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. 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. 1:07. Officer: Im going to issue a citation for the seatbelt. 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. Shows how clueless you really are. At times I felt cursed. It is being investigated by State Auditor Brian Coln after complaints prompted concerns about the procurement process. Its about the money, and this week in Otero County, New Mexico a jury will decide. With calls for an independent investigation of the Capitol siege blocked by Senate Republicans, Griffin is out on bail and speaking his mind. He was a rodeo cowboy at Disneyland Paris and a pastor at the Cowboy Church in Alamogordo. Thats what we need, Clements told an audience at a New Mexico church in February. Weve figured out how theyre screwing you out of your vote, Clements said. 13:00, Joe Sommerlad. The Cowboys for Trump website was not operational Feb. 13. 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. 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. 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. On September 6, 2022, Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin was ordered removed from office by a New Mexico judge, as a result of his participation in the January 6th insurrection and attack on the Capitol. Officer: Youre free to go. 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. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Couy Griffin, Cowboys for Trump founder and Otero County commissioner, was arrested last year for his . But despite the uproar of the last few years, he still believes he has a support base. He said people wanting to sing the song popularly known as the Black national anthem should go back to Africa. The criminal complaint which is basis for the lawsuit states that "on or between January 15, 2020 and March 18, 2022, Couy Griffin did willfully and knowingly violate and provision of the Campaign Reporting Act by failing to register Cowboys for Trump as a political committee with the Secretary of State, by failing to file all required finance reports and by failing to pay statutory fines for failure to file; after receiving a lawful order to do so, a misdemeanor offense.". The trail will begin Tuesday on New York Avenue Alamogordo after jury selection expected to be completed on Monday. Feb 27, 2023. Mr. Griffin has opted to be defended by a public defender for this case with home court advantage. I do worry about potential violence toward election officials, in particular around the upcoming general election, she said. Otero County Commission Chairman and Cowboys for Trump co-founder Couy Griffin rides his horse on 5th avenue on May 1, 2020 in New York City. A federal judge found Couy Griffin, a county commissioner from New Mexico and founder of the group "Cowboys For Trump," guilty on one of two counts stemming from the Capitol riot. 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. That happened Tuesday in New Mexico when a state judge disqualified Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin from holding public office. He is still facing federal charges. 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. ", "To the extent that their goal is to actually have a negative impact on voter confidence," she added, "we are very concerned about the election in 2022, and obviously in 2024.". Do you regret anything that happened? 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. Mr Griffin appears to be setting the stage of this court case with home court advantage. Griffin recalled. Youre zombies, Pecchia recalled. Hes dined with Trump and Mike Lindell, the chief executive of MyPillow and high-profile election fraud conspiracist. Hes an advocate for stricter state voting laws and a die-hard opponent of COVID-19 restrictions who says hell no to taking the vaccine. "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. "I was raised in the shadow of a great man," he said. The lawsuit against Griffin was filed in March by Marco White and Leslie Lakind, both Santa Fe County residents, along with Mark Mitchell of Los Alamos County. The motion said Couy Griffin "has. Otero County commissioners in July rejected Griffins request for taxpayer-funded legal representation in the lawsuit. Griffin lost that case but still appears to have failed to follow the court order. He sees himself as governor one day. Many of the comments predated the 2020 election and focused on the potential for foreign interference. The error was quickly corrected, but the damage was done. D-101-CV-2022-00473, 2022 WL 4295619 (N.M. Dist. He was also one of three commissioners in Otero, a county of some . ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (KRQE) New video shows former County Commissioner Couy Griffin getting pulled over and getting into it with police officers. 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. FILE - Otero County, New Mexico Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks to reporters as he arrives at federal court in Washington, June 17, 2022. 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. But when it was operational, it offered options to donate to the organization by direct donation or by purchasing merchandise. 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. In the seatbelt citation, the officer would note Griffin got mouthy.. Its probably why New Mexico is a toilet. And since he is still in office, he was able to push for the audit. 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. The arbitrator, who was chosen by Griffin and Cowboys for Trump, found for the Secretary of State's Office. The Couy Griffin Interview concerning the trial can be heard following the advertisement in the KALH Radio AlamogordoTownNews.com archives as the lead story following the weather report. He yearns to someday run for governor even though state GOP leaders are openly scornful and Democrats hold every statewide elected office. 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. The first-term county commissioner forged a group of rodeo acquaintances in 2019 into a promotional Cowboys for Trump posse to spread his conservative message about gun rights, immigration controls and abortion restrictions. Clements said in a brief interview in Nebraska that he believes his efforts are noble. 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. By MORGAN LEE February 28, 2023. Dominion officials have denied all allegations made against the company, filing multibillion-dollar defamation lawsuits against various people who spread the claims. Neither, however, has experience running elections or formal education in voting machine systems. In Alamogordo, Griffins rhetoric on race has steeled the determination of opponents who want him out of office. Clements also asserted that the digital file containing the ballots from the 2020 elections had been deliberately wiped from the voting machines when in fact separate files are created for each election and the ballots and other records are preserved. Whenever you say, China stole the election. The 14th Amendment bars from office anyone who once took an . 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!. The political operative. 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. Email addresses are used solely for verification and to speed the verification process for repeat questioners. Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges. Griffin is one of thousands of Trump loyalists in public office who are charting an uncertain future ahead of the 2022 election cycle. The process, now underway, faces several challenges. They are wrong about voting technology, election processes, certification, and legal requirements, Skoglund said. Thats the battle. And that was one that got me, said Brown, part of a committee seeking to recall Griffin. Griffin has claimed he did not knowingly trespass. In at least one case detailed in the affidavit, Griffin paid his ex-wife $350.00 from Cowboys for Trump LLC to cover his child support obligations. 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. 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 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 . Its all falsehoods and speculation. My mom worked at Kmart and Lowes, my dad bagged groceries, he said. In July. 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. Clements was saying, Youre zombies, man. 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. Meanwhile, state prosecutors are investigating allegations Griffin used his office in coordination with Cowboys for Trump for personal financial gain, and signed a child-support check to his ex-wife from his Cowboys for Trump account. 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. 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. 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. Otero County Clerk Robyn Holmes disagrees. Some have. "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.". Colorado State slices up Lobos; UNM is a 6 To say that defense was optional would imply is was a choice. Hes part of a smaller cadre who flirted with insurrection on Trumps behalf and may still pay a high price. He further stated in his plea for public support; this fight is much greater than the person of Couy Griffin. What is sure to be a media circus for Alamogordo next week, Jury selection will begin Monday at the Otero County New Mexico Courthouse in the trial of the state of New Mexico v Couy Griffin, leader of Cowboys for Trump. KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. They have a Son Together was born in 2014. Gun safe storage bill inches closer to governor's desk Republicans express concern over high-profile measure Republicans express concern over high-profile measure during Fridays two-hour debate. He sees. Ron DeSantis by about 15 points in a new Republican presidential poll, with newly announced candidate Nikki Haley and former Vice . Pull him out of his pick-up, take him to the ground, and charge him with resisting arrest! The officers call Griffin over and the traffic stop gets ugly. Griffin said he never entered the Capitol building. 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. The attorney general also received numerous citizen complaints about Griffin. Weve never experienced a national coup, he told the crowd, standing before red, white and blue signs strung up alongside a bingo board. The U.S. intelligence community has continued to warn that foreign actors are probably targeting American elections. He said the only good Democrat was a dead Democrat. Regardless of the outcome of this trial an appeal is expected. Maggie Toulouse Oliver v Couy Griffin, Near mistrial results in not guilty verdict, Alamogordo Proud Flickinger Center Hosts Local Students to LP And The Vinyl, Alamogordo Proud local students take in the arts for free at Flickinger, Minor School Accident Bus #108 Tuesday NO Injuries, Maggie Toulouse Oliver v Couy Griffin Campaign Finance Violations Trial Day One Recap. 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. Citizens hurled insults at leaders voting for certification, calling them cowards, traitors to our country and rubber stamp puppets.. My vote to remain a no isnt based on any evidence, its not based on any facts, its only based on my gut feeling and my own intuition, and thats all I need, Griffin said, his drawl tinny on the speakerphone. Kourtnie served in the US military and is a war Veteran. Their reports on election fraud are a jumble of conspiracy theories and full of errors. 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. "I do believe our elections were stolen," he said. They want to destroy our country, Griffin said in a video monologue. The two-day trial began Tuesday with jury selection in state District Court at Alamogordo, the . Asked for comment, Erin Clements sent a video of Democratic lawmakers raising concerns about election security. The pickup was emblazoned with his Cowboys For Trump logo. 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. Griffin said he is confident the judge will dismiss the lawsuit. For now, Griffin has halted the petition with an appeal to the state Supreme Court, which hasnt decided whether to intervene. Griffin was convicted in federal court of entering a restricted area outside the U.S. Capitol. And something happened. "Cowboys for Trump" co-founder Couy Griffin speaks to reporters as he arrives at federal court in Washington on June 17, 2022. . I just went to stand in what I believe is my constitutional right, to peacefully protest. Couy Griffin: You know, those would have to go through my counsel. Sicknick, a Capitol police. He says his obsession with politics has taken a toll, contributing to his 2019 divorce and tensions with relatives. Griffin and Cowboys for Trump refused to do so and the case went to arbitration. 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.. My heart filled and I heard, We are going to win. . Theyre going to eat some crow.. Couy Griffin confronts DuBois over appointment, derails meeting; Couy Griffin removed from Otero County Commission, barred from holding any future office Theyre going find out he didnt have anything to do with these types of things, he said. 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 New Mexico attorney general investigated embattled former Otero County Commissioner and Cowboys For Trump founder Couy Griffin for using C4T funds for personal use and taking official acts as commissioner for his personal gain. 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 . I wasnt involved in anything violent, or disruptive, or disorderly. You know, and if we do, then its gonna be a sad day, because theres gonna be blood running out of that building." Griffin still wears a monogrammed Cowboys for Trump shirt to commission meetings. David and Erin Clements claimed that the states voting tabulators are insecure and miscount votes. His wife divorced him. Friday night on, Senate Bill 2 would bring the pay of state Supreme Court justices in line with. But luck may have run out for this cowboy pastor who rode to national political fame by embracing President Donald Trump with a series of horseback caravans and came crashing down with a defiant stand Jan. 6 against President Joe Bidens election. 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. Couy Griffin is a white man from Tularosa, Otero County, New Mexico, United States. Griffin is presumed innocent until proven guilty. But go ahead and do whatever you need to do.Officer: Yes, sir. Michelle Lujan Grisham as his political nemesis on issues of gun control, abortion and pandemic restrictions. "They see that I'm willing to take a stand," he said. His 12 th-round knockout of Ilunga . Thus the State Attorney General filed the lawsuit and a trail by jury was ordered. Thank you so much for your time and consideration. And yet he remains determined. Magda Jean-Louis and Alice Crites contributed to this report. The New Mexico attorney general investigated embattled former Otero County Commissioner and Cowboys For Trump founder Couy Griffin for using C4T funds for personal use and taking official acts as commissioner for his personal gain. Kourtnie Griffin, an Iraqi war veteran, understands "passions for God and country" and believes her ex-husband has a right to express his views, her lawyers said. 2-23-23 Alamogordo Town News Thursday Edition with Anthony Lucero KALHRadio.org, Creative Arts Community Action Alert Senate Action Begins Saturday. He looked back and saw his wife and children standing in the window watching him, weeping. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) 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. That is what our motive and our focus has to be. But his allegiance to Trump has wavered. 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. Id see other happy families on vacation while I would bus their tables as an underage kid and say, is this it, Lord? , But, he said he realized, God was preparing me for something, to see artifice, to see lies.. The motion said Couy Griffin "has. You people are funny that claim I harass Mr Griffin. The believer. The role of creativity in resilience and community-building, Alamogordo Proud Downtown Nights Otero Arts Exhibition Opening, Late Shopping and More, Downtown stores open till 8 pm Friday student art exhibition and more, Alamogordo Proud It is All About the Fashion Spotlight Alamogordo Artisan Linda Swenson, Alamogordo Proud is All about the fashions of Alamogordo's Linda Swenson, AlamogordoTownNews.com Tularosa High School Students Excel in Competitions, AlamogordoTownNews.com Not Guilty! Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges. I have done my best to shield and protect anyone who has supported me from the same attacks that I daily come under. 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.. Under the first-look pact, Mortal Media will develop and produce a range of projects across film and television, in [] Donnie Reynolds, a 51-year-old sales associate at an Alamogordo hardware store, says Griffin is being targeted for ties to Trump. All they need to do to change the system, he assured them, is to win over a handful of commission votes. 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. They embrace the instructions of leaders like former Trump adviser turned podcaster Stephen K. Bannon, who has urged election deniers to run for local races and sign up to be poll workers in what he calls his precinct-by-precinct takeover strategy. 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. 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. He means no malice on anybody, said George Seeds, outside the New Heart Cowboy Church in Alamogordo where Griffin once served as pastor. Griffin has acknowledged using the county building for promotional videos but said he never claimed they were affiliated with Otero County. 3 Mar. Former President Donald Trump leads Florida Gov. 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. What is relevant is what our state government is doing to anyone who still believes in basic rights as a free American. 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. 70 202 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. For all his bombast and showmanship, Griffin's fortunes and conviction seem to be waning. Published: Saturday, August 13th, 2022 at 10:05PMUpdated: Sunday, August 14th, 2022 at 12:05AM.
