Clements, who has no formal training or background in election systems, spent months crisscrossing the back roads in his home state of New Mexico in a battered Buick, trying to persuade local leaders not to certify election results. And something happened. 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. Griffin said he never entered the Capitol building. But his allegiance to Trump has wavered. The process, now underway, faces several challenges. "Ive seen the same videos that you have and there were people who acted extremely foolishly and recklessly and violently, and I dont agree with any of that type of behavior," Griffin said. 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. "When they put this thought into people's minds, that somehow our machines are not calculating the votes correctly, then these people will not want to vote.". 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. 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. Clements came down from the mountain filled with zeal and sitting down in his garage armed with nothing more than a laptop and a crappy microphone soon began posting about alleged election fraud on YouTube. 2-23-23 Alamogordo Town News Thursday Edition with Anthony Lucero KALHRadio.org, Creative Arts Community Action Alert Senate Action Begins Saturday. 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. "Just struggling every day with new regulations, new laws, new taxes," he said. He also says Cowboys for Trump is a for-profit company, not a political group. Just this week, Griffins attorneys filed new motions on his behalf one demanding evidence and another claiming his charges are politically motivated. The officers call Griffin over and the traffic stop gets ugly. 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. Representing the plaintiffs are no fewer than seven attorneys listed in court records. Alamogordo Proud! The county sheriffs sole duty and responsibility is to protect our individual rights, he said. "And they're trying to spin routine election administration processes as somehow improper. 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. C4T still also has not filed as a political action committee. NELIGH, Neb. Thus the State Attorney General filed the lawsuit and a trail by jury was ordered. "I've had my own family say. He looked back and saw his wife and children standing in the window watching him, weeping. 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. Clements, who was born in Seattle, grew up the child of itinerant parents who worked blue-collar jobs. "Due to the effects of the Mexican spotted owl, our access to timber on the federal lands was restricted," he said. The first-term state representative and former Albuquerque middle school math teacher grew up in Chihuahua and has an engineering degree. 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. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Skier Shiffrin locks up overall title, still chases, Olympic ticket sales for Paris Games gets off to, 7 Cubs pitchers combine for no-hitter vs Machado,, Mikal Bridges helps Nets rally to stun Celtics, 115-105, NASCAR star Elliott has leg surgery after snowboard, New images surface of Couy Griffin at Capitol insurrection, Report: Couy Griffin denies COVID test, delaying potential release hearing, Should we bring back the dodo? Griffin was convicted in federal court of entering a restricted area outside the U.S. Capitol. In the seatbelt citation, the officer would note Griffin got mouthy.. Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges. 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. A New Mexico judge on Tuesday disqualified Couy Griffin, a county commissioner who founded Cowboys for Trump, from serving in public office ever again because of his participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.. Driving the news: The judge ruled that Griffin is "barred for life" from serving as an elected official, effective immediately, under the 14th Amendment because he took part in the . I was to the point that, You guys arent even telling half-truths anymore,' she recalled. 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. Holmes said this is baseless and runs the risk of eroding trust in democratic systems. 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. Feb 27, 2023. I dont have the money to go up against those kind of people, Griffin said Friday. Couy Griffin Wikipedia And Age. The two-day trial began Tuesday with jury selection in state District Court at Alamogordo, the . 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 means no malice on anybody, said George Seeds, outside the New Heart Cowboy Church in Alamogordo where Griffin once served as pastor. In all, more than 400 people were charged in the insurrection, which left five dead and dozens of officers injured. The allegations against CPAC chief Matt Schlapp. Were in a contest of wills. Griffin is scheduled on Monday and Tuesday for a trial without a jury before 1st Judicial District Judge Francis Mathew in Santa Fe. And since he is still in office, he was able to push for the audit. Griffin participated in, encouraged, and promoted the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol, the suit alleges. 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. He perpetuates the former president's false claim that the 2020 elections were fraudulent. A document that David Clements claims shows a failure to update voter check-in machines for 11 years is inaccurate, since the state uses a different check-in system, the secretary of states office said. I never ever got the impression he was so radical about things like that and I felt stupid I had submitted a letter for this guy nominating him for this great award.. In October, around the time he was fired from his university job, David and Erin Clements mailed a 261-page document to commissioners and county clerks across New Mexico alleging widespread issues with the voting systems what the congressional report called imaginary fraud.. Its probably why New Mexico is a toilet. The Oath Keeper. Couy Griffin Career Griffin was found taking active participation in the 2021 US Capitol riots and was arrested for the same on 8th January 2021. Weve figured out how theyre screwing you out of your vote, Clements said. Many of the comments predated the 2020 election and focused on the potential for foreign interference. This decision marks the first time since 1869 that a court has disqualified a public official under Section 3, and . Officer: Reason why I stopped you, is I observed when you were back there and you werent wearing your seatbelt. As per edailybuzz, Couy Griffin is married to his wife, Kourtnie A Gates. Griffin had previously sued Toulouse Oliver claiming he was not required to register or file as a political committee. With calls for an independent investigation of the Capitol siege blocked by Senate Republicans, Griffin is out on bail and speaking his mind. And yet he remains determined. As his zeal over election fraud heightened, other associates fell away. Couy Griffin and his horse grift America. A New Mexico county commissioner who heads Cowboys for Trump was arrested Sunday in Washington, D.C., by Capitol Police after vowing to bring back his guns for Inauguration Day. "I don't think there's any more productive way to spend tax dollars than to make sure our elections aren't compromised," he told an Otero County Commission meeting in January. Friday night on, Senate Bill 2 would bring the pay of state Supreme Court justices in line with. He sees. I'm sure the NM State Police will send you a video of the notorious cowboy criminal being cuffed and perp-walked. I come to you as someone who had a future. A donkey named Henry brays from a side yard. 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. He had hoped the president would address some problems with the forest near the town of Cloudcroft, which is at risk for fire. 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.. His grandfather Wee Griffin held the Catron County post from 1963 to 1966. Some extra notes, quotes, news and notes from the Lobos Friday night basketball game in Fort Collins, Colorado. They loved it, Harper said. Weve never experienced a national coup, he told the crowd, standing before red, white and blue signs strung up alongside a bingo board. 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. Manage the news you want to see, read exclusive content and explore other subscriber benefits. Email addresses are used solely for verification and to speed the verification process for repeat questioners. You think that the governor hates me as a county commissioner put a gun and a badge on me, and well see.. He raised this the first time the president called him. As CPAC's 2023 edition kicks off, the man who greets the myriad right-wing activists and supporters descending on Maryland . "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 totally take exception to the idea that Robyn Holmes our Republican clerk doesnt know what shes doing. 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. For now, Griffin has halted the petition with an appeal to the state Supreme Court, which hasnt decided whether to intervene. I dont want them. The 14th Amendment bars from office anyone who once took an . See State ex rel. 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.