While he did face criticism, including from fellow Republicans, in the aftermath of the events at the Capitol, Griffin survived an effort to recall him from his position, when a petition did not garner enough signatures. Clements says he is not paid for his appearances but asks for donations for travel expenses at the door. Griffin has acknowledged using the county building for promotional videos but said he never claimed they were affiliated with Otero County. Why dont you go back to Africa and form your little football teams. 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. Friday night on, Senate Bill 2 would bring the pay of state Supreme Court justices in line with. Hes dined with Trump and Mike Lindell, the chief executive of MyPillow and high-profile election fraud conspiracist. Youre zombies, Pecchia recalled. I can handle a lot. But his allegiance to Trump has wavered. Otero Arts Puppet Show, Authors Lecture and More, Childrens Art Exhibition Opening Night Otero Arts. 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. 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 some pretty nasty things': Trump cowboy The error was quickly corrected, but the damage was done. 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. KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. Mr Griffin appears to be setting the stage of this court case with home court advantage. 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. 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.. 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. 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. We was on Fox & Friends the next day.. Cell phone video captured the violence and chaos of that day. Griffin plans to ride the charges out to trial, claiming theres more than meets the eye. 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.. Later, he served as the vice chair for legal affairs of the states Libertarian party. Now, Griffin is spearheading a legally dubious audit of the 2020 election in Otero County. New Mexico and ABQ News, Sports, Business and more, By Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer 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. "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.
He's king of the cowboys and self-promotion | Ringside Seat Officer: Youre free to go. Dont forget to wear your seatbelt.
First Amendment Icons Say Couy Griffin Can Be Disqualified - Law & Crime Dysfunctional family. Published: Saturday, August 13th, 2022 at 10:05PMUpdated: Sunday, August 14th, 2022 at 12:05AM. 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. 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. Griffin participated in, encouraged, and promoted the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol, the suit alleges. 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. Im a big boy. 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 . 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. This is yet another example of how lies about Dominion have damaged our company and diminished the publics faith in elections, Dominion spokeswoman Stephanie Walstrom said of Clements. 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. "You know, here I am still in a county that still has a great fire threat," Griffin said. My mom worked at Kmart and Lowes, my dad bagged groceries, he said. Former Otero County Commissioner and well-known rabble-rouser Couy Griffin was pulled over in Alamogordo in his Dodge Ram in early November.
New images show Couy Griffin scaling barricade during Capitol riots The political operative. Republican primary candidates embracing Trumps stolen election rhetoric have flourished this year. 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. 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. EXCLUSIVE: Blake Griffin and Ryan Kalil are getting into business with Sony Pictures Entertainment. Holmes said this is baseless and runs the risk of eroding trust in democratic systems. Dozens of Albuquerque Academy students volunteered to help unload and deliver the furnishings, Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer. 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.. 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. A jury will consider this week whether the support group .
New poll shows Trump with large lead over DeSantis among GOP voters Page provides news from near and far about our hero of. 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. 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. 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.. As per edailybuzz, Couy Griffin is married to his wife, Kourtnie A Gates. 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. Griffin has acknowledged using the county building for promotional videos but said he never claimed they were . The claim that the volunteer canvassers found dozens of ghost voters at one address turned out to reference the Post Office box at a nearby military base. I totally take exception to the idea that Robyn Holmes our Republican clerk doesnt know what shes doing. "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. 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. ", Meantime, his barbecue business never succeeded.
For years, Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin has been Donald Trump's most flamboyant supporter in New Mexico, creating spectacles and controversy in equal measure. Theyre going to eat some crow.. "Cowboys for Trump" co-founder Couy Griffin speaks to reporters as he arrives at federal court in Washington on June 17, 2022. . The case went to federal district court where a judge dismissed Griffin's case where he tried to have the New Mexico Campaign Reporting Act declared unconstitutional. He grew up in Reserve, in western New Mexico, where his father ran a sawmill. 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. 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. I said, God save us, please, please save our country, he recalled in a speech in Michigan last year. And thats what we had.. Its about the money, and this week in Otero County, New Mexico a jury will decide. Jeff Swanson, chairman of the Otero County Democratic Party, says Griffins divisive remarks hinder county efforts to secure state infrastructure spending, and he has engaged in intimidation by recording Cowboys for Trump videos from his office with a shotgun within view. "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.". However, the new evidence . It is being investigated by State Auditor Brian Coln after complaints prompted concerns about the procurement process.
Ex-academic forges a new career denying Trump's 2020 election loss That happened Tuesday in New Mexico when a state judge disqualified Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin from holding public office. Alamogordo Proud!
Couy Griffin trial set for March - KOB.com He sees. . I could also be in jeopardy of having my pretrial release affected from January 6th that could result in me being transferred back to the DC Gulag in Washington DC. Why? he asked. Griffin has cast Democratic Gov. If I was in your position I wouldnt be able to sleep at night, Griffin said to Holmes. See State ex rel. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. Thats something the media is not telling us right now, not showing us but its going to come out. The ruling comes after lawyers for Griffin's ex-wife, Kourtnie, filed an emergency motion in May to modify their custody and visitation agreement. 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. Theyre going find out he didnt have anything to do with these types of things, he said. The countys attorney disagreed, calling the argument highly unlikely.. ", 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.". Clements won last year.
Cowboys for Trump Founder Turns on Trump Over Capitol Riot Charges 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 . David and Erin Clements claimed that the states voting tabulators are insecure and miscount votes. 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. 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. I'm sure the NM State Police will send you a video of the notorious cowboy criminal being cuffed and perp-walked. 13:00, Joe Sommerlad. 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. The pickup was emblazoned with his Cowboys For Trump logo. Griffin is presumed innocent until proven guilty. I wasnt charged with insurrection because the evidence to criminally charge me was not there according to the letter of the law, he said. Im a child of the trailer park. Clements said in a brief interview in Nebraska that he believes his efforts are noble. Their additional three locations remain open. Clements, who was born in Seattle, grew up the child of itinerant parents who worked blue-collar jobs. 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.
Judge bars Cowboys for Trump leader from son over posts Distraught that Bidens victory would be validated by Congress despite the insurrection, he has said that he ran outside and fell on his knees, next to the fire pit. Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges.
Couy Griffin Family, Net Worth, Parents, Wife, Biography 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. Couy Griffin: As far as regret goes, I dont have any regret from that day. You know, and if we do, then its gonna be a sad day, because theres gonna be blood running out of that building."
Official Couy Griffin found guilty of illegally entering Capitol A group of prominent constitutional attorneys filed a friend-of-the-court brief on Aug. 1 arguing that Griffin should be removed from office. Regardless of the outcome of this trial an appeal is expected. He means no malice on anybody, said George Seeds, outside the New Heart Cowboy Church in Alamogordo where Griffin once served as pastor. 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. 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. Yet he couldn't say why its principal place of business is listed as Santa Fe but its mailing address is in Spokane, Wash. Griffin said.
Assault on Democracy: Paths to Insurrection - CNN International And that was one that got me, said Brown, part of a committee seeking to recall Griffin. 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. 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.
Griffin said hes been offered two plea deals, which he has turned down. emergency order from the states Supreme Court.
An ex-professor spreads election myths across the U.S., one town at a In all, more than 400 people were charged in the insurrection, which left five dead and dozens of officers injured. In the seatbelt citation, the officer would note Griffin got mouthy.. Officer: Where you headed to? Kourtnie served in the US military and is a war Veteran. He yearns to someday run for governor even though state GOP leaders are openly scornful and Democrats hold every statewide elected office. But this is also a man who beat a "Mom and Pop business" that has 5 kids out of thousands of dollars. ", Griffin and his two fellow commissioners voted to conduct the audit despite concerns about its legality noted by County Attorney R.B.
Couy Griffin - Wikipedia Trump cowboy Couy Griffin seeks political comeback after riot I take the seatbelts very serious just because the amount of crashes weve both seen.Griffin: What is it?
Griffin lists himself as manager of Cowboys for Trump.
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. Magda Jean-Louis and Alice Crites contributed to this report. Pacing the room at the senior center in Neligh, microphone in hand, Clements put the matter in stark terms. Shows how clueless you really are.
Couy Griffin: New Mexico county commissioner who refuses to certify 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. , 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. No matter what anyones opinion is of me, personally, that is irrelevant. 70 202 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? 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. Otero County commissioners in July rejected Griffins request for taxpayer-funded legal representation in the lawsuit. 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
'Cowboys For Trump' Founder Appears To Dismiss Former - HuffPost "There have already been three audits," including one by the Secretary of State's office and another by an independent contractor. "They see that I'm willing to take a stand," he said. 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. ", But despite conversations with a Department of Agriculture official, nothing happened. "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 . KOB-TV, LLC
David Clements urged commissioners not to perform their statutory duty to certify the results, arguing that doing so would place them in legal jeopardy because of the problems they alleged with the machines. I am already bracing for a media frenzy during this time because there is so much on the line.
Jury weighs whether Cowboys for Trump flouted campaign law He takes things and extrapolates them to a place that comes completely out of thin air. Representing the plaintiffs are no fewer than seven attorneys listed in court records. 1 talking about this. At times I felt cursed.
Who Is Couy Griffin? Founder of Cowboys for Trump Who Turned On Ex Griffin had previously sued Toulouse Oliver claiming he was not required to register or file as a political committee. 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.