"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. The allegations against CPAC chief Matt Schlapp. As his zeal over election fraud heightened, other associates fell away. "When they put this thought into people's minds, that somehow our machines are not calculating the votes correctly, then these people will not want to vote.". Shows how clueless you really are. Its probably why New Mexico is a toilet. Last year, one report (produced jointly by the Brennan Center for Justice, the R Street think tank and nonprofit Protect Democracy) looked at five states where partisan reviews of elections are being pursued. ", Meantime, his barbecue business never succeeded. Officer: Im going to issue a citation for the seatbelt. The pickup was emblazoned with his Cowboys For Trump logo. The motion said Couy Griffin "has. 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. I wasnt involved in anything violent, or disruptive, or disorderly. He also says Cowboys for Trump is a for-profit company, not a political group. I stand before you as someone who used to be an award-winning professor, an award-winning prosecutor who is unemployed, Clements said. Griffin still wears a monogrammed Cowboys for Trump shirt to commission meetings. CPAC 2023 - live: CPAC chief Matt Schlapp dodges questions on And yet he remains determined. My vote to remain a no isnt based on any evidence, its not based on any facts, its only based on my gut feeling and my own intuition, and thats all I need, Griffin said, his drawl tinny on the speakerphone. 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. Hear their stories. 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.". Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin barred from public office over emergency order from the states Supreme Court. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. "I asked him, Mr. President, do you know where Cloudcroft, New Mexico is?" The first call to the press he made was to our reporter to the station we own. NELIGH, Neb. Weve got enough evidence to have indictments, people tried for treason and have the remedy of firing squads. , 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. Couy Griffin's Wife, Children Griffin is currently single, he was previously married to his girlfriend Kourtnie A Gates, but they were divorced in 2019. Citizens hurled insults at leaders voting for certification, calling them cowards, traitors to our country and rubber stamp puppets.. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. The process, now underway, faces several challenges. 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. He is a pastor, a Republican and the son of a former commissioner in Catron County, New Mexico. 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. Because the rule of law needs to exist.. Here are 13 more things about Couy: But this is also a man who beat a "Mom and Pop business" that has 5 kids out of thousands of dollars. The decision was made . New Mexico judge removes county commissioner from office for and signed a child-support check to his ex-wife from his Cowboys for Trump account. KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. Kourtnie served in the US military and is a war Veteran. 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. "They see that I'm willing to take a stand," he said. ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (KRQE) New video shows former County Commissioner Couy Griffin getting pulled over and getting into it with police officers. Yet he couldn't say why its principal place of business is listed as Santa Fe but its mailing address is in Spokane, Wash. Griffin said. Their county attorney, R.B. 'Cowboys for Trump' Co-Founder Declared Not Guilty in Court, Says He's D-101-CV-2022-00473, 2022 WL 4295619 (N.M. Dist. 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. Mr Griffin participated in a phone interview with Anthony Lucero on Alamogordo Town News radio edition on KALHRADIO.org 95.1 FM he explained the upcoming trail from his standpoint per a link at the end of this story. Wearing a Cowboys for Trump shirt, and sitting in the office he shares with the heads of a deer and an elk, Griffin discussed the roots of his brand of populist politics. Thats the battle. Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges. Friday night on, Senate Bill 2 would bring the pay of state Supreme Court justices in line with. Republican primary candidates embracing Trumps stolen election rhetoric have flourished this year. He said people wanting to sing the song popularly known as the Black national anthem should go back to Africa. Trump cowboy plots political future after Capitol breach - NBC News However, the new evidence . Because I want to make sure our voices are accurately captured. Just this week, Griffins attorneys filed new motions on his behalf one demanding evidence and another claiming his charges are politically motivated. And yet he remains determined. Sporting News sends Vikings an edge rusher with upside in latest mock 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. Couy Griffin, the founder of the Cowboys for Trump group, appeared to turn on the former president during a QAnon event in Las Vegas. Officer: Yep, still wasnt wearing his seatbelt. His wife divorced him. They have a Son Together was born in 2014. Sicknick, a Capitol police. 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. My mom worked at Kmart and Lowes, my dad bagged groceries, he said. Banned from Washington until testimony or trial, Griffin has returned to the routines of home in a tidy double-wide trailer in Tularosa, working most days as a stone mason. I can handle a lot. "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. Couy Griffin Family, Net Worth, Parents, Wife, Biography Michelle Lujan Grisham as his political nemesis on issues of gun control, abortion and pandemic restrictions. 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 said in a brief interview in Nebraska that he believes his efforts are noble. The attorney general also received numerous citizen complaints about 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 Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United . Ex-NBA Champ Shares Screenshot of Soccer League's Ridiculous Question for His Son - He's Fuming . 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. FILE - Otero County, New Mexico Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks to reporters as he arrives at federal court in Washington, June 17, 2022. By MORGAN LEE Associated Press 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. Couy Griffin Wikipedia And Age. I dont want them. This is a nonpartisan issue, Griffin said in an interview. Griffin is one of thousands of Trump loyalists in public office who are charting an uncertain future ahead of the 2022 election cycle. As news of the attack came, he was in his cabin in the mountains of New Mexico with his wife and three young children. At the meeting at the Nebraska senior center in early August, Clements appealed to his audience to get on social media and to keep showing up at county commission meetings, again and again, until local leaders are worn down and give in. Donnie Reynolds, a 51-year-old sales associate at an Alamogordo hardware store, says Griffin is being targeted for ties to Trump. Griffin participated in, encouraged, and promoted the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol, the suit alleges. Griffin has acknowledged using the county building for promotional videos but said he never claimed they were affiliated with Otero County. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden sentenced Griffin in June to 14 days imprisonment, but credited him for 20 days he served in jail after his arrest. The Cowboys for Trump website was not operational Feb. 13. "The reports that we've subsequently seen put out by these people have been riddled with falsehoods," she said. Jury weighs whether Cowboys for Trump flouted campaign law A New Mexico county commissioner who heads Cowboys for Trump was arrested Sunday in Washington, D.C., by Capitol Police after vowing to bring back his guns for Inauguration Day. Pull him out of his pick-up, take him to the ground, and charge him with resisting arrest! Clements, who was born in Seattle, grew up the child of itinerant parents who worked blue-collar jobs. Email addresses are used solely for verification and to speed the verification process for repeat questioners. He grew up in Reserve, in western New Mexico, where his father ran a sawmill. Otero County Commission denies Couy Griffin legal help in personal 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. They even quote me and cite my work on voting systems with modems and internet connectivity, but I disagree with every conclusion they draw from my work., I dont think he understands what hes talking about most of the time, said Greenhalgh. 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. New Mexicos secretary of state has also rejected the allegations. Jury weighs whether Cowboys for Trump flouted campaign law Anti-vaxxers quickly embraced Clements, with far-right Colorado podcaster Joe Oltmann creating an online fundraiser for him and calling him a lightning rod of truth and courage. The appeal has since brought in more than $304,000 in donations, including from donors who say they support his election integrity crusade. 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. I take the seatbelts very serious.Griffin: Oh yeah, Im sure.Officer: Yeah, just because all the crashes Ive seen.Griffin: Its too bad you dont take more of the drugs and the other crime going on a little bit more serious instead of out here citing people for no seatbelts. "There have already been three audits," including one by the Secretary of State's office and another by an independent contractor. 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. The lawsuit contends that Griffin violated the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits officeholders sworn to uphold the Constitution from engaging in an insurrection against the U.S. government. Couy Griffin Griffin, who was convicted of a federal misdemeanor in March for his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, is representing himself in the lawsuit, which. 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. "Ive seen the same videos that you have and there were people who acted extremely foolishly and recklessly and violently, and I dont agree with any of that type of behavior," Griffin said. New Mexico County Commissioner Charged for Breaching U.S. Capitol So who is the leader here today? Swanson asked. Pecchia wrote a recommendation letter for Clements for a teaching award that recognizes excellence in pre-tenure professors. Ah cheer up, Chris - maybe the governor's State Police troopers can catch Couy doing an illegal lane change! He has sent out a public plea in an attempt to win in the court of public opinion, by garnering a large showing of supporters, shoulder to shoulder to appear at the Otero County Courthouse. The couple soon found an ally in Couy Griffin, a flamboyant former Disneyland Paris rodeo cowboy who until this week was a member of the county commission in Otero, a rural New Mexico community of 69,000 along the Texan border. The audience, which included a local minister, a bank teller and farmers in their overalls, gasped in horror or whispered wow with each new claim. That is what our motive and our focus has to be. You people are funny that claim I harass Mr Griffin. Colorado State slices up Lobos; UNM is a 6 seed in league tourney, After bill was vetoed last year, lawmakers try again to boost pay of NM judges, If it MUST be the NIT, UNM basketball has a plan. Couy Griffin back in court over 'Cowboys for Trump' An off-duty sheriff follows reckless driver, shoots $20,000 in mattresses donated to a local non-profit John Block voted against job creation. Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver said that her office was working to ensure the process does not compromise the "security and integrity" of the tabulating machines used in the elections. "I wanted to go from just being a voice to having a vote.". Its all falsehoods and speculation. You can play on an old beat-out dirt lot.. Clements came down from the mountain filled with zeal and sitting down in his garage armed with nothing more than a laptop and a crappy microphone soon began posting about alleged election fraud on YouTube. His grandfather Wee Griffin held the Catron County post from 1963 to 1966. He means no malice on anybody, said George Seeds, outside the New Heart Cowboy Church in Alamogordo where Griffin once served as pastor. 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. The first-term state representative and former Albuquerque middle school math teacher grew up in Chihuahua and has an engineering degree. 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. The Oath Keeper. Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican we should all want to make sure our elections are secure.. 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 . Hes part of a smaller cadre who flirted with insurrection on Trumps behalf and may still pay a high price. Their son was born in 2014. The error was quickly corrected, but the damage was done. New Mexico and ABQ News, Sports, Business and more, By Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer Couy Griffin's Horse - Facebook Couy's ex-wife, Kourtnie, is a 34 years old Iraqi war veteran who was born in the year 1986. I said, God save us, please, please save our country, he recalled in a speech in Michigan last year. He's king of the cowboys and self-promotion | Ringside Seat Why? he asked. Maggie Toulouse Oliver v Couy Griffin, Near mistrial results in not guilty verdict, Alamogordo Proud Flickinger Center Hosts Local Students to LP And The Vinyl, Alamogordo Proud local students take in the arts for free at Flickinger, Minor School Accident Bus #108 Tuesday NO Injuries, Maggie Toulouse Oliver v Couy Griffin Campaign Finance Violations Trial Day One Recap. "I do believe our elections were stolen," he said. This is yet another example of how lies about Dominion have damaged our company and diminished the publics faith in elections, Dominion spokeswoman Stephanie Walstrom said of Clements. A rancher named Dave Wright raised his hand to say that it was obvious to him the Democratic National Committee had figured out how to cheat, so why couldnt the Republicans do so as well? Hero Worship - WackyRacky First Amendment Icons Say Couy Griffin Can Be Disqualified - Law & Crime 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. A recall effort is underway, amid a bevy of lawsuits. A jury will consider this week whether the support group . Trump Cowboy Seeks 2nd Act in Politics After Capitol Attack This guy has gone off the deep end. This decision marks the first time since 1869 that a court has disqualified a public official under Section 3, and . 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. A disdain for central government set in early, when conservation laws affected the family business. Sledgehammers! a woman at the back of the room yelled out. And since he is still in office, he was able to push for the audit. The motion said Couy Griffin "has. See State ex rel. 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. Pacing the room at the senior center in Neligh, microphone in hand, Clements put the matter in stark terms. He is still facing federal charges. Officer: Reason why I stopped you, is I observed when you were back there and you werent wearing your seatbelt. It was a complete change. Nichols, advised that the frivolous lawsuit would not pass muster in court and would cost the county more than $100,000. ", But despite conversations with a Department of Agriculture official, nothing happened. Im not going to sit and argue with that.. "On the afternoon of January 17, 2021, the U.S. Capitol Police notified the FBI that they had detained Couy Griffin of New Mexico, who was the subject of an arrest warrant for his role in the . Couy Griffin Wife And Wikipedia: Everything About Cowboys For Trump New 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. 'Cowboys for Trump' Founder to Stand Trial in Capitol Riot Case Griffin has suggested that voting machines provided by Dominion Voting Systems across New Mexico could have been hacked. Get some lunch?Griffin: Im headed to get my truck washed. Still, the audit rumbles on, and could yet have widespread implications. 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. Theyre going find out he didnt have anything to do with these types of things, he said. 0:00. He sees. The election was stolen from me, and then you just walk away? 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. Couy Griffin, New Mexico county commissioner and Cowboys for Trump AG's office investigating Cowboys for Trump leader So..Griffin: We live in a state thats just so corrupt right now and has so much crime, and theres two of you guys out here driving around citing people for no seatbelts. ", 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.". 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 and Cowboys for Trump refused to do so and the case went to arbitration. You think that the governor hates me as a county commissioner put a gun and a badge on me, and well see.. "It's not like I'm trying to overturn an election that we lost," he said. "And it's cost me everything - from a marriage, to finances, to friends.". If I was in your position I wouldnt be able to sleep at night, Griffin said to Holmes. I was to the point that, You guys arent even telling half-truths anymore,' she recalled. I dont have the money to go up against those kind of people, Griffin said Friday. 'Cowboys For Trump' Founder Appears To Dismiss Former - HuffPost It concluded that if elections continued to be litigated and relitigated, without evidence of fraud, there is a serious threat voters will refuse to accept votes they do not like, and that the, "peaceful transfer of power, a hallmark of our democracy, could be at risk.". "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. Griffin took the oath of office in December 2018 when he was sworn in as a commissioner. Griffin is scheduled on Monday and Tuesday for a trial without a jury before 1st Judicial District Judge Francis Mathew in Santa Fe.