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. Cowboys for Trump still owes the New Mexico Secretary of State's Office $7,800 in fines. Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges. The U.S. intelligence community has continued to warn that foreign actors are probably targeting American elections. But my hope rests on the law, and the law is available to us all.. 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. He also says Cowboys for Trump is a for-profit company, not a political group. A New Mexico judge has removed a county commissioner from office and disqualified him from running for future office in response to his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot . His concern is the direction of this country, where its going.. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. I am already bracing for a media frenzy during this time because there is so much on the line. Were in a contest of wills. They want to destroy our country, Griffin said in a video monologue. Their reports on election fraud are a jumble of conspiracy theories and full of errors. 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 . Weve figured out how theyre screwing you out of your vote, Clements said. 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. A group of prominent constitutional attorneys filed a friend-of-the-court brief on Aug. 1 arguing that Griffin should be removed from office. As news of the attack came, he was in his cabin in the mountains of New Mexico with his wife and three young children. In July. 89.9 FM Live From The University Of New Mexico. Be safe.Griffin: Id be embarrassed if I was you guys.Officer: Alright. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges. Pacing the room at the senior center in Neligh, microphone in hand, Clements put the matter in stark terms. , 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. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Couy Griffin, Cowboys for Trump founder and Otero County commissioner, was arrested last year for his . Otero County Clerk Robyn Holmes disagrees. Many of the comments predated the 2020 election and focused on the potential for foreign interference. We've received your submission. Colorado State slices up Lobos; UNM is a 6 To say that defense was optional would imply is was a choice. EXCLUSIVE: Blake Griffin and Ryan Kalil are getting into business with Sony Pictures Entertainment. Despite his Cowboys for Trump shirt, he said all but one of the fellow cowboys drifted away after January 6 last year. 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. He is a pastor, a Republican and the son of a former commissioner in Catron County, New Mexico. A jury will consider this week whether the support group . ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (KRQE) New video shows former County Commissioner Couy Griffin getting pulled over and getting into it with police officers. The first call to the press he made was to our reporter to the station we own. Couy Griffin, an Otero County commissioner and co-founder of Cowboys for Trump, answers a question from the prosecution Monday, Aug. 15, at the First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe. I was to the point that, You guys arent even telling half-truths anymore,' she recalled. Cowboys for Trump cofounder Couy Griffin is confronting a trial by jury on charges that he. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. D-101-CV-2022-00473, 2022 WL 4295619 (N.M. Dist. 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. Here are 13 more things about Couy: C4T still also has not filed as a political action committee. Make them go away. , One woman told him she and others in her county were planning to have a days-long outdoor slumber party near her countys one ballot drop-box before the November election to guard it from being stuffed with ballots a fear propagated by the debunked film 2000 Mules.. Couy Griffin, the founder of the Cowboys for Trump group, appeared to turn on the former president during a QAnon event in Las Vegas. 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. "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. With the pickup still running, the state cop walks back to his patrol car and notes to his partner.. And yet he remains determined. And yet he remains determined. A Hubbard Broadcasting Company, said he never entered the Capitol building. Couy Griffin: As far as regret goes, I dont have any regret from that day. "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.". I come to you as someone who had a future. KOB-TV, LLC 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. Each played a role on Jan 6. 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. Mr. Griffin has opted to be defended by a public defender for this case with home court advantage. "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. 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. "When they shut our sawmill down, it just leaves all of that useless material, if you will, in our forests which creates more fire hazards.". See State ex rel. 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. Clementss strategy is to target his message locally: to county commissioners and clerks, jobs that are lower profile but that wield an outsize role in administering Americas decentralized election system. Clements says he is not paid for his appearances but asks for donations for travel expenses at the door. At times I felt cursed. I got a better idea. So who is the leader here today? Swanson asked. 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 . As CPAC's 2023 edition kicks off, the man who greets the myriad right-wing activists and supporters descending on Maryland . 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.. Weve never experienced a national coup, he told the crowd, standing before red, white and blue signs strung up alongside a bingo board. This guy has gone off the deep end. Griffin recalled. Clements said in a brief interview in Nebraska that he believes his efforts are noble. It makes me sick whenever I watch it.". Donnie Reynolds, a 51-year-old sales associate at an Alamogordo hardware store, says Griffin is being targeted for ties to Trump. 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. 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. 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 . Im a child of the trailer park. Couy Griffin: You know, those would have to go through my counsel. Nichols, advised that the frivolous lawsuit would not pass muster in court and would cost the county more than $100,000. Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges. Griffin is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Badou Jack - The best fighter on the Fury-Paul card was Jack, a 39-year-old Swede who has had notable success in three divisions over the past 13-plus years. That day, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released their report into the threat of election misinformation. But go ahead and do whatever you need to do.Officer: Yes, sir. In the seatbelt citation, the officer would note Griffin got mouthy.. 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. 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. Some extra notes, quotes, news and notes from the Lobos Friday night basketball game in Fort Collins, Colorado. 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. He said the only good Democrat was a dead Democrat. Its like hes been radicalized somehow. 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. 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. The motion said Couy Griffin "has. The group captivated the public imagination with its first outing, a 2019 flag-waving ride down the shore of the Potomac River to Arlington National Cemetery. He broadcast from the January 6, 2021 takeover of the US Capitol looking like the Cowboy Church pastor he used to be, in a tie and cowboy hat. 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.. Hear their stories. 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. He lives in a doublewide trailer. Cell phone video captured the violence and chaos of that day. 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. 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. He perpetuates the former president's false claim that the 2020 elections were fraudulent. I can handle a lot. 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. And it was a challenging venture into the barbecue restaurant business that he said pushed him into politics. The ruling comes after lawyers for Griffin's ex-wife, Kourtnie, filed an emergency motion in May to modify their custody and visitation agreement. Its been real hard.. "They see that I'm willing to take a stand," he said. Email addresses are used solely for verification and to speed the verification process for repeat questioners. Mr Griffin appears to be setting the stage of this court case with home court advantage. "The reports that we've subsequently seen put out by these people have been riddled with falsehoods," she said. Now, Clements has taken his message nationwide, traveling to small towns in more than a dozen states, with a focus, he said, on places that are forgotten and abandoned and overlooked. His crusade to prove that voting systems cant be trusted has deepened fears among election experts, who say his meritless claims could give Trump allies more fodder to try to disrupt elections in November and beyond. 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. He means no malice on anybody, said George Seeds, outside the New Heart Cowboy Church in Alamogordo where Griffin once served as pastor. 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.". Sledgehammers! a woman at the back of the room yelled out. "Just struggling every day with new regulations, new laws, new taxes," he said. Ex-NBA Champ Shares Screenshot of Soccer League's Ridiculous Question for His Son - He's Fuming . And something happened. 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. Later, he served as the vice chair for legal affairs of the states Libertarian party. Griffin delivered a scathing rebuke last year as the NFL announced game-opening renditions of Lift Every Voice and Sing, also known as the Black national anthem. Pecchia wrote a recommendation letter for Clements for a teaching award that recognizes excellence in pre-tenure professors. You people are funny that claim I harass Mr Griffin. With calls for an independent investigation of the Capitol siege blocked by Senate Republicans, Griffin is out on bail and speaking his mind. He sees. Clements, who was born in Seattle, grew up the child of itinerant parents who worked blue-collar jobs. 13h Heading to the courthouse to hear the verdict! 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. White v. Griffin, No. 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!. 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. And if we dont fix our country, I cant go back to that world.. And that was one that got me, said Brown, part of a committee seeking to recall Griffin. Officer: Youre free to go. Griffin shows hes not just an election denier, hes also a traffic ticket denier. Yeah. New . I dont have the money to go up against those kind of people, Griffin said Friday. Some extra notes, quotes, news and notes from the Lobos Friday night basketball game in, To say that defense was optional would imply is was a choice. McFadden also acquitted Griffin of a disorderly conduct charge. That is what our motive and our focus has to be. This could either be the final nail in my coffin or this could be a true day of reckoning. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Trump proposes building futuristic, Jetsons-like freedom cities on federal land, Pompeo calls $31 trillion national debt indecent at CPAC, Trump recites Pledge of Allegiance in collaboration on new song with J6 Prison Choir, Bidens laughable, late-to-the-game crackdown on massive COVID fraud. (Those findings were comprehensively rejected by the Maricopa County Elections Department.). Whenever you say, China stole the election. 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? 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. Early in his life, he struggled with drugs, alcohol and an assault conviction, he has said. Updated: March 23, 2022 - 2:43 PM. Thats what we need, Clements told an audience at a New Mexico church in February. 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 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. We was on Fox & Friends the next day.. "Due to the effects of the Mexican spotted owl, our access to timber on the federal lands was restricted," he said. By MORGAN LEE February 28, 2023. Griffin and Cowboys for Trump refused to do so and the case went to arbitration. 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. He continued per the sent email; I believe another motivation for this charge is that by forcing me to register as a c-corp or non-profit it will force me to disclose all financials to the state and by doing that they will be able to unmask any past supporters of Cowboys for Trump to only destroy them with the same vindictiveness that they have come at me with. 3 Mar. In all, more than 400 people were charged in the insurrection, which left five dead and dozens of officers injured. Otero Arts Puppet Show, Authors Lecture and More, Childrens Art Exhibition Opening Night Otero Arts. And yet he remains determined. Mr Griffin, the founder of Cowboys for Trump, said in an interview with journalist Mr Griffin that he believed both Sicknick and Ashli Babbitt are still alive. 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. Speak up a little.Officer: I said I am going to issue a citation for a seatbelt. Representing the plaintiffs are no fewer than seven attorneys listed in court records. Thats hard for me to accept.. Sicknick, a Capitol police. The trial itself is expected to commence on Tuesday February 28th, 2023 with national media attention. Any further details regarding Kourtnie have not been disclosed yet. 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. 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. His rides with Cowboys for Trump through numerous states were a reprise of proselytizing trips he made from Ireland to Jerusalem, before social media, to hand out the Gospel of John. You think that the governor hates me as a county commissioner put a gun and a badge on me, and well see.. 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. 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. 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. 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. Dont forget to wear your seatbelt. Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges. They loved it, Harper said. Couy Griffin and his horse grift America. 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. The county sheriffs sole duty and responsibility is to protect our individual rights, he said. His wife divorced him. 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. And yet he remains determined. Clements won last year. Otero County Commission Chairman and Cowboys for Trump co-founder Couy Griffin rides his horse on 5th avenue on May 1, 2020 in New York City. Griffin has acknowledged using the county building for promotional videos but said he never claimed they were . Kourtnie served in the US military and is a war Veteran. 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. Why dont you go back to Africa and form your little football teams. His grandfather Wee Griffin held the Catron County post from 1963 to 1966. Officer: Reason why I stopped you, is I observed when you were back there and you werent wearing your seatbelt. 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. He has made baldly racist and violent statements. This is a nonpartisan issue, Griffin said in an interview. The Cowboys for Trump website was not operational Feb. 13. The trail will begin Tuesday on New York Avenue Alamogordo after jury selection expected to be completed on Monday. Hes also been suspended from Facebook and banished from Native American lands in his district as he contests charges of breaking into the Capitol grounds and disrupting Congress that could carry a one-year sentence. They also alleged that unnamed bad actors massively manipulated voter registration rolls, allowing people to illicitly vote in the last presidential election. What is relevant is what our state government is doing to anyone who still believes in basic rights as a free American. A state judge on Tuesday ordered Griffin removed from office, citing his role in having aided the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. 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 has attracted the interest of nationally known constitutional scholars and attorneys. 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. White House official grilled over Biden's summit with Puti Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, What's next for Buster Murdaugh after dad's murder conviction, life sentence, US home prices just did something they haven't done since 2012, Celeb-loved jewelry brand Dorsey drops dazzling new styles, White Lotus actor jokes about being hit on following shows success, Is this the couple behind the Worst Art Job Listing Ever?, Undertaker transforms coffin into barbecue grill, Tom Sizemore And The Dangerous Burden of Desperation, Kellyanne Conway and George Conway to divorce. A donkey named Henry brays from a side yard. 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. I have done my best to shield and protect anyone who has supported me from the same attacks that I daily come under. Alamogordo High School Alamogordo Proud Breaking Stereotypes and Winning in Welding Competition, Alamogordo was the only team to be represented with female welders.
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