According to the judge's ruling, Griffin's group, called Cowboys for Trump, "played a key role in Stop the Steal mobilization efforts" ahead of Jan. 6, 2021. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. "Griffin shall be removed from his position as an Otero County Commissioner effective immediately.". Griffin crossed over three walls, needing help from others or a ladder to get over them, the judge noted. Pence spent Jan. 6 at underground Senate loading dock, Secret Service confirms. Detailed Commissioner Calendar Otero County Commissioners District 1: Rob Oquist, Chairman First Elected: November 2020 Current Term Expires: January 2025 Otero County Courthouse 13 W. 3rd Street, Room 212 La Junta CO 81050 Phone: (719) 383-3000 Fax: (719) 383-3090 Cell: (719) 468-8044 Email: roquist@oterogov.org District 2: Tim Knabenshue He breached security barriers outside of the building and eventually assumed a leadership role in the mob and egged on the violence, Mathew said in his ruling. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. 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. The quo warranto complaintasking for Griffin's removal from office was filed by Marco White on Santa Fe County, Mark Mitchell of Los Alamos County and Leslie Lakind of Santa Fe County. Griffin is the second person to be tried of over 700 charged in connection with the riot that day. Griffin was charged with two misdemeanors: entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds. He knew there was danger! "I just want those that have already come to the conclusion that I'm guilty, I just again ask you to put the brakes on a little bit and let the legal process take place," Griffin said. How to run for office | Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin leaves the federal court in Washington on March. Recall supporters filed paperwork on March 11, 2021. The hearing was held on April 8, 2021. La Junta, CO 81050 (719) 383-3000. "There are several bases for removal including conviction of a felony or misdemeanor 'involving moral turpitude' and 'failure, neglect or refusal to discharge the duties of office'. This story has been shared 401,284 times. He called the current bench trial unfair and un-American. [15], Supporters of the recall against Griffin filed paperwork with the New Mexico Twelfth Judicial District Court on March 11, 2021, requesting a hearing to determine if their recall petition could be circulated. Smith argued that one could find the events of Jan. 6 embarrassing and shameful, but also conclude that it was offensive and wrong to selectively prosecute and convict Griffin for exercising his freedom of speech and leading a prayer. Social Services Annex: 215 Raton Ave. La Junta, CO 81050. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. More than 220 individuals have pleaded guilty so far, most of them to a petty offense of misdemeanor parading, picketing or demonstrating punishable by no more than six months in jail. Some high-profile legal efforts to remove public officials from their positions due to their involvement in Jan. 6 have failed so far. This little-known provision was included in the Fourteenth Amendment in the wake of the Civil War, Bookbinder says, as a way to exclude those who were part of the Confederacy from holding public office again. Judge Mathew ruled Tuesday that Griffin was to be removed from his elected position and barred for life from holding any other elected federal and state positions. Couy Griffin @CowboyCouy . Recall supporters would have had to collect 1,574 signatures from registered voters in District 2 in 90 days to get the recall on the ballot. [2] District Court Judge Manuel Arrieta ruled on April 8, 2021, that the recall effort could move forward. According to Barron's Law Dictionary, moral turpitude is "a subjective term for baseness, vileness or dishonesty of a high degree A crime of moral turpitude is one demonstrating depravity in the private and social duties which one person owes to another and society at large,contrary to what is accepted and customary.". Griffin won election in 2018 with 65 percent of the vote but is not seeking reelection. Assistant US Attorney Janani Iyengar said Griffin climbed over metal bike racks, up a plywood ramp and shouted over the crowd about his belief that the election was stolen from Trump. But hes being prosecuted for standing on the steps, a place a federal appeals court has declared to be a public forum, Smith said. In September 2022, it was employed by a judge in New Mexico, who removed Couy Griffin, a county commissioner in Otero County, from office for his participation in the January 6 insurrection. Griffin was booted from the board earlier in the week by court order due to his participation in the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Ive been in my office, cleaning my office out today with the undersheriff standing guard in the room. Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. Media. Contact Editor Shaun Griswold for questions: info@sourcenm.com. Failing to be present at county commission meetings, Being unable to perform his duties within his district due to being banned from the sovereign nation and lands of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, Filming a video inside the County Commission Administration building to solicit funds for a political organization, Filing a travel voucher with the county to pay for events that did not relate to his duties as a county commissioner, Soliciting and receiving a donation from a restricted donor. He condemned people who view the Confederate flag as racist as vile scum. In July 2020, when the National Football League began playing Lift Every Voice and Sing, what is referred to the Black national anthem, before games, Griffin suggested that players go back to Africa and form your little football teams over in Africa and you can play on a[n] old beat-out dirt lot and you can play your Black national anthem there.. Griffin was jailed for more than two weeks after his arrest on Jan. 19, 2021. Griffin is one of three members of the Republican-led Otero County commission that is refusing to certify June's primary election results, citing unfounded conspiracy theories about voting. How to vote | "Elected officials must respect the rule of law, and we will evaluate whether this misdemeanor convictionand any of Griffin's other actions warrant his removal from public office," Mares said March 22. Watch Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin get arrested in Washington D.C. Couy Griffin has been charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority. We can only get our country back from the ground floor. District Court Judge Francis Mathew ruled that Couy Griffin, an Otero County commissioner, is now disqualified from holding public office because he violated Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment by participating in the Jan. 6 siege. Were here to serve you. My intent of going to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 was because I had concerns that our elections had been compromised.". Brazilian police and environmental protection agents were ambushed by illegal gold miners on the Yanomami Indigenous reservation in the Amazon on Monday and four miners were shot dead in the exchange of gunfire, a government statement said. [9][10], After Griffin was arrested, District 1 Commissioner Gerald Matherly (R) and District 3 Commissioner Vickie Marquardt (R) called for his resignation. Amy Barela District 2 Commissioner. Our elected officials and candidatesmust obey the law. This is a historic win for accountability for the January 6th insurrection and the efforts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power in the United States," said Noah Bookbinder, the president of the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), an ethics watchdog that filed a lawsuit against Griffin, calling for his removal. Griffin told Reuters that he plans to appeal the ruling, saying Mathew did not have jurisdictional standing to remove him from office. Email Amy Barela. "I don't think it's fair to accuse me of insurrection," he says. And being in the audience of Thursdays meeting instead of being seated with the commissioners brought a specific feeling to his mind. The court is expected to resume Tuesday at 9 a.m. Commissioners ultimately voted 2-1 for certification, with Griffin the lone no vote. 21, 2022. Otero County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. CREW represented three New Mexico residents who brought the civil lawsuit against Griffin this past March and called for him to be removed. A former Disneyland Paris rodeo cowboy and self-styled preacher, Griffin is a stonemason and racial provocateur whose use of social media won him plaudits from Trump and an invitation to the Oval Office. This decision marks the first time since 1869 that a court has disqualified a public official under Section 3, and . "The court's decision sent a message that powerful people can't rise up against the execution of the laws of the United States and the peaceful transfer of power without consequences," he says, "and the country needs to be protected against those who would undermine our democratic principles.". We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. This has been the hardest time of my life, not that Im trying to get anybodys sympathy. [3] Fax: 575-443-2928. Public policy. Griffin is fighting to . State executives | A news release regarding the request for resignation alleged Griffin "from his first day as an Otero County Commissioner has devoted himself to promoting his Cowboys for Trump organization rather than being a county commissionerwho serves the citizens of Otero County who elected him.". "Griffin shall be removed from his position as an Otero County Commissioner effective immediately.". The courts ruling today is a historic moment for our country. Lujan Grisham knows that New Mexicans expect their elected officials to uphold our Constitution and rule of law, Sackett said. It's a real disgrace towards our democracy," he said during a brief phone interview. That is our County Commissioners as well as County Sheriffs. Smith said prosecutors apparently believe Griffin engaged in disorderly conduct by peacefully leading a prayer on the Capitol steps. Gov. Griffin was unhappy that Stephanie DuBois, a Democrat, was appointed to his old seat . Maureen Cohen Harrington via Storyful, Storyful, was found guiltyin federal court March 22. Hawa said agents took Pence from his office at the Capitol to a secure location at an underground loading dock on the Capitol complex. On Jan. 6, Griffin joined thousands of people at the Capitol. Hes on the [inauguration] stage, while police worked to restore order for hours. What kind of security issues does that raise if the Secret Service is required to tell people who is in a restricted area, for the restricted area to have teeth? McFadden asked. Video from that day shows Griffin "working up" supporters of Trump against then-Vice President Mike Pence, the court says. They are not above it. Theres no room with the Nationals. "(Griffin) became constitutionally disqualified from federal and state positions specified (under the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment, Section 3) and forfeited his current office as Otero County Commissioner effective Jan. 6, 2021," Mathew's ruling states. Defense attorney Nicholas Smith said the case against Griffin was built on a series of false assumptions and premises. Trial testimony showed Griffin went to the Capitol to support free and fair elections, Smith told the judge. Phone: 575-491-7265. Mr. Griffins removal and bar from holding office again is a step towards obtaining justice and restoring the rule of law, Dodd Law Office, LLC President Christopher Dodd said in a Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington news release. [1], Recall supporters filed paperwork on March 11, 2021. Griffin: A friend of mine in Roswell, New Mexico. WASHINGTON A federal judge on Tuesday convicted an elected official from New Mexico of illegally entering restricted US Capitol grounds but acquitted him of engaging in disorderly conduct duringthe riotthat disrupted Congress from certifyingJoe Bidens presidential election victory. Now its no longer the peoples choice. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Griffin is the first elected official to be removed from office for their involvement in the riot. He turned down an offer to plead to a lesser charge and probation, waived a trial by jury and took his chances with McFadden. By allowing this case to move forward, youre going to set a very dangerous precedent, said Griffin. Griffin is one of the few riot defendants who wasnt accused of entering the Capitol building or engaging in any violent or destructive behavior. Griffins trial in Washington, DC, was the second among the hundreds of federal cases arising from the Jan. 6, 2021, siege. The Soldiers' Monument, also known as The Obelisk, was toppled by Indigenous Peoples Dayactivists in October 2020, an event which has already resulted in five arrests. 18.5K Followers. The decision against Griffin, who made headlines earlier this year by refusing to certify his county's election results, comes after some similar, high-profile Fourteenth Amendment challenges to incumbent lawmakers across the country failed. The ruling also marks the first time a judge has ruled that the incident was an insurrection and the first time since 1869 that a judge has removed a public official under Section 3. 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Marquardt and Matherly, along withNew Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas, asked Griffin to resign following his Jan. 17 arrest in which he was charged withknowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority by federal authorities foris participation in the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol building. [5][6], Recall supporters said Griffin had used the office for personal gain. Address 1101 New York Avenue Alamogordo, NM 88310 A key question in Griffins case was whether he entered a restricted area while Vice President Mike Pence was still present on Capitol grounds, a prerequisite for the US Secret Service to invoke access restrictions. La Junta, CO 81050 (719) 383-3000. Elections in 2023 | We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Of the many agenda items concerning the commissioner on the April 8 agenda, the item that generated the most contentious discussion was the ratification of a press release that Commissioners Gerald Matherly and Vickie Marquardt -- both Republicans -- sent to media calling for Griffin's resignation. Griffin was released on his own recognizance. After a tense back-and-forth about who drafted the pleadings, Judge Francis Mathew denied the motion. Its very humbling, and its very disappointing. School districts | But McFadden acquitted the defendant of disorderly conduct, finding prosecutors had not proved he was acting knowingly to disrupt a government proceeding. More: Cowboys for Trump founder guilty of illegally entering US Capitol grounds in Jan. 6 riot. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter. Monday - Thursday 8 am to 5 pm, Fridays telecommuting Maureen Cohen Harrington via Storyful, Storyful, U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment's Disqualification Clause, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Migrants still coming despite threat of Title 8 removals, Le Creuset just launched a dreamy new color for spring, $4.4M ABQ home listing situated to soak in mountain, New Mexico family seek answers after hit-and-run, Teen who threw baby in dumpster sentenced, Speeders in ABQ to be targeted if ordinance updated, Thousands head to El Santuario de Chimay on Good, Whats happening around New Mexico Apr. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. He was being extremely loud, climbing over barriers, engaging with the crowd, she said in her closing arguments. Likes. The NAACP, Common Cause and the National Council of Jewish Women submitted amicus briefs stating their support for Griffin's removal as an Otero County Commissioner. In regards to my position here in Otero County, it is a position that has been a great honor to date and I believe will continue to be a great honor moving into the future. Griffin had vowed to arrive at the courthouse on horseback on Monday. This article was published more than1 year ago. Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP However, after Griffin was arrested in January 2021, Otero County business could continue so long as a quorum of at least two county commissioners were present at Otero County Commission meetings, the meetings can continue. It is named for Miguel Antonio Otero, the territorial governor when the county was created. More than 770 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. [5], Recall supporters started circulating petitions on July 1, 2021, and had 90 days to collect signatures equal to 33.3% of voters who cast ballots in Griffin's most recent election, a total of 1,574 signatures. As of 1 p.m. March 22, Otero County had not responded to inquiries for comment from theAlamogordo Daily News. Griffin says he was not violent while at the Capitol that day and wasn't aware that he was trespassing at the time. Griffin "incited, encouraged and helped normalize the violence," Mathew wrote. They wont even give me a key to my office so I can get my stuff out without being surveilled by the sheriffs department.. White, Mitchell and Lakind were represented by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the New Mexico-based law firms of Freedman Boyd Hollander and Goldberg P.A, Dodd Law Office, LLC, and the Law Office of Amber Fayerberg, LLC, as well as by Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC. He is among only three riot defendants who have asked for a bench trial, in which judges decide a case without a jury. NEW MEXICO(KRQE) The trial for Otero County Commissioner and Cowboys for Trump founder, Couy Griffin begins Monday in Santa Fe. Social Services Annex: 215 Raton Ave. Lowery was awarded the 2020 William S. Dixon First Amendment Freedom Award from the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, and the 2021 Sunshine Award from the New Mexico Press Association for his reporting that highlighted lack of transparency from multiple government agencies. Ballot measures, Who represents me? 145 likes, 4 comments - Bloomberg CityLab (@citylab) on Instagram: "Couy Griffin marched to the steps of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in an attempt to stop the . "We have been fortunate as a country to not have many episodes of insurrection and certainly not insurrections in which elected officials have played a part," Bookbinder says. Griffins trial posed a different legal test, requiring U.S. prosecutors to prove that the defendant knowingly breached a restricted area where then-Vice President Mike Pence or others receiving Secret Service protection were or would be present. Mr. Griffins removal and bar from holding office again is a step towards obtaining justice and restoring the rule of law, Dodd Law Office, LLC President Christopher Dodd said in a Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington news release. "Under New Mexico law, a local officer may be removed from office upon written accusation," New Mexico Attorney General's Office spokeswoman Jerri Mares said. | He says the ruling sends a message to other public officials across the country who have been undermining the results of the 2020 election, as well as other democratic norms. Griffin could have thought business was still taking place, but the burden was on the government to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, McFadden said. He also expressed frustration that a judge, and not Otero County voters, had the final say. [9][14], New Mexico allows recalls at the county level for "malfeasance or misfeasance in office or violation of the oath of office by the official concerned." By New Mexico state law, any New Mexican can file to have any New Mexico county official removed from office. Griffins defense argued there was no evidence that he saw any Do Not Enter sign, was told by police that any area was restricted or knew that Pence was present at the Capitol the same time he was. Couy Griffin is no longer the District 2 Otero County Commissioner per a ruling by District Judge Francis Mathew. Griffin, founder of politicaladvocacy group Cowboys for Trump, also requested a discussion period be placed on the agenda which would focus on Chairman Gerald Matherly and Commissioner Vickie Marquardt's call for Griffin to resign his Commission seat. An Otero County budget work session is scheduled for March 24. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Griffin was booted from the board earlier in the week by court order due to his participation in the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. [2][3] Griffin appealed that decision to the New Mexico Supreme Court on April 19, 2021. Struck has an immunity deal with prosecutors for his testimony. At the hearing, both recall supporters and Griffin were able to present evidence and witnesses. Their first witness was Matthew Struck, who joined Griffin at the Capitol and served as his videographer. "[7][11][12], New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas (D) also called for Griffin's resignation in a letter published on January 16, 2021. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,797. District Court Judge Francis Mathew ruled that Couy Griffin, an Otero County commissioner, is now disqualified from holding public office because he violated Section 3 of the Fourteenth. We are actively considering all options under New Mexico law. All rights reserved. Prosecutors didnt give any opening statements. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. January 6, 2021 was a dark day in our history. My office will continue its examination of Otero County and the concerns of its residents.. FILE - Otero County, New Mexico Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks to reporters as he arrives at federal court in Washington, June 17, 2022. Now he has regrets., In middle of Jan. 6 riot, Oath Keepers chief reached out to Proud Boys. The judge denied the motion and said he would refer Hiram to the disciplinary counsel for the investigation of possibly practicing law without having a license. Updated: Aug 15, 2022 / 04:46 PM MDT. Ukrainian photographer missing following captured journali Woman has 'loud, full body orgasm' in the middle of LA concert, Bride killed, groom seriously hurt by drunk driver just minutes after leaving reception, Red carpet live updates and star-studded highlightsfrom the Karl Lagerfeld-themed Met Gala, Pete Davidson keeps it casual in a bucket hat on the Met Gala 2023 red carpet, Paris Hilton makes Met Gala 2023 red carpet debut in a black leather gown, Kim Kardashian is draped in pearls and corset at Met Gala 2023, Khristina Williams previews the New York Liberty's 2023 WNBA season, Elon Musk Tells Bill Maher Woke Mind Virus Is Dangerous On Real Time, Met Gala red carpet: Live updates of all the celebrity outfits. After climbing over a stone wall and entering a restricted area outside the Capitol, Griffin said, This is our house we should all be armed, according to prosecutors. It would be one thing if he were arrested for assaulting someone, for planning to enter the building, for threatening members of Congress inside. Griffin is the co-founder and spokesman for the political advocacy group Cowboys for Trump. 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. Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Regardless of what happens next, Bookbinder says this is the first time a court has ruled that what happened on Jan. 6 was an insurrection. Otero County Commission Vice-Chairman Couy Griffin sponsored two resolutions on the Commission's agenda: one calling for the FBI to investigate the destruction of the Soldier's Monument in Santa Fe, and another labeling New Mexico Gov. Otero County, N.M., Commissioner Couy Griffin stands outside the federal court after receiving a verdict in his trial on March 22, 2022 in Washington. "I do regret the actions of many on that day that fought with police officers and destroyed government property," he says. Jeter Downs needs to play to develop. Monday in court Griffin argued that he has already faced a criminal trial in the federal court system and that previous recall efforts to remove him from office failed. Griffin is one of at least 10 people charged in the riot who either held public office or ran for a government leadership post in the 2 years before the attack, according to an Associated Press tally. But the judge said prosecutors didnt meet their burden to prove that Griffin engaged in disorderly conduct. Why didn't he stop Ashli instead of ASSIST Ashli? She's the current county commissioner for the area.. Earlier this month, in the first trial, a juryconvicted a Texas man, Guy Wesley Reffitt, of storming the Capitol with a holstered handgun, interfering with police and obstructing Congress joint session to certify the Electoral College vote. Maya Srikrishnan, Center For Public Integrity. "A county commissioner could propose a resolution saying that pigs can fly, it doesn't make it true.". State legislature | Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Sackett said the resolution was preposterous. 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 . All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. White, Mitchell and Lakind were represented by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the New Mexico-based law firms of Freedman Boyd Hollander and Goldberg P.A, Dodd Law Office, LLC, and the Law Office of Amber Fayerberg, LLC, as well as by Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC. Couy Griffin recall, Otero County, New Mexico (2021), States that have pre-petition signature requirements for recalls, https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Couy_Griffin_recall,_Otero_County,_New_Mexico_(2021)&oldid=8562281, Pages using DynamicPageList3 dplreplace parser function, Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2022, Special Congressional elections (2023-2024), 2022 Congressional Competitiveness Report, State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2022, State Legislative Competitiveness Report, 2022, Partisanship in 2022 United States local elections. 17, 2022. hide caption. I only know him by his first name, which his first name is Hiramand hes not a licensed attorney, hes not a BAR-certified attorney, hes a friend of mine who knows the law..
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