A Trump-appointed judge disagreed with Griffin's explanation while rejecting a legal argument that he was being "selectively charged" for his political beliefs in July. Jurors also convicted him of obstructing Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, of interfering with police officers who were guarding the Capitol and of threatening his two teenage children if they reported him to law enforcement. We have not had to escalate the process for any other political committee, Vigil said. More: Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin questions Capitol . Around that time, Mr. Griffin also took part in an attempt by the Otero County commission to reject certification of a recent local election until voting machines in the county were inspected. Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin has reportedly been offered a plea deal for charges related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He also suggested that a new civil war could erupt over the wearing of masks and pushed conspiracy theories that claim Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick and rioter Ashli Babbit may not have died during the riot. Struck testified that he and Griffin went to the Capitol to find a place to pray. State prosecutors accuse Griffin of a misdemeanor violation of failing to register as a political group, which is punishable by up to a year in prison and an additional $1,000 fine. A federal judge on Tuesday convicted Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin of trespassing in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, handing the Justice Department its second . Griffin was sentenced to 14 days in prison but credited for the 20 days he served ahead of trial. Trump cowboy found not guilty of campaign finance charge He acknowledged that Griffin was not criminally convicted of insurrection and there is no evidence that Griffin engaged in violence himself. Griffins attorneys said in a court filing that Pence had already departed the restricted area before the earliest that Griffin could have entered it, but Secret Service inspector Lanelle Hawa testified that Pence never left the restricted area during the riot. 6.). McFadden told Griffin that as an elected state official, he had taken an oath to uphold the Constitution. New Mexico judge unseats county commissioner over Jan. 6 involvement The evidence will show that the government selected Griffin for prosecution based on the fact that he gave a speech and led a prayer at the Capitol, that is, selected him based on protected expression, they wrote. Abbott invoked the immigration status of shooting victims, How Trump made it cool for Republicans to hate their own party, JPMorgans acquisition of First Republic revives too-big-to-fail talk, removed Otero County commissioner Couy Griffin, to disqualify Socialist Rep. Victor Berger in 1919, sought to disqualify several members of Congress. Since early 2020, Griffin has resisted pressure to register the group as a political committee, including filing an unsuccessful petition with the 10th District Court of Appeals. and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). Last year, Griffin insisted that "the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat" and called on Trump to "hang" his opponents for their "Treasonous Acts." The judges order grabbed the attention of advocates across the country who have been pushing to use the 14th Amendment to disqualify former President Donald J. Trump and elected officials who worked with him in seeking to overturn the 2020 election from holding office in the future. Most of these cases fizzled quickly, and none have succeeded. Couy Griffin guilty of misdemeanor trespassing on restricted Capitol More than 770 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. Struck responded "no" as the lawyer asked whether Griffin had destroyed anything, confronted law enforcement, or taken any action that would put someone in fear. Hawa said agents took Pence from his office at the Capitol to a secure location at an underground loading dock on the Capitol complex. After his arrest, Griffin was initially ordered held without bond, in part because he said on a video he would return to Washington for the inauguration of Joe Biden and theres going to be blood running out of that building. He was released 20 days later, in part because he might be awaiting trial longer than the maximum six-month misdemeanor sentence he faced. Griffin, an ardent conspiracy theorist who refused to certify the state's primary election results this summer in Otero County, told CNN he has been ordered to clean out his office and attacked. Why Gov. He told Griffin, Youre not being sentenced for your beliefs about voting fraud and took aim at those advancing similar claims about fraud nationally. And a judge acquitted him of disorderly conduct. Congress used the 14th Amendment to disqualify Socialist Rep. Victor Berger in 1919, but not the insurrection provision specifically, and this was not a court decision. The report: The Jan. 6 committee released its final report, marking the culmination of an 18-month investigation into the violent insurrection. 'Cowboys for Trump' Founder to Stand Trial in Capitol Riot Case According to a court document, Griffin tweeted after the trial that the media has tried to make me look like the biggest loser the last couple days. While still a county commissioner, Griffin joined with Republican colleagues in refusing to certify results of the June 2022 primary election based on distrust of the voting systems used to tally the vote, even though the countys election official said there were no problems. Pro-Trump "Kraken" lawyer Sidney Powell recently volunteered her services to help the group reverse a court order to register as a political action committee and pay accumulated fines. In several high-profile races, those who didnt storm the Capitol but were otherwise involved in the Jan. 6 proceedings have won their partys nomination. Unlike that trial, which featured felony charges, Griffin was accused only of misdemeanor offenses. But the jury wasn't persuaded. In March, Judge Trevor N. McFadden, presiding at a bench trial in Federal District Court in Washington, found Mr. Griffin guilty of one misdemeanor count of illegally entering a restricted area at the Capitol and acquitted him of another that accused him of disorderly conduct. Federal prosecutors have offered Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin a plea agreement over charges that he illegally entered barricades during the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. It would be helpful if they would take this opportunity to rule really for the first time what Section 3 means.. Smith said prosecutors apparently believe Griffin engaged in disorderly conduct by peacefully leading a prayer on the Capitol steps. Matt Dahlseid/Santa Fe New Mexican, via Associated Press. But the judge had harsh words for Griffin, who maintained during his sentencing hearing Friday that he was unaware that the grounds outside the Capitol were restricted on January 6. He is among only three riot defendants who have asked for a bench trial, which means a judge will decide his case without a jury. Gift Article. It looks like theyve been calm and theyre listening to Couy., 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.. Griffins disqualification from office is not only retroactive to Jan. 6, 2021; he is also barred for life from holding any civil or military office in the future. Liberal groups have filed legal challenges in Arizona, New Mexico, North Carolina and Wisconsin seeking to block lawmakers accused of supporting the Jan. 6 rioters including some prominent Republican members of Congress from holding office under the Constitution. But the judge said very few people who didnt enter the Capitol on Jan. 6 were charged, and sentenced Griffin to 14 days in jail and a $3,000 fine. He called it a great day for America and added, The people are showing that they have had enough, prosecutors said. In addition to those legal arguments, the Justice Department asserted that pinpointing Pence's precise location on January 6 would jeopardize the continuing security of future vice presidents, including Vice President Kamala Harris. Griffin said in a text message that he felt "blessed to be judged by a jury of peers" in his home community and has "never felt as vindicated." Trump cowboy Couy Griffin found not guilty of. In a written closing statement in court, he had argued that he had been at the Capitol to lobby vice president Mike Pence to not certify the election results, and that, In no way does that pertain to nor support insurrection/rebellion, reported the Albuquerque Journal. The difference is they didnt then decide to storm the Capitol building.. "I'm not convinced even a little bit," the judge said. The ruling declared the Jan. 6 assault an insurrection and ordered Mr. Griffin removed from office. The dismissed charge against Griffin carried a potential punishment of up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Cowboys for Trump founder returns to Otero County Commission Griffin was previously convicted in federal court of a misdemeanor for entering restricted U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, without going inside the building. As a strategic matter, Im skeptical that disqualification under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment is the best way or even a productive way to fight back against anti-democratic forces across the country, Hemel said. Cowboys for Trump cofounder Couy Griffin is confronting a trial by jury on charges that he failed to register a political organization without filing related public financial disclosures. Wearing his signature black cowboy hat, "Cowboys for Trump" founder Couy Griffin arrived Monday at a federal courthouse just blocks from the Capitol to stand trial on charges stemming from his alleged participation in the January 6, 2021, insurrection. 'Cowboys for Trump' Leader Arrested After Pledging to Bring - Insider Griffins case differs from the others in one crucial way: He was actually part of the crowd that stormed the Capitol and was later convicted of his role. Couy Griffin serves as District 2 Otero County Commissioner and Otero County Commission Vice Chairman in New Mexico, according to the Alamogordo Daily News. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden is scheduled to hear attorneys closing arguments Tuesday for the case against Otero County CommissionerCouy Griffin, whose trial in Washington, D.C., is the second among the hundreds of people charged with federal crimes related tothe Jan. 6, 2021, siege. What the disqualification of Trump ally Couy Griffin means - The At the outset of the bench trial, McFadden confirmed that Griffin wanted his verdict decided by a judge rather than a jury. McFadden dismissed that claim as "preposterous.". Prosecutors plan to call a Secret Service inspector and Capitol police inspector later on Monday. "Pretty soon, it was like a huge, amazing Trump rally," Griffin said. In some ways, Mr. Griffins case was a cleaner win for advocates seeking to punish officials connected to the riot because he was part of the mob that stormed the Capitol, not a lawmaker sitting inside. While the decision of a state court isnt binding elsewhere, New York Universitys Daniel Hemel noted, it could embolden similar efforts to disqualify people from office with more direct ties to the insurrection up to and including Trump. Ahead of the trial, McFadden rejected Griffin's claim that he was politically targeted. Defense attorney Nicholas Smith asked Hawa if it was Pences decision to remain there for hours. , Southern Poverty Law Center 'hate' list suffers legal setback, Secret Service blocks Muslim mayor from White House Eid-al-Fitr celebration, Ryan Webb, Delaware County, Indiana, councilman, mocks left by coming out as lesbian woman of color, Seven bodies found in Henryetta, Oklahoma, during search for two missing teens, U.S. government destroying the dollars value through inflation, Bidens idea of freedom should frighten every liberty-loving American. McFadden also ordered Griffin, a New Mexico county commissioner, to pay a $3,000 fine and ordered a yearlong period of probation. After he was sentenced, Mr. Griffin urged reporters to examine a series of debunked conspiracy theories about Jan. 6, including one about an Arizona man who was falsely pegged as an undercover F.B.I. Success in the latter scenario remains unlikely, especially in the absence of a criminal conviction. Cowboys for Trump cofounder Couy Griffin has been found not guilty of a misdemeanor charge of failing to register a political group and provide financial disclosures at a trial in southern New Mexico. Thats hugely significant. Two other defendants have pleaded guilty to brining unregistered firearms in their vehicles. WASHINGTON An elected official from New Mexico went to trial with a judge not a jury set to decide if he is guilty of charges that he illegally entered the U.S. Capitol grounds on the daya pro-Trump mobdisrupted the certification of Joe Bidens presidential election victory. the judge asked. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. A Senate Judiciary Committee report stated that Mastriano and his wife took part in the January 6 insurrection, with video footage confirming that they passed through breached barricades and police lines at the U.S. Capitol. (Mastriano has said he never entered the Capitol itself, and he has been charged with no crimes.). 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. Prosecutors have said that Pence remained at the Capitol complex during the relevant period. They started chanting, Pray for Trump, Struck replied. Why did he motion Byrd to wait? In the cross-examination of Struck, a defense lawyer for Griffin used his questioning to underscore that the "Cowboys for Trump" co-founder was not violent on January 6 and did not enter the Capitol building itself. Soon after he was convicted by a federal judge in March of entering restricted grounds on Jan. 6, 2021, he returned to social media and the airwaves to disparage the case against him, insult the judge and assert that FBI and Team Pelosi were responsible for the attack on the Capitol. In a segment on Anderson Cooper 360, Drew Griffin was recounting his interview with the founder of Cowboys for Trump, Cuoy Griffin, who is also a New Mexico county commissioner. The judge heard testimony Monday from three government witnesses. The strikes left 34 people injured, including three children, and caused widespread damage. Magliocca said the issue could arise in a number of ways moving forward and is ripe for the Supreme Court to litigate before Trump might run for and potentially win the presidency in 2024. ", "Others like himI don't believe Cuoy would be dangerousbut others like him can and will be dangerous.". Couy Griffin on Trial: A Tale of Two Realities 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. He is one of the few riot defendants who isnt accused of entering the Capitol or engaging in any violent or destructive behavior. At the same time, Griffins conviction was for misdemeanor trespassing, for which he was sentenced to 14 days and a $3,000 fine. Couy Griffin, a county commissioner in Otero County, New Mexico, speaks on June 17 outside federal court in Washington, D.C., where he was convicted of entering a restricted area during the. While Griffin says he did not knowingly trespass, news outlet KVIA showed images this week of Griffin scaling a metal barricade to get to the inauguration platform. Big Tech news and how to take control of your data and devices, Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin sentenced for trespassing, What the Jan. 6 probe found out about social media, but didnt report, Social Security numbers of Trump officials, allies posted in Jan. 6 files, Jan. 6 report recommends Congress ban Trump from running again, To become an Amazon Clinic patient, first you sign away some privacy, How Mark Zuckerberg broke Metas workforce, Elon Musk describes Starship flight as roughly what I expected, Jan. 6 committee released its final report, analysis about the committees new findings and conclusions, On Jan. 6, 2021, a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, close to penetrating the inner sanctums of the building.
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