otero county commissioner couy griffin

We've received your submission. [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. State legislature | He called the current bench trial unfair and un-American. Couy Griffin @CowboyCouy . It is named for Miguel Antonio Otero, the territorial governor when the county was created. Federal courts | McFadden set sentencing for June 17, after defense attorney Nicholas D. Smith declined an offer for immediate sentencing. Sept 6 (Reuters) - A New Mexico county commissioner became the first public official to lose their job for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol when a state judge on Tuesday ruled that the Republican violated the U.S. Constitution by engaging in an insurrection. 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 Mathew ordered that effective immediately, Griffin is "barred for life" from serving as a senator, congressman, elector or from holding any civil or military office federally or in any state. In a court filing, prosecutors called Griffin an inflammatory provocateur and fabulist who engages in racist invective and propounds baseless conspiracy theories, including that Communist China stole the 2020 Presidential Election.. NEW MEXICO (KRQE) -The trial for Otero County Commissioner and Cowboys for Trump founder, Couy Griffin begins Monday in Santa Fe. He knew there was danger! 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. Now he has regrets., In middle of Jan. 6 riot, Oath Keepers chief reached out to Proud Boys. Attorneys Janani Iyengar and Kimberly Paschall also cited a video Griffin posted of himself on the inauguration stage next to the Capitol during the riot that forced the evacuation of lawmakers meeting to certify Joe Bidens election victory. SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) - A prominent figure in New Mexico politics surrounding the events of the 2020 presidential election, Otero County Commission Couy Griffin has been removed from office ba The judge also said it would be preposterous to require the Secret Service, before it could enforce a given security perimeter, to announce in advance that a person under its protection was present. How to vote | More:Couy Griffin released from pretrial detention after being held on Capitol riot charges, More:Matherly, Marquardt demand Griffin resign from Otero County Commission. Address 1101 New York Avenue Alamogordo, NM 88310 Michelle Lujan Grisham's public health orders as unconstitutional. [13], At a county commission meeting on February 11, 2021, Griffin said he was accused of crimes but not convicted. Griffin was arrested when he returned to Washington on Jan. 17, 2021, after saying during an Otero County Commission meeting that he planned to return for Bidens inauguration with his .357 Henry Big Boy rifle and single action revolver. 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. 1,584 Following. 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. "Public health orders carry the full weight of law in every New Mexico county," Sackett said. Couy Griffin speaks for three minutes during the public comment period of the Otero County Commission meeting on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. 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. How to run for office | 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.. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. "Griffin shall be removed from his position as an Otero County Commissioner effective immediately.". Commission unanimously passed a resolution, Couy Griffin released from pretrial detention after being held on Capitol riot charges, Matherly, Marquardt demand Griffin resign from Otero County Commission, March 11 Otero County Commission meeting agenda, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. [9], That is to prayerfully hold the line on a constitutional side, to fight for individual rights, individual liberties and individual freedoms which I believe that by God's grace I have been able to do today. Monday - Friday 8 am to 5 pm. The Otero County Commission held a special meeting on Monday afternoon to discuss a resolution about county employees or elected officials who travel of state.. Griffin is the first elected official to be removed from office for their involvement in the riot. Replies. Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. [3], Griffin, who founded the organization Cowboys for Trump, was arrested in Washington, D.C., on January 17, 2021, for his alleged role in the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Social Services Annex: 215 Raton Ave. "A county commissioner could propose a resolution saying that pigs can fly, it doesn't make it true.". 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.. Come to Source NM for fresh reporting, insightful opinion and analysis from around the state. "I didn't have any intent of being a part of an insurrection or a violent mob. Its very humbling, and its very disappointing. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Contact Editor Shaun Griswold for questions: [email protected]. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at [email protected], by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter. They are not above it. District 2 Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, 48 of Tularosa, was found guiltyin federal court March 22 during a bench trial for trespassing on federal grounds during theduring the Jan.6, 2021 Capitol riot. The Otero County Commission met Thursday for the first time since former Commissioner Couy Griffin was removed from office by court order earlier this week because of his participation in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Ryan Lowery is an award-winning independent journalist based in Albuquerque. In the first trial of a felony defendant earlier this month, a jury deliberated barely two hours before finding Guy Reffitt guilty on all five counts, convicting the recruiter for a self-styled Texas militia movement of felony charges including obstruction of an official proceeding, witness tampering and interfering with police in a riot. The resolution also alleges thegovernor's emergency powerswere meant for short-term issues andthat "the use by state officials of emergency power for extended periods is antidemocratic and is danger to the rights of the people," the resolution reads. We can only get our country back from the ground floor. Griffin is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17. But Griffin also used the final minute of his allotted time to address his removal from office, telling those in attendance that his computer was seized by county officials before he was notified that District Court Judge Francis J. Mathew had ruled Griffin could no longer serve in his elected position or any other for the rest of his life. The founder of the group Cowboys for Trump was sentenced to 14 days in jail for entering a restricted area. 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. [7][8], Recall supporters listed five reasons for recall in their request to the Twelfth District Court, including:[2], At the recall hearing, Griffin called the recall supporters' allegations "frivolous, baseless and politically motivated," according to the Associated Press. Couy Griffin is no longer the District 2 Otero County Commissioner per a ruling by District Judge Francis Mathew. Couy Griffin, an Otero County commissioner, responded to questioning in court, after watching a video of himself on U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021. Nobody thinks a random tourist could sort of climb up there, right? McFadden said. Monday - Friday 8 am to 5 pm. Pence remained in the loading dock location for four to five hours, until the joint session of Congress resumed on the night of Jan. 6, Hawa testified. The decision to represent himself during the bench trial was made, Griffin said, because he felt hed provided the judge with strong evidence to have the case dismissed, and he never thought the case would go to trial. Why did he motion Byrd to wait? And being in the audience of Thursdays meeting instead of being seated with the commissioners brought a specific feeling to his mind. KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. Ballot measures, Who represents me? 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.". Their first witness was Matthew Struck, who joined Griffin at the Capitol and served as his videographer. That resolution was also sponsored by Griffin. Each speaker was given three minutes to address the commission, and Griffin used his time to discuss two items on the agenda funding for a road and a contract extension for the county attorney. 17, 2022. The verdict may post grounds for his removal, the New Mexico Attorney General's Office speculated. "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. Feb 24 Who is the guy in the blue jacket? Noah Bookbinder the president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW said the ruling against Griffin is the first time since the Civil War era that any public official has been removed under the provision of the Fourteenth Amendment, which bars anyone from holding state or federal office if they engage or support any kind of insurrection or rebellion against the U.S. Email Amy Barela. 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. He said the civil lawsuit that led to it was unfair and "purely political." Some high-profile legal efforts to remove public officials from their positions due to their involvement in Jan. 6 have failed so far. 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. In his ruling on the case, Mathew contended that Griffin was not eligible to hold office because of his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots. 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. Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error. After attendingTrumps Stop the Steal rallyon Jan. 6, Griffin and Struck walked over barriers and up a staircase to enter a stage that was under construction on the Capitols Lower West Terrace for Bidens inauguration, according to prosecutors. Struck has an immunity deal with prosecutors for his testimony. Griffins trial in Washington, DC, was the second among the hundreds of federal cases arising from the Jan. 6, 2021, siege. In considering closing arguments submitted by Griffin in the case asking Mathew to consider the will of District 2 constituents, the judge said: "The irony of Mr. Griffin's argument that this Court should refrain from applying the law and consider the will of the people in District 2 of Otero County who retained him as a county commissioner against a recall effort as he attempts to defend his participation in an insurrection by a mob whose goal, by his own admission, was to set aside the results of a free, fair and lawful election by a majority of the people of the entire country (the will of the people) has not escaped this court.". 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. As of 1 p.m. March 22, Otero County had not responded to inquiries for comment from theAlamogordo Daily News. Video from that day shows Griffin "working up" supporters of Trump against then-Vice President Mike Pence, the court says. 7 Apr. Griffin had vowed to arrive at the courthouse on horseback on Monday. 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. 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. hide caption. Daves Hot Chicken will have you begging for more, and maybe for mercy, Josiah Gray finishes April with a flourish as Nats avoid a series sweep, at least 163 Republicans who have embraced Trumps false claims, National Football League began playing Lift Every Voice and Sing, what is referred to the Black national anthem. My intent of going to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 was because I had concerns that our elections had been compromised.". Griffin represented himself during a two-day bench trial last month in District Court in Santa Fe. Phone: 575-491-7265. But in charging documents and plea talks, prosecutors have also deployed stiffer misdemeanor charges against those accused of more egregious or disruptive conduct than passing quietly through restricted areas, or, in a small number of cases like Griffins, did not enter the Capitol. "This is very evident of the tyranny that is raising its head up in our country.". 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. Instead, he showed up as a passenger in a pickup truck that had a horse trailer on the back. This article originally appeared on Alamogordo Daily News: Couy Griffin removed from District 2 Otero County Commissioner seat, U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment's Disqualification Clause, Couy Griffin removed from District 2 Otero County Commissioner seat. 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. This story has been updated with a statement from Couy Griffin and more information about the recall. [3] By New Mexico state law, any New Mexican can file to have any New Mexico county official removed from office. [9][10], After Griffin was arrested, District 1 Commissioner Gerald Matherly (R) and District 3 Commissioner Vickie Marquardt (R) called for his resignation. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Met Gala: Vintage, Jared Leto as Choupette, Kim K., MLB lefty batting average up, game time down 28 minutes, Forte is 3-1 favorite for Kentucky Derby at Churchill, Yankees put Aaron Judge on injured list with hurt, Isotopes to wear Mariachis-wear for upcoming game, Braves slugger Ronald Acua Jr. exits game after, three residents of Santa Fe and Los Alamos Counties filed a lawsuit, Las Cruces Police Department issues 1,918 citations for speeding in 2022, New Mexicans gather to hold ranch-style sale, Lobo football player drafted by the Seahawks, New Mexico woman undergoes amputation after hit-and-run; her family is searching for answers, Teen, accused of ABQ murder, asks for early release, VIDEO: Espaola Police shoot man w/ rifle in traffic, NM construction owner, worker charged for rigging, BCSO deputy impersonator to remain behind bars, El Paso County postpones migrant emergency declaration, Texas leaders link shooting to immigration policy, All CABQ buildings are going to be checked on, US tracking balloon spotted off coast of Hawaii, More from KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos, Rain and thunderstorm chances return Tuesday, 7 bodies found in search for two missing OK teens. Monday - Friday 8 am to 5 pm. In March, a judge blocked a lawsuit seeking to remove Republican North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn from running for reelection. Griffin was accused of trespassing onto the west steps of the Capitol Building Jan. 6. A county official in New Mexico who was convicted of entering a restricted area during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol must be immediately removed from office for his involvement in an insurrection, a judge decided Tuesday. Couy Griffin addresses reporters outside federal court in Washington on June 17. 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. 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. 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. Griffin's actions were "overt acts in support of the insurrection.". Ive been in my office, cleaning my office out today with the undersheriff standing guard in the room. Humility, brother, he said with a chuckle. Thats the very essence of democracy, and this ruling affirms it., Jimenez added that Common Cause hoped the ruling would set a precedent for other elected officials who "disregard their oath of office.". He went on some tangents prompting Judge Mathew to put his foot down to stay on track. Earlier this year in New Mexico, Otero County commissioners at first declined to certify the county's primary election, citing baseless claims about the security of voting machines. "(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. The courts ruling today is a historic moment for our country. [2] Its southern boundary is the Texas state line. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. The judge citied Griffins recorded statements saying that by the time he arrived on the grounds at 2:31 p.m., he erroneously thought Pence and Congress had already certified the election. While reading his verdict, he said Griffin was not on the steps. Theres no room with the Nationals. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. I think that its just very difficult that I dont have the respect of being able to be out by Friday without having the county sheriff or the sheriffs department standing guard.. He [Griffin] crossed over three walls, McFadden said. 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. Our elected officials and candidatesmust obey the law. Griffins mockery of Native American rites got him banned from Mescalero Apache Tribe lands. Smith said prosecutors apparently believe Griffin engaged in disorderly conduct by peacefully leading a prayer on the Capitol steps. In an interview Thursday, Griffin told Source New Mexico that he learned of the judges ruling during a phone call from the Otero County manager. The left is always crying about how our democracy is under attack. A criminal court convicted Griffin of misdemeanor trespassing on Jan. 6, which he plans to appeal. This story has been shared 401,284 times. In his ruling on the case, Mathew contended that Griffin was not. The second proposed resolution is not the first which Otero County has considered in objection to New Mexico's public health emergency orders. US District Judge Trevor McFadden heard one day of testimony without a jury on Monday before handing down a verdict in the misdemeanor case against Otero County CommissionerCouy Griffin, a 48-year-old former rodeo rider who helped found a group called Cowboys for Trump. "His protestations and his characterizations of his actions and the events of Jan. 6, 2021 are not credible and amounted to nothing more than attempting to put lipstick on a pig," Mathew's ruling states.

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