. Dont forget to wear your seatbelt. "It's been such a battle," he said. I take the seatbelts very serious just because the amount of crashes weve both seen.Griffin: What is it? 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.". And if we dont fix our country, I cant go back to that world.. Griffin said he is confident the judge will dismiss the lawsuit. "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. So whats the solution?. 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. Griffin has acknowledged using the county building for promotional videos but said he never claimed they were . South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh has been found guilty on all four counts in connection with the 2021 murders of . Kourtnie served in the US military and is a war Veteran. "And it's cost me everything - from a marriage, to finances, to friends.". Colorado State slices up Lobos; UNM is a 6 To say that defense was optional would imply is was a choice. My mom worked at Kmart and Lowes, my dad bagged groceries, he said. EXCLUSIVE: Blake Griffin and Ryan Kalil are getting into business with Sony Pictures Entertainment. "I do believe our elections were stolen," he said. Theyre going find out he didnt have anything to do with these types of things, he said. I wasnt charged with insurrection because the evidence to criminally charge me was not there according to the letter of the law, he said. 13:00, Joe Sommerlad. Officer: Where you headed to? Thats something the media is not telling us right now, not showing us but its going to come out. He sees. On September 6, 2022, Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin was ordered removed from office by a New Mexico judge, as a result of his participation in the January 6th insurrection and attack on the Capitol. Speak up a little.Officer: I said I am going to issue a citation for a seatbelt. This guy has gone off the deep end. SANTA FE A New Mexico judge ordered Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin be removed from office, effective immediately, ruling that the attack on the Capitol was an insurrection and that Griffin's participation in it disqualified him under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. In the seatbelt citation, the officer would note Griffin got mouthy.. In a conversation with The Associated Press, Griffin says he learned to love the spotlight during five years as an expert rodeo hand in a Wild West show at Paris Disneyland park. With Trump or without, Griffin still ascribes to unsubstantiated claims of massive 2020 election fraud. 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. Why? he asked. 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.. Yeah.Officer: So if you want to waste our time here.. After the officer hands him the ticket, Griffin still gets in a parting shot. A first-term commissioner in New Mexico's Otero County, Griffin rose to national prominence in May 2020 when Trump tweeted a video of him proclaiming that "the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat." In 2019, he founded the for-profit "Cowboys for Trump" organization and has described himself as a "peaceful patriot." They say Griffin didnt partake in violence and was well within his free speech rights as he voiced election grievances and attempted to lead a prayer with a bullhorn. This story has been shared 143,593 times. Like others preaching the gospel of election fraud, Clements has attracted a large following online, where he mixes conspiracies with Christian nationalist and sometimes violent rhetoric. And yet he remains determined. In fact, in Otero County he said they plan to conduct an election audit, looking for fraud. , 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. Liz Howard, Senior Counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, said that contractors hired to do these audits frequently have little to no experience in election administration. Clementss allegations extend to voting machines made by multiple companies, including Dominion Voting Systems, which are used in New Mexico and have been the target of false claims by Trump supporters. Otero County commissioners in July rejected Griffins request for taxpayer-funded legal representation in the lawsuit. 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. Be safe.Griffin: Id be embarrassed if I was you guys.Officer: Alright. "I've had my own family say. A state judge on Tuesday ordered Griffin removed from office, citing his role in having aided the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. SANTA FE, N.M. - A New Mexico state district court judge has disqualified county commissioner and Cowboys for Trump co- founder Couy Griffin from holding public office for engaging . New Mexico and ABQ News, Sports, Business and more, By Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer Griffin is scheduled on Monday and Tuesday for a trial without a jury before 1st Judicial District Judge Francis Mathew in Santa Fe. They loved it, Harper said. 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 . Otero Arts Puppet Show, Authors Lecture and More, Childrens Art Exhibition Opening Night Otero Arts. It is being investigated by State Auditor Brian Coln after complaints prompted concerns about the procurement process. A recent report from congressional Democrats on election misinformation highlighted Clementss activities and concluded that the greatest current threat to democratic legitimacy now comes from lies by domestic actors who seek to convince Americans that their election systems are fraudulent, corrupt, or insecure., New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who has clashed repeatedly with Clements and his wife, said the misinformation and disinformation were being seeded as core beliefs, not just with elected officials but the general public.. By MORGAN LEE February 28, 2023. But much of that I believe will depend on how much support we can build during this time and nothing can replace individual Americans showing up physically and standing alongside one another.. emergency order from the states Supreme Court. The Proud Boy. Brittany Costello: Do you personally have any of those videos? 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. 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. No matter what anyones opinion is of me, personally, that is irrelevant. Im not going to sit and argue with that.. 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. The allegations against CPAC chief Matt Schlapp. Both are extremely concerning and truly terrifying to say the least.. Because I care about the truth. Officer: Yep, still wasnt wearing his seatbelt. The Couy Griffin Interview concerning the trial can be heard following the advertisement in the KALH Radio AlamogordoTownNews.com archives as the lead story following the weather report. I do worry about potential violence toward election officials, in particular around the upcoming general election, she said. Youre in the middle of elections that are fraudulent right now if what theyre telling us is true., If what theyre telling us is true, Holmes said, shouting, IF!. 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. You people are funny that claim I harass Mr Griffin. Clements ended on a mournful note just before the audience began trickling out into the quiet evening, the sun setting over fields of thirsty corn. Clements won last year. But in a recent interview in Alamogordo, Griffin was determined to keep fighting for Trump, despite the audit's problems, plus the charges he faces for his role in the Capitol attack, financial difficulties and a profound disappointment in the former president himself. Griffin has been rebuked by some Republicans over his racial invective. Mar 21, 2022, 9:53 AM Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, in Santa Fe, N.M., as hundreds of advocates for gun rights rallied at the New Mexico Statehouse. "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. New Mexicos secretary of state has also rejected the allegations. 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 . Brittany Costello: A number of people are facing charges, including you. Griffin said David Clements knows what hes talking about and that he is the kind of expert Griffin wants to explain complicated voting systems to him, rather than the election officials in his own county. The pickup was emblazoned with his Cowboys For Trump logo. He was a rodeo cowboy at Disneyland Paris and a pastor at the Cowboy Church in Alamogordo. 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 . He was also one of three commissioners in Otero, a county of some . But this is also a man who beat a "Mom and Pop business" that has 5 kids out of thousands of dollars. The trial itself is expected to commence on Tuesday February 28th, 2023 with national media attention. You can play on an old beat-out dirt lot.. But luck may have run out for this cowboy pastor who rode to national political fame by embracing President Donald Trump with a series of horseback caravans and came crashing down with a defiant stand Jan. 6 against President Joe Bidens election. Nichols, advised that the frivolous lawsuit would not pass muster in court and would cost the county more than $100,000. He said he began examining the alleged evidence of fraud in contested states like Georgia and Pennsylvania in the days following the election, and later had some of those who claimed to have observed it firsthand appear on his YouTube videos. The New Mexico attorney general investigated embattled former Otero County Commissioner and Cowboys For Trump founder Couy Griffin for using C4T funds for personal use and taking official acts as commissioner for his personal gain. . Griffin said hes been offered two plea deals, which he has turned down. However he is on probation from the guilty verdict related to the participant and in the capital events of January 6th thus the stakes are now significantly higher. 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. "They see that I'm willing to take a stand," he said. 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. The Cowboys for Trump website was not operational Feb. 13. John Block voted against job creation. But my hope rests on the law, and the law is available to us all.. "I wanted to go from just being a voice to having a vote.". 3 Mar. The ruling comes after lawyers for Griffin's ex-wife, Kourtnie, filed an emergency motion in May to modify their custody and visitation agreement. Because the rule of law needs to exist.. The folksy origin story might have helped his successful 2018 run for county commissioner but once in office Griffin amplified violence and bigotry. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. Public defense attorneys say a close reading of the law shows the area wasnt off limits. Their son was born in 2014. He further stated in his plea for public support; this fight is much greater than the person of Couy Griffin. Couy Griffin Net Worth Couy Griffin has an estimated Net Worth of $1Million in 2022. Copyright 2023 2nd Life Media AlamogordoTownNews.com. "Due to the effects of the Mexican spotted owl, our access to timber on the federal lands was restricted," he said. Cell phone video captured the violence and chaos of that day. You think that the governor hates me as a county commissioner put a gun and a badge on me, and well see.. "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. 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. "I was raised in the shadow of a great man," he said. While he did face criticism, including from fellow Republicans, in the aftermath of the events at the Capitol, Griffin survived an effort to recall him from his position, when a petition did not garner enough signatures. De-extinction is a, Roundhouse Roundup: Paramilitary rules, youth parole, Rio Bravo Park cleanup will take longer than expected, Gun safety bill passes Senate, faces one more hurdle, Restaurants still struggling to recover from COVID, Roswell PD: Woman steals, drives wrong-way to get, More from KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos, State basketball tournament: Girls first round recap, BCSO: Kids were living in dirty home containing drugs, Local casino hosts National Fiery Foods & BBQ Show, UNM police arrest man for giving false ID, fleeing, Man connected to political shootings to stay behind, Whats happening around New Mexico Mar. Their reports on election fraud are a jumble of conspiracy theories and full of errors. I dont want them. They have a Son Together was born in 2014. They embrace the instructions of leaders like former Trump adviser turned podcaster Stephen K. Bannon, who has urged election deniers to run for local races and sign up to be poll workers in what he calls his precinct-by-precinct takeover strategy. Theyre trying to make it look like I was part of an insurrection in Washington, D.C., and insurrection is a criminal charge, Griffin said Friday in a phone interview. The fanciful arguments of conspiracists obscure the countrys real need to continue to address election vulnerabilities, she said, such as internet voting 31 states and the District of Columbia allow it for overseas, military and in some places disabled voters as well as outdated paperless voting machines. Hed like to reinvent the sheriffs role as a brake on the governors power. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) 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. Clements was saying, Youre zombies, man. They are wrong about voting technology, election processes, certification, and legal requirements, Skoglund said. 2-23-23 Alamogordo Town News Thursday Edition with Anthony Lucero KALHRadio.org, Creative Arts Community Action Alert Senate Action Begins Saturday. Yet two independent election security experts who have examined the Clements work Susan Greenhalgh, senior adviser on election security for the nonprofit Free Speech For People, and Kevin Skoglund, president and chief technologist for the nonpartisan Citizens for Better Elections said the fraud charges are baseless and misleading. 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 material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Griffin: You know the drugs right now are horrible, the property crime is horrible, and theres two of you guys riding around citing people for no seatbelts?Officer: So, wed probably be doing the drug stuff if you were wearing your seatbelt.Griffin: Oh, really? 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. 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. Former Otero County Commissioner and well-known rabble-rouser Couy Griffin was pulled over in Alamogordo in his Dodge Ram in early November. Couy Griffin Career Griffin was found taking active participation in the 2021 US Capitol riots and was arrested for the same on 8th January 2021. Emptying the Notebook: Can the Lobos get a defensive stop when it counts? 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 . He said he went to pray and exercise his right to peacefully protest, but he was arrested for his involvement. That day, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released their report into the threat of election misinformation. A recall effort is underway, amid a bevy of lawsuits. FILE - Otero County, New Mexico Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks to reporters as he arrives at federal court in Washington, June 17, 2022. And yet he remains determined. Manage the news you want to see, read exclusive content and explore other subscriber benefits. Griffin has suggested that voting machines provided by Dominion Voting Systems across New Mexico could have been hacked. The decision was made . His wife divorced him. 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. Later, he served as the vice chair for legal affairs of the states Libertarian party. The error was quickly corrected, but the damage was done. His grandfather Wee Griffin held the Catron County post from 1963 to 1966. Its been real hard.. It sounds good and people believe it because it sounds authoritative if you dont know much.. Where I need peoples support is to show up and stand shoulder to shoulder in Alamogordo for this trial. "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. This could either be the final nail in my coffin or this could be a true day of reckoning. 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. Griffin lists himself as manager of Cowboys for Trump. The county sheriffs sole duty and responsibility is to protect our individual rights, he said. Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges. If I was in your position I wouldnt be able to sleep at night, Griffin said to Holmes. With calls for an independent investigation of the Capitol siege blocked by Senate Republicans, Griffin is out on bail and speaking his mind. Hear their stories. David Clements urged commissioners not to perform their statutory duty to certify the results, arguing that doing so would place them in legal jeopardy because of the problems they alleged with the machines. Ron DeSantis by about 15 points in a new Republican presidential poll, with newly announced candidate Nikki Haley and former Vice . The first-term state representative and former Albuquerque middle school math teacher grew up in Chihuahua and has an engineering degree. ", Oliver also said that if the audit did become a blueprint that other counties followed, "that would be even more concerning than the situation we're already dealing with.". For now, Griffin has halted the petition with an appeal to the state Supreme Court, which hasnt decided whether to intervene. In Sandoval County, Clements had so riled residents that the commissioners had to be removed from the hearing room by sheriffs deputies for their safety after voting 4-1 to approve the results, according to County Commissioner Katherine Bruch, a Democrat. Griffin's term as county commissioner is up this year, and he has said he will not run again. Citizens hurled insults at leaders voting for certification, calling them cowards, traitors to our country and rubber stamp puppets.. Updated: March 23, 2022 - 2:43 PM. I just went to stand in what I believe is my constitutional right, to peacefully protest. Republican primary candidates embracing Trumps stolen election rhetoric have flourished this year. They want to destroy our country, Griffin said in a video monologue. A group of prominent constitutional attorneys filed a friend-of-the-court brief on Aug. 1 arguing that Griffin should be removed from office. 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. The U.S. intelligence community has continued to warn that foreign actors are probably targeting American elections. Im asking you all to consider showing up to an air-conditioned building, organizing, opening your mouth and saying: These machines suck. 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. Just this week, Griffins attorneys filed new motions on his behalf one demanding evidence and another claiming his charges are politically motivated. Meanwhile, state prosecutors are investigating allegations Griffin used his office in coordination with Cowboys for Trump for personal financial gain, and signed a child-support check to his ex-wife from his Cowboys for Trump account. 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. Get some lunch?Griffin: Im headed to get my truck washed. Neither, however, has experience running elections or formal education in voting machine systems. A Donald Trump supporter, Griffin founded Cowboys for Trump and listed his sister Kay Griffin as its organizer. Brittany Costello: Are you willing to share those? Griffin took the oath of office in December 2018 when he was sworn in as a commissioner. "And he kind of laughed and said no. Contact Senator Griggs and Burton for Yes. Couy Griffin (via CREW legal filing) Leading First Amendment experts have weighed in on a lawsuit against a New Mexico man convicted in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, saying that he cannot use the First Amendment as a defense to the constitutional prohibition against insurrectionists holding public office. Those claims are rooted in a 2020 election night error by the clerk in a Michigan county that resulted in the heavily Republican area briefly reporting that Biden had beaten Trump there. Pacing the room at the senior center in Neligh, microphone in hand, Clements put the matter in stark terms. 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. 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. US District Judge Trevor McFadden heard one day of testimony without a jury on Monday before handing down a verdict in the misdemeanor case against Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, a. Is it my county commissioners or these people sitting here who had lunch with Donald Trump and the MyPillow guy?, On June 17, the states deadline to certify election results, Clements drove several hundred miles in his old Buick, hoping to stop commissions across New Mexico from approving the votes. Couy Griffin, a New Mexico county commissioner, ardent election-fraud conspiracy theorist and founder of Cowboys for Trump, avoided more jail time on Friday for his role in the January 6, 2021, US . 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. We've received your submission. Couy Griffin is a white man from Tularosa, Otero County, New Mexico, United States. Griffin lost that case but still appears to have failed to follow the court order. But despite the uproar of the last few years, he still believes he has a support base. , Case dismissed for teen accused of taking gun to, Elderly man who killed sister takes plea deal, 2023 state basketball tournament brackets, Whats happening around New Mexico Feb. 24 Mar. FILE - Otero County, New Mexico Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks to reporters as he arrives at federal court in Washington, June 17, 2022. What is relevant is what our state government is doing to anyone who still believes in basic rights as a free American. Ramie Harper, a 67-year-old former bull rider from Fruitland, took a break from making custom hats to join the caravan. And yet he remains determined. In the search warrant documents filed with the court investigators detail that a Griffin supporter, Casey Conlee, created a Cowboys For Trump GoFundMe account to raise funds under the groups name. ", But despite conversations with a Department of Agriculture official, nothing happened. He looked back and saw his wife and children standing in the window watching him, weeping. 1:07. Cowboys for Trump cofounder Couy Griffin is confronting a trial by jury on charges that he. You know, and if we do, then its gonna be a sad day, because theres gonna be blood running out of that building."
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