Pacing the room at the senior center in Neligh, microphone in hand, Clements put the matter in stark terms. 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. Friday night on, Senate Bill 2 would bring the pay of state Supreme Court justices in line with. As per the sources, He was married to him for a long time and got divorced in 2019. 13:00, Joe Sommerlad. He sees himself as governor one day. I take the seatbelts very serious.Griffin: Oh yeah, Im sure.Officer: Yeah, just because all the crashes Ive seen.Griffin: Its too bad you dont take more of the drugs and the other crime going on a little bit more serious instead of out here citing people for no seatbelts. 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.. 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. You know, and if we do, then its gonna be a sad day, because theres gonna be blood running out of that building." They say Griffin didnt partake in violence and was well within his free speech rights as he voiced election grievances and attempted to lead a prayer with a bullhorn. Clements, 42, was a popular tenure-track assistant professor teaching law in the business school of New Mexico State University on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob loyal to Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol. A first-term commissioner in New Mexico's Otero County, Griffin rose to national prominence in May 2020 when Trump tweeted a video of him proclaiming that "the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat." In 2019, he founded the for-profit "Cowboys for Trump" organization and has described himself as a "peaceful patriot." So whats the solution?. The need for the audit in New Mexico was more in the likes of Bernalillo County, and Sandoval County and Doa Ana County," referring to areas where President Joe Biden won the 2020 vote. The trail will begin Tuesday on New York Avenue Alamogordo after jury selection expected to be completed on Monday. "There's no absolutely no reason for this," she said. I know they do. 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. 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. Dozens of Albuquerque Academy students volunteered to help unload and deliver the furnishings, Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer. 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. Liz Howard, Senior Counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, said that contractors hired to do these audits frequently have little to no experience in election administration. The pickup was emblazoned with his Cowboys For Trump logo. 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. Couy Griffin has been barred from in-person visits with his son due to social media posts that have produced threats and for refusing to comply with the requirements of the COVID-19 mask. A group of prominent constitutional attorneys filed a friend-of-the-court brief on Aug. 1 arguing that Griffin should be removed from office. Clements is one among a tightknit circle of Trump supporters who travel the country as self-appointed election fraud evangelists. Griffin has been rebuked by some Republicans over his racial invective. 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. What is relevant is what our state government is doing to anyone who still believes in basic rights as a free American. 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. 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. This story has been shared 143,593 times. The U.S. intelligence community has continued to warn that foreign actors are probably targeting American elections. Griffin is scheduled on Monday and Tuesday for a trial without a jury before 1st Judicial District Judge Francis Mathew in Santa Fe. Its all falsehoods and speculation. He has appeared on Fox News and on Bannons podcast. 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. 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? Sledgehammers! a woman at the back of the room yelled out. The countys attorney disagreed, calling the argument highly unlikely.. But the project seems confusing at first glance, given that Trump won in Otero County. Holmes has grown so disheartened by the couples oft-repeated allegations that she has stopped coming to meetings unless asked for. 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. Griffin said hes been offered two plea deals, which he has turned down. And that was one that got me, said Brown, part of a committee seeking to recall Griffin. Officer: Reason why I stopped you, is I observed when you were back there and you werent wearing your seatbelt. Its like hes been radicalized somehow. A recall effort is underway, amid a bevy of lawsuits. Griffin has acknowledged using the county building for promotional videos but said he never claimed they were . She grew up in the U.K. and has a small jar of Marmite in her kitchen for emergencies. Why dont you go back to Africa and form your little football teams. The producing partners have signed a multi-year first-look development and production deal for film and TV via their Mortal Media production banner. My heart filled and I heard, We are going to win. . Like others preaching the gospel of election fraud, Clements has attracted a large following online, where he mixes conspiracies with Christian nationalist and sometimes violent rhetoric. Their additional three locations remain open. Their son was born in 2014. Kourtnie served in the US military and is a war Veteran. Theyre going to eat some crow.. Griffin is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Published: Saturday, August 13th, 2022 at 10:05PMUpdated: Sunday, August 14th, 2022 at 12:05AM. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. Couy Griffin will be featured on Wikipedia . Ron DeSantis by about 15 points in a new Republican presidential poll, with newly announced candidate Nikki Haley and former Vice . Couy Griffin Net Worth Couy Griffin has an estimated Net Worth of $1Million in 2022. I dont have the same confidence in him, Griffin said. Couy Griffin, of New Mexico, was arrested today in Washington, D.C., and charged by criminal complaint with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful entry. 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. 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. He said people wanting to sing the song popularly known as the Black national anthem should go back to Africa. He sees. Both are extremely concerning and truly terrifying to say the least.. For now, Griffin has halted the petition with an appeal to the state Supreme Court, which hasnt decided whether to intervene. Everette Brown, a Marine veteran and information technology specialist at Holloman Air Force Base who is Black, said that comment shows politics have changed Griffin, whom he once respected. 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. The 249-page lawsuit alleges that Griffin can be removed as an Otero County commissioner for violating his oath of office because the 14th Amendment states that no officeholder sworn to uphold the Constitution shall have engaged in insurrection against the same, according to the suit. The decision was made . Thank you so much for your time and consideration. He has made baldly racist and violent statements. And thats what we had.. And yet he remains determined. 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. I wasnt charged with insurrection because the evidence to criminally charge me was not there according to the letter of the law, he said. 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. They also alleged that unnamed bad actors massively manipulated voter registration rolls, allowing people to illicitly vote in the last presidential election. New . FILE - Otero County, New Mexico Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks to reporters as he arrives at federal court in Washington, June 17, 2022. 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: Are you willing to share those? Pull him out of his pick-up, take him to the ground, and charge him with resisting arrest! Griffin lists himself as manager of Cowboys for Trump. "The reports that we've subsequently seen put out by these people have been riddled with falsehoods," she said. Copyright 2023 2nd Life Media AlamogordoTownNews.com. John Block voted against job creation. After years of unwavering support, Griffin suggested he. But much of that I believe will depend on how much support we can build during this time and nothing can replace individual Americans showing up physically and standing alongside one another.. FILE - Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, the founder of Cowboys for Trump, takes in the view from his ranch in Tularosa, N.M., May 12, 2021. The pastors. The Otero controversy is far from over. This is a nonpartisan issue, Griffin said in an interview. I have done my best to shield and protect anyone who has supported me from the same attacks that I daily come under. It sounds good and people believe it because it sounds authoritative if you dont know much.. "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.". "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 am already bracing for a media frenzy during this time because there is so much on the line. Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges. 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. We've received your submission. Clements won last year. Cowboys for Trump still owes the New Mexico Secretary of State's Office $7,800 in fines. , VIDEO: Giant I-40 light poles sway in strong ABQ, Taxidermy birds used to make drones at New Mexico, PHOTOS: Storm leaves parts of state covered in snow, PHOTOS: Winter storm moves through NM leaving snow, PHOTOS: Storm causes snowy, icy roads across New, Map: New Mexico Veterans Monuments and Memorials, 13 Broadcast Pl SW, Albuquerque, NM, 87104, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. In the end, the commissioners voted to sue the secretary of states office for forcing them to certify the primary results. He has sent out a public plea in an attempt to win in the court of public opinion, by garnering a large showing of supporters, shoulder to shoulder to appear at the Otero County Courthouse. The first-term state representative and former Albuquerque middle school math teacher grew up in Chihuahua and has an engineering degree. They want to destroy our country, Griffin said in a video monologue. He sees. The Oath Keeper. Griffin, the only dissenter, called his vote in from Washington, where he had just been sentenced to 14 days in jail time served for his role in the Capitol attack. Former President Donald Trump leads Florida Gov. EXCLUSIVE: Blake Griffin and Ryan Kalil are getting into business with Sony Pictures Entertainment. Im a big boy. Hed like to reinvent the sheriffs role as a brake on the governors power. Griffin shows hes not just an election denier, hes also a traffic ticket denier. Pecchia said his respect for Clements evaporated one day when he saw his former teacher leading an anti-mask march through a craft market where Pecchia sold his woodworking, causing a disturbance. He sees. "You know, here I am still in a county that still has a great fire threat," Griffin said. David and Erin Clements claimed that the states voting tabulators are insecure and miscount votes. 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. His wife divorced him. 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. This story has been shared 104,709 times. 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 . 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. Its probably why New Mexico is a toilet. Expect tightened security in the area of New York Avenue and an influx of press in the area on Tuesday. Mr Griffin appears to be setting the stage of this court case with home court advantage. 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. He said the only good Democrat was a dead Democrat. Early in his life, he struggled with drugs, alcohol and an assault conviction, he has said. Who is going to break whose will? Clements said. Representing the plaintiffs are no fewer than seven attorneys listed in court records. The Cowboys for Trump website was not operational Feb. 13. 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 . Regardless of the outcome of this trial an appeal is expected. Officer: Where you headed to? I think that, if that would have been the case, then I would have been charged with that in the United States federal court where this case should be.. She also worked as a podcast producer for The Economist among other outlets, and tries to meld a love of sound and storytelling with solid reporting on the community. 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. Get some lunch?Griffin: Im headed to get my truck washed. ", But despite conversations with a Department of Agriculture official, nothing happened. ", Meantime, his barbecue business never succeeded. 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. I stand before you as someone who used to be an award-winning professor, an award-winning prosecutor who is unemployed, Clements said. (Those findings were comprehensively rejected by the Maricopa County Elections Department.). And he is disillusioned with Trump himself, citing an issue that brings him back to his earliest grievances: forest management. He is awaiting trial. KOB-TV, LLC 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 yet he remains determined. 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. Im not going to sit and argue with that.. "Just struggling every day with new regulations, new laws, new taxes," he said. Ah cheer up, Chris - maybe the governor's State Police troopers can catch Couy doing an illegal lane change! Anti-vaxxers quickly embraced Clements, with far-right Colorado podcaster Joe Oltmann creating an online fundraiser for him and calling him a lightning rod of truth and courage. The appeal has since brought in more than $304,000 in donations, including from donors who say they support his election integrity crusade. FILE - Otero County, New Mexico Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks to reporters as he arrives at federal court in Washington, June 17, 2022. Ramie Harper, a 67-year-old former bull rider from Fruitland, took a break from making custom hats to join the caravan. The cowboy. 0:00. And it was a challenging venture into the barbecue restaurant business that he said pushed him into politics. Griffin was convicted in federal court of entering a restricted area outside the U.S. Capitol. He was also one of three commissioners in Otero, a county of some . Feb 27, 2023. Investigators said the investigation was launched after Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver referred her investigation into Griffins refusal to register C4T as a political committee and disclose donors and expenses. Griffin has claimed he did not knowingly trespass. Griffin participated in, encouraged, and promoted the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol, the suit alleges. 3 Mar. 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 "Cowboys for Trump" co-founder Couy Griffin speaks to reporters as he arrives at federal court in Washington on June 17, 2022. . The language, known as the disqualification clause, is part of a Civil War-era constitutional amendment intended to bar former Confederates from holding state or federal offices. He said he went to pray and exercise his right to peacefully protest, but he was arrested for his involvement. Stay turned to KALHRadio.org and the Alamogordo Town News and AlamogordoConservativeDaily.org for daily updates. Many of the comments predated the 2020 election and focused on the potential for foreign interference. And yet he remains determined. Couy Griffin and his horse grift America. I come to you as someone who had a future. 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 . Some have. Defiance of federal government and its oversight of public lands are staples of politics in Otero County, which spans an area three times the size of Delaware, from the dunes of White Sands National Park to the peaks of the Lincoln National Forest. KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. I said, God save us, please, please save our country, he recalled in a speech in Michigan last year. Since then, Griffin has led an itinerant life. He is a pastor, a Republican and the son of a former commissioner in Catron County, New Mexico. A Hubbard Broadcasting Company, said he never entered the Capitol building. Thats the battle. "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. I can handle a lot. That is what our motive and our focus has to be. 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. 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 . In July. 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. In Sandoval County, Clements had so riled residents that the commissioners had to be removed from the hearing room by sheriffs deputies for their safety after voting 4-1 to approve the results, according to County Commissioner Katherine Bruch, a Democrat. 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. But this is also a man who beat a "Mom and Pop business" that has 5 kids out of thousands of dollars. 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. He means no malice on anybody, said George Seeds, outside the New Heart Cowboy Church in Alamogordo where Griffin once served as pastor. Allison Kuhn won outstanding team leader, Otero Electric Co-op Making Progress Restoring Power in Cloudcroft, Mescalero and Mountain Villages, KALH Radio Alamogordo Town News Exclusive PreTrial Interview with Attorney Johnathon C Miller, Ole Time Revival Feel Welcome to Counselor Johnathon C Miller Sets stage for Couy Griffin Trial, 2nd Life Media AlamogordoTownNews.com Event Calendar. 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. Hear their stories. In what he described as a mission, he traveled on horseback from San Francisco to New York, and then across Europe and the Mediterranean to Jerusalem, arriving in 2008 after more than two years on the road. With Trump or without, Griffin still ascribes to unsubstantiated claims of massive 2020 election fraud. 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.. 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!. By MORGAN LEE February 28, 2023. In Otero, two commissioners who had voted not to certify earlier in the week reversed their decisions and approved the results, bowing to an emergency order from the states Supreme Court that mandated them to follow their statutory duty. Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges. "I've had my own family say. Manage the news you want to see, read exclusive content and explore other subscriber benefits. The motion said Couy Griffin "has. He had a son with her, who currently lives with her. But go ahead and do whatever you need to do.Officer: Yes, sir. McFadden also acquitted Griffin of a disorderly conduct charge. Griffin lost that case but still appears to have failed to follow the court order. And if we dont fix our country, I cant go back to that world.. "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. TULAROSA, N.M. He rodeoed in a Buffalo Bill-style Wild West show, carried his message on horseback from the Holy Land to Times Square and was invited to the White House to meet the president. ", Oliver also said that if the audit did become a blueprint that other counties followed, "that would be even more concerning than the situation we're already dealing with.". Weve got enough evidence to have indictments, people tried for treason and have the remedy of firing squads. Email addresses are used solely for verification and to speed the verification process for repeat questioners. Page provides news from near and far about our hero of. Still, the audit rumbles on, and could yet have widespread implications. In the seatbelt citation, the officer would note Griffin got mouthy.. That day, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released their report into the threat of election misinformation. 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. A New Mexico judge on Tuesday removed Otero County commissioner Couy Griffin by invoking the 14th Amendment's prohibition on those who engaged in insurrection from serving in office. The first call to the press he made was to our reporter to the station we own. He further stated in his plea for public support; this fight is much greater than the person of Couy Griffin. Alamogordo High School Alamogordo Proud Breaking Stereotypes and Winning in Welding Competition, Alamogordo was the only team to be represented with female welders. 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. Officer: Hello, sir.Griffin: How you doing? 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. Because I care about the truth. As news of the attack came, he was in his cabin in the mountains of New Mexico with his wife and three young children. He saw the sawmill's work as "curating" the forest. The attorney general also received numerous citizen complaints about Griffin. Michelle Lujan Grisham as his political nemesis on issues of gun control, abortion and pandemic restrictions. I just went to stand in what I believe is my constitutional right, to peacefully protest. 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. 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. The second trial in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot case is underway Monday, with New Mexico county commissioner, self-proclaimed cowboy and noted conspiracy theorist Couy Griffin appearing . Im a child of the trailer park. Officer: Yep, still wasnt wearing his seatbelt. Because what they get away to doing to me will be what they inevitably do to you.
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