It sounds good and people believe it because it sounds authoritative if you dont know much.. Otero Arts Puppet Show, Authors Lecture and More, Childrens Art Exhibition Opening Night Otero Arts. 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. 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. "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. NELIGH, Neb. Ron DeSantis by about 15 points in a new Republican presidential poll, with newly announced candidate Nikki Haley and former Vice . 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. 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. And something happened. Couy Griffin Wife, Children Griffin is currently single, he was previously married to his girlfriend Kourtnie A Gates, but they were divorced in 2019. Officer: Youre free to go. 70 202 We was on Fox & Friends the next day.. He sees. EXCLUSIVE: Blake Griffin and Ryan Kalil are getting into business with Sony Pictures Entertainment. 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. "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.". He has appeared on Fox News and on Bannons podcast. 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. "I was raised in the shadow of a great man," he said. 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. White v. Griffin, No. Neither, however, has experience running elections or formal education in voting machine systems. "When they come up with these conspiracy theories, it really confuses the voters, and we have a hard enough time getting our voters out to vote as it is," she said. Thank you so much for your time and consideration. However, the page included a disclaimer that [a]ll monies will be a direct donation to founder Couy Griffin and will be used as Couy sees fit to move this organization forward.. "And he kind of laughed and said no. On January 17 last year, the Justice Department released a statement saying that Griffin was being charged with 'knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful entry' adding that he had said in a video, later removed, that, "we could have a Second Amendment rally on those same steps that we had that rally yesterday. He appeared first in Torrance County, where he led off comments at a raucous meeting. The motion said Couy Griffin "has. Emptying the Notebook: Can the Lobos get a defensive stop when it counts? You can play on an old beat-out dirt lot.. Weve figured out how theyre screwing you out of your vote, Clements said. Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges. Because the rule of law needs to exist.. The first call to the press he made was to our reporter to the station we own. "I do believe our elections were stolen," he said. Dont forget to wear your seatbelt. He looked back and saw his wife and children standing in the window watching him, weeping. , 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. Expect tightened security in the area of New York Avenue and an influx of press in the area on Tuesday. You people are funny that claim I harass Mr Griffin. 13:00, Joe Sommerlad. Griffin said he is confident the judge will dismiss the lawsuit. But despite the uproar of the last few years, he still believes he has a support base. The first-term state representative and former Albuquerque middle school math teacher grew up in Chihuahua and has an engineering degree. The motion said Couy Griffin "has. See State ex rel. Couy Griffin Net Worth Couy Griffin has an estimated Net Worth of $1Million in 2022. A group of prominent constitutional attorneys filed a friend-of-the-court brief on Aug. 1 arguing that Griffin should be removed from office. Copyright 2023 2nd Life Media AlamogordoTownNews.com. The January 6th attack and the events surrounding it constituted an insurrection against the government and Constitution of the United States as defined by the 14th Amendment, the suit alleges. He was also one of three commissioners in Otero, a county of some . Griffin has claimed he did not knowingly trespass. 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. Theyre going find out he didnt have anything to do with these types of things, he said. He sees. Thus the State Attorney General filed the lawsuit and a trail by jury was ordered. ", But despite conversations with a Department of Agriculture official, nothing happened. He saw the sawmill's work as "curating" the forest. "There's no absolutely no reason for this," she said. Mr Griffin, a county official in Otero County, New Mexico, added that the aftermath of the election had added to difficulties with relatives and his divorced wife. Couy Griffin, one of three commissioners in Otero county in southern New Mexico, was immediately removed from his position and cannot hold elected office again, Francis Mathew, a district judge in . Both are extremely concerning and truly terrifying to say the least.. Republican primary candidates embracing Trumps stolen election rhetoric have flourished this year. 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 . "It's been such a battle," he said. Page provides news from near and far about our hero of. 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. 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. Clements ended on a mournful note just before the audience began trickling out into the quiet evening, the sun setting over fields of thirsty corn. 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. But my hope rests on the law, and the law is available to us all.. Despite his Cowboys for Trump shirt, he said all but one of the fellow cowboys drifted away after January 6 last year. Kourtnie served in the US military and is a war Veteran. 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. With calls for an independent investigation of the Capitol siege blocked by Senate Republicans, Griffin is out on bail and speaking his mind. Whenever you say, China stole the election. That happened Tuesday in New Mexico when a state judge disqualified Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin from holding public office. 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. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Skier Shiffrin locks up overall title, still chases, Olympic ticket sales for Paris Games gets off to, 7 Cubs pitchers combine for no-hitter vs Machado,, Mikal Bridges helps Nets rally to stun Celtics, 115-105, NASCAR star Elliott has leg surgery after snowboard, New images surface of Couy Griffin at Capitol insurrection, Report: Couy Griffin denies COVID test, delaying potential release hearing, Should we bring back the dodo? Citizens hurled insults at leaders voting for certification, calling them cowards, traitors to our country and rubber stamp puppets.. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Couy Griffin, Cowboys for Trump founder and Otero County commissioner, was arrested last year for his . 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. New Mexico and ABQ News, Sports, Business and more, By Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer Griffin shows hes not just an election denier, hes also a traffic ticket denier. The Cowboys for Trump website was not operational Feb. 13. The political operative. In the end, the commissioners voted to sue the secretary of states office for forcing them to certify the primary results. But the project seems confusing at first glance, given that Trump won in Otero County. The process, now underway, faces several challenges. Shows how clueless you really are. They have a Son Together was born in 2014. I wasnt involved in anything violent, or disruptive, or disorderly. All they need to do to change the system, he assured them, is to win over a handful of commission votes. New Mexicos secretary of state has also rejected the allegations. A state judge on Tuesday ordered Griffin removed from office, citing his role in having aided the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. The 14th Amendment bars from office anyone who once took an . Officer: Where you headed to? Ct. Sept. 6, 2022) [hereinafter Griffin . You think that the governor hates me as a county commissioner put a gun and a badge on me, and well see.. 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. Im not asking you all to storm the beaches of Normandy, to suffer a bloody death to save our republic. But his allegiance to Trump has wavered. 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.. And he is disillusioned with Trump himself, citing an issue that brings him back to his earliest grievances: forest management. With the pickup still running, the state cop walks back to his patrol car and notes to his partner.. Is it my county commissioners or these people sitting here who had lunch with Donald Trump and the MyPillow guy?, On June 17, the states deadline to certify election results, Clements drove several hundred miles in his old Buick, hoping to stop commissions across New Mexico from approving the votes. "And I really thought that the president was going to come through on his end, and unfortunately, he never did. Subscribe now to access decluttered news, chosen by you. In Alamogordo, Griffins rhetoric on race has steeled the determination of opponents who want him out of office. Here you have Couy Griffin as Cowboys For Trump not only hiding assets from his ex-wife and son. He sees himself as governor one day. Griffin was convicted in federal court of entering a restricted area outside the U.S. Capitol. They want to destroy our country, Griffin said in a video monologue. Each played a role on Jan 6. Otero County commissioners in July rejected Griffins request for taxpayer-funded legal representation in the lawsuit. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. 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. Colorado State slices up Lobos; UNM is a 6 To say that defense was optional would imply is was a choice. Griffin lists himself as manager of Cowboys for Trump. And I said, well, you're gonna know exactly where it's at whenever the forest catches on fire around there, because it's gonna burn the whole town down. SANTA FE, N.M. - A New Mexico state district court judge has disqualified county commissioner and Cowboys for Trump co- founder Couy Griffin from holding public office for engaging . The donut shop has announced it has closed its South Valley and Northeast Heights locations. 89.9 FM Live From The University Of New Mexico. By March, volunteers organized by David and Erin Clements calling themselves the New Mexico Audit Force were going door to door in Otero County asking citizens about how they voted in 2020. Brittany Costello: Do you personally have any of those videos? Griffin went to court over the seatbelt ticket where he was ordered to pay the $81 fine. ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (KRQE) New video shows former County Commissioner Couy Griffin getting pulled over and getting into it with police officers. This is a nonpartisan issue, Griffin said in an interview. Still, loyal constituents are easy to come by in a rural county steeped in the anti-establishment, pro-gun culture that dominates southern New Mexico. As CPAC's 2023 edition kicks off, the man who greets the myriad right-wing activists and supporters descending on Maryland . ", Meantime, his barbecue business never succeeded. Updated: March 23, 2022 - 2:43 PM. Mr. Griffin has opted to be defended by a public defender for this case with home court advantage. ", Griffin and his two fellow commissioners voted to conduct the audit despite concerns about its legality noted by County Attorney R.B. A jury will consider this week whether the support group . Yeah.Officer: So if you want to waste our time here.. After the officer hands him the ticket, Griffin still gets in a parting shot. . I stand before you as someone who used to be an award-winning professor, an award-winning prosecutor who is unemployed, Clements said. Clements is one among a tightknit circle of Trump supporters who travel the country as self-appointed election fraud evangelists. 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. The folksy origin story might have helped his successful 2018 run for county commissioner but once in office Griffin amplified violence and bigotry. 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. 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. 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 said the only good Democrat was a dead Democrat. He takes things and extrapolates them to a place that comes completely out of thin air. The cowboy. A New Mexico state judge on Thursday ordered convicted Capitol rioter Couy Griffin to be removed from his county commissioner seat, ruling that the Cowboys for Trump founder's involvement in the . No fewer than 86 judges rejected at least one post-election lawsuit filed by Trump or his supporters, a Washington Post review of court filings found. Later, he served as the vice chair for legal affairs of the states Libertarian party. He also says Cowboys for Trump is a for-profit company, not a political group. I just went to stand in what I believe is my constitutional right, to peacefully protest. WWG1WGA standing in Faith! This guy has gone off the deep end. "The reports that we've subsequently seen put out by these people have been riddled with falsehoods," she said. Now, Griffin is spearheading a legally dubious audit of the 2020 election in Otero County. "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. In his disciplinary hearing, which Clements posted online, the university said he violated the schools covid-19 mask and vaccination policy. 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 . Thanks for contacting us. Couy Griffin, the founder of the Cowboys for Trump group, appeared to turn on the former president during a QAnon event in Las Vegas. Clements says he is not paid for his appearances but asks for donations for travel expenses at the door. On Aug. 11, Clements and his wife presented the final findings of their audit in a special five-hour commissioners meeting, during which he got into a shouting match with the county attorney and told Holmes she should resign because it was disgusting how you fight the people. She left the meeting in tears. I said, God save us, please, please save our country, he recalled in a speech in Michigan last year. 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. As news of the attack came, he was in his cabin in the mountains of New Mexico with his wife and three young children. Asked for comment, Erin Clements sent a video of Democratic lawmakers raising concerns about election security. The officers call Griffin. 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!. 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. No matter what anyones opinion is of me, personally, that is irrelevant. Griffin is presumed innocent until proven guilty. 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.". Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges. 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. "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. Donnie Reynolds, a 51-year-old sales associate at an Alamogordo hardware store, says Griffin is being targeted for ties to Trump. 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. Cowboys for Trump still owes the New Mexico Secretary of State's Office $7,800 in fines. He asked me to cover the prayer vigil we were the only press to do so and his attorney was happy with the coverage as was he and moved to tears. 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. They are wrong about voting technology, election processes, certification, and legal requirements, Skoglund said. He raised this the first time the president called him. 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. Do you regret anything that happened? But David and Erin Clements pressed on, appearing before the three-member, all-Republican Otero commission with a new target: the states June 7 primary. He yearns to someday run for governor even though state GOP leaders are openly scornful and Democrats hold every statewide elected office. I have done my best to shield and protect anyone who has supported me from the same attacks that I daily come under. And that was one that got me, said Brown, part of a committee seeking to recall Griffin. 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. Griffin's term as county commissioner is up this year, and he has said he will not run again. Sledgehammers! a woman at the back of the room yelled out. In October, around the time he was fired from his university job, David and Erin Clements mailed a 261-page document to commissioners and county clerks across New Mexico alleging widespread issues with the voting systems what the congressional report called imaginary fraud.. "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 . Friday night on, Senate Bill 2 would bring the pay of state Supreme Court justices in line with. A Donald Trump supporter, Griffin founded Cowboys for Trump and listed his sister Kay Griffin as its organizer. Officer: Im going to issue a citation for the seatbelt. What is relevant is what our state government is doing to anyone who still believes in basic rights as a free American. His concern is the direction of this country, where its going.. One recent still summer night in this tiny city on the Nebraska prairie, more than 60 people showed up at a senior citizens center to hear attorney David Clements warn of an epidemic of purported election fraud. In July. She grew up in the U.K. and has a small jar of Marmite in her kitchen for emergencies. The Otero County commissioner is facing charges for his alleged role in the January insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Couy Griffin and his horse grift America. He said commissioners are expected to approve funding for that next week. This decision marks the first time since 1869 that a court has disqualified a public official under Section 3, and . Alice Fordham joined the news team in 2022 after a career as an international correspondent, reporting for NPR from the Middle East and later Latin America and Europe. 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. 1:07. "Just struggling every day with new regulations, new laws, new taxes," he said. "There have already been three audits," including one by the Secretary of State's office and another by an independent contractor. "Due to the effects of the Mexican spotted owl, our access to timber on the federal lands was restricted," he said. Mr Griffin appears to be setting the stage of this court case with home court advantage. 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? Under the first-look pact, Mortal Media will develop and produce a range of projects across film and television, in [] 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. Griffin had recently been booted out of office following his conviction on federal charges for trespassing outside the Capitol building during the January 6 attack. It singled out fraudulent audits in Maricopa County, Ariz., and Otero County as key drivers in an effort by malicious domestic actors to erode trust in American democracy. Toward the end of the meeting, Donna Swanson, a former presiding poll judge in Otero County who worked with Holmes for years, stepped up to speak. Couy Griffin will be featured on Wikipedia . Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges. "Cowboys for Trump" co-founder Couy Griffin speaks to reporters as he arrives at federal court in Washington on June 17, 2022. . The attorney general also received numerous citizen complaints about Griffin. Washington - The founder of the "Cowboys for Trump'' organization and commissioner of Otero County, New Mexico, Couy Griffin, was sentenced Friday to 14 days in jail, a $3,000 fine, 60 hours of . 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. "They see that I'm willing to take a stand," he said. And he boasted about his participation in the January 6 storming of the Capitol. The canvass was part of a controversial third-party audit that commissioners had voted to spend nearly $50,000 on in January, despite the fact that the county went overwhelmingly for Trump, with the incumbent winning nearly 62 percent of the vote.