Reffitts conviction on all charges could give prosecutors more leverage in negotiating plea deals in many other cases or discourage other defendants from going to trial. Griffin, one of three members of the Otero County Commission in southern New Mexico, is among a handful of riot defendants who either held. He was arrested and charged upon his return to Washington. Hemel added: I wouldnt want Couy Griffin to be my county commissioner, or anyones county commissioner, but I think defenders of democracy need to think long and hard about whether judicial disqualification is the wisest approach.. Truth is I was 1 for 1 with the US Government. 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. Struck received immunity for his testimony. McFadden also ordered Griffin, a New Mexico county commissioner, to pay a $3,000 fine and ordered a yearlong period of probation. When McFadden posed a boilerplate question about whether Griffin had taken drugs or alcohol the accused Capitol rioter said he'd had a couple beers the night before. Since Jan. 6, activists have sought to disqualify several members of Congress who supported questioning or overturning the 2020 election results, including Reps. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.) His comments come as conspiracy theories continue to swirl about the events of January 6, including one that the the FBI was involved in plotting the attack after infiltrating far-right groups. Pence remained in the loading dock location for four to five hours and never left the security perimeter before the joint session of Congress resumed on the night of Jan. 6, Hawa testified. The 1 I lost I will appeal. In court papers, federal prosecutors said Griffin bragged about his involvement in the Capitol attack at a county commission meeting. McFadden dismissed that claim as "preposterous.". This is a battle and a war we cannot lose, Mr. Griffin said. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Mr. McFadden said the "vast majority" of Capitol rioters who remained outside the building were "not charged at all," and he suggested that Griffin only faced prosecution if he hadn't "gone to such lengths to publicize his actions.". Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? He called it a great day for America and added, The people are showing that they have had enough, prosecutors said. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Griffin elected to have a bench trial, meaning a Trump-appointed judge rather than a jury of 12 will review the evidence and decide his fate. Hawa said agents took Pence from his office at the Capitol to a secure location at an underground loading dock on the Capitol complex. Griffins case differs from the others in one crucial way: He was actually part of the crowd that stormed the Capitol and was later convicted of his role. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. The riot: On Jan. 6, 2021, a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election results. More than 230 riot defendants have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors, and at least 127 of them have been sentenced. The difference is they didnt then decide to storm the Capitol building.. When asked whether he and Griffin had decided it would be "inappropriate" to enter the Capitol building, Struck replied, "I don't think we discussed that.". Around that time, Mr. Griffin also took part in an attempt by the Otero County commission to reject certification of a recent local election until voting machines in the county were inspected. The judge said Griffins many defenses were not credible, and nor was his summary of his role on Jan. His advisory sentencing guideline range for the misdemeanor conviction was zero to six months. Prosecutors plan to call a Secret Service inspector and Capitol police inspector later on Monday. After already serving 20 days in jail, Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin avoided additional prison time Friday as he was sentenced for his participation in the pro-Trump mob that attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. His lawyer, David Smith, requested two months probation. Griffin is thinking about running for Catron County sheriff. Nicholas Smith, a lawyer who represented him during his criminal trial, declined to comment. While still a county commissioner, Griffin joined with Republican colleagues in refusing to certify results of the June 2022 primary election based on distrust of the voting systems used to tally the vote, even though the countys election official said there were no problems. . He told Griffin, Youre not being sentenced for your beliefs about voting fraud and took aim at those advancing similar claims about fraud nationally. While the decision of a state court isnt binding elsewhere, New York Universitys Daniel Hemel noted, it could embolden similar efforts to disqualify people from office with more direct ties to the insurrection up to and including Trump. Trumps attack on democracy after the November 2020 election started out as an attempt to use the judicial process to deprive voters of their choice of leader. Big Tech news and how to take control of your data and devices, Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin sentenced for trespassing, What the Jan. 6 probe found out about social media, but didnt report, Social Security numbers of Trump officials, allies posted in Jan. 6 files, Jan. 6 report recommends Congress ban Trump from running again, To become an Amazon Clinic patient, first you sign away some privacy, How Mark Zuckerberg broke Metas workforce, Elon Musk describes Starship flight as roughly what I expected, Jan. 6 committee released its final report, analysis about the committees new findings and conclusions, On Jan. 6, 2021, a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, close to penetrating the inner sanctums of the building. For the first time since the War of 1812, the U.S. Capitol was breached. The judge heard testimony Monday from three government witnesses. A New Mexico judge on Tuesday removed Otero County commissioner Couy Griffin by invoking the 14th Amendments prohibition on those who engaged in insurrection from serving in office. Anyone can read what you share. Another state lawmaker, then-West Virginia state Del. Smith asked Struck if anybody appeared to be riled up by the prayer that Griffin led. An online fundraiser for Griffin has also raised nearly $50,000. WASHINGTON An elected official from New Mexico went to trial with a judge not a jury set to decide if he is guilty of charges that he illegally entered the U.S. Capitol grounds on the daya pro-Trump mobdisrupted the certification of Joe Bidens presidential election victory. An appeals court ruled in May that participants in an insurrection against the U.S. government could be barred from holding office, but the target of that case, Representative Madison Cawthorn, Republican of North Carolina, had already lost his primary, rendering the matter essentially moot. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Griffin was present at the Capitol during the riot but did not enter the building itself. At a stop in The Woodlands, Texas, on Jan. 1, 2021, the ruling said, Mr. Griffin urged a crowd to view the attempts to overturn the election as a last-ditch fight, comparing it to the famous standoff at the Alamo. Griffin founded an organization called "Cowboys for Trump.". He vowed to return to the Capitol for President Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony on January 20, later promising to bring guns to "embrace my Second Amendment." Prosecutors also pointed to more recent social media posts and statements in which Griffin appeared to mock his March guilty verdict and display a lack of contrition for the Capitol attack, underscoring how January 6 defendants have talked themselves into deeper trouble amid their criminal proceedings. In the same video, Griffin remarked that if pro-Trump rioters were to hold a "2nd Amendment rally on those same steps" it would be "a sad day" because "there's gonna be blood running out of that building. the judge asked. Mr. Griffin was sentenced in June to 14 days in prison. Griffin said he and fellow commissioners don't see the process as trustworthy. He invoked free speech protections and said Cowboys for Trump used donations to travel and espouse support for conservative ideals, without raising money for a political candidate. The ruling declared the Jan. 6 assault an insurrection and ordered Mr. Griffin removed from office. Most of these cases fizzled quickly, and none have succeeded. Griffin is charged with illegally entering Capitol grounds the day a pro-Trump mob disrupted certification of Joe Biden's presidential election victory on Jan. 6, 2021. It would be helpful if they would take this opportunity to rule really for the first time what Section 3 means.. Trump's latest attack addresses DeSantis' overseas trips to the U.K., Israel, Florida's Covid-19 record, and polling support for the 2024 Presidential race. Griffin said in a text message that he felt blessed to be judged by a jury of peers in his home community and has never felt as vindicated.". video timeline of what happened on Jan. 6. SCOTUS Now Just Another Congressional Committee, Trump Ramps up Attacks on DeSantis: 'Dropping Like a Rock', Russian Strikes on Pavlohrad Aim to Hamper Ukraine's Counteroffensive, Greg Abbott Criticized for Response to Texas Shooting: 'A New Low', Democrat Sold First Republic Stock, Bought JP Morgan Before Collapse, Conservative Influencers Struggle With Countering Biden's Messaging. It is unclear when McFadden will hand down his verdict. Two days later, in Bowling Green, Ky., Mr. Griffin told a crowd that a war was underway with the elitist, gross, wicked, vile people, adding, We got to get our country back., In Atlanta, on Jan. 4, the ruling said, Mr. Griffin anticipated that there could be violence when crowds of people descended on Washington for Mr. Trumps speech. 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. Derrick Evans, was sentenced to three months in jail this summer for committing civil disorder on Jan. 6. The Justice Department said in charging papers that, following the January 6 insurrection, Griffin recorded a video in which he claimed to have "climbed up on the top of the Capitol building" and stated his intention to return on January 20 the day then-President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. WASHINGTON A judge in New Mexico on Tuesday ordered a county commissioner convicted of participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol removed from office under the 14th Amendment, making him the first public official in more than a century to be barred from serving under a constitutional ban on insurrectionists holding office. I lived a life devoted to the Lord, Griffin said. Reffitt's trial presented a test for the Justice Department as it undertakes an investigation it has called "unprecedented," and the conviction marked a significant victory in the nearly 800 prosecutions related to the January 6 attack. After attendingthen-President Donald Trumps Stop the Steal rally on 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 forBidens inauguration, according to prosecutors. Griffin is constitutionally disqualified from serving, the judge wrote. Sicknick died the day after the riots from a stroke. "I'm . Both the prosecutors and the probation and parole department recommended he serve 90 days. After he was sentenced, Mr. Griffin urged reporters to examine a series of debunked conspiracy theories about Jan. 6, including one about an Arizona man who was falsely pegged as an undercover F.B.I. Griffin was sentenced to 14 days in prison but credited for the 20 days he served ahead of trial. At his sentencing, Griffin told the judge, I have huge respect for law enforcement and I am a respecter of the system. He said he had been a pastor before entering politics in Otero County. Ahead of the trial, McFadden rejected Griffin's claim that he was politically targeted. We SHOULD have won a grand slam on both counts. He also amplified his unfounded claims that the riot was a left-wing plot when he tweeted last month asking where is the investigation into the coordinated and PLANNED SET UP of Jan 6th!. In court testimony, State Elections Director Mandy Vigil said that state regulators typically negotiate with political groups to encourage registration without seeking sanctions. Matt Dahlseid/Santa Fe New Mexican, via Associated Press. Effort to bar Jan. 6 figures from office notches historic win. Thats hugely significant. Griffin, an ardent conspiracy theorist who refused to certify the state's primary election results this summer in Otero County, told CNN he has been ordered to clean out his office and attacked.
Sasha Muir Marrying Millions,
Pork And Apricot Casserole Delia,
Nathan Cooper Obituary,
What Happened To Huetiful Hair Steamer,
Pastel Silver Overtone On Brown Hair,
Articles C