A publicly appointed defense attorney is representing Griffin in the Jan. 6 case, and Griffin says he is represented by Powell free of charge in his lawsuit against the New Mexico secretary of state. A successful recall election would have allowed Democratic Gov. The petition alleges that Griffin neglected and misused his position as a county commissioner while skipping public meetings and promoting a support group for President Donald Trump that Griffin treated as a for-profit business. I still have a lot of confidence in the people in my district, Griffin said. Separately, Griffin is defending himself against criminal charges in connection with the siege on the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The. I just want those that have already come to the conclusion that Im guilty, I just again ask you to put the brakes on a little bit and let the legal process take place, Griffin said. If you agree that he needs to go, please like the @RecallCouyGriffin FB page. We proceeded and the judge found for us.". Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin presides at a public meeting in Alamogordo, N.M., on Thursday, May 13, 2021, in a shirt with a "C4T" logo that stands for Cowboys for Trump. Griffin has called those allegations frivolous, baseless and politically motivated. So its been a blessing.. Powell has filed a number of baseless lawsuits challenging 2020 election results and helped fund the recent Arizona election audit. Griffin was released from federal prison on Feb. 5. The Committee to Recall Couy Griffin reported that only 1,229 of the 1,574 required signatures were collected from District 2 votersby theSept. 28 deadline. FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 31, 2020 file photo, Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks in Santa Fe, N.M., during a gun rights rally. They say Griffin. He denies allegations that he knowingly entered barricaded areas with the intent to disrupt government as Congress considered Electoral College results. All rights reserved. Griffin says he didnt directly witness violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6 but believes it was perpetrated by militant leftists and not Trump supporters, contrary to extensive evidence. FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 31, 2020 file photo, Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks in Santa Fe, N.M., during a gun rights rally. Only current Otero County District2 voters can sign the recall petition. The Committee to Recall Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffinreminded residentsthat the change.orgpetitioncirculating is not a legal document and cannot be used to trigger a recall election. A public fundraising effort to benefit Griffin is underway through the online crowdsource platform GiveSendGo that has raised at least $41,500 including a $10,000 anonymous donation and gifts as small as $5. "The remaining balance will be donated to a local non-partisan, non-profit in accordance with what the committee decided prior to fundraising," a news release from the Committee read. The original civil complaintwas filed March 11 with amended complaints filed March 24 and April 5 by the Committee to Recall Couy Griffin. Once the recall petitions are signed by the lower court justice who initially approved them, recall supporters will be given 90 days to collect 1,574 signatures to get the recall on the ballot. An effort to recall Couy Griffin (R) from his position as the District 2 representative on the Otero County Commission in New Mexico filed paperwork on March 11, 2021 District Court Judge Manuel Arrieta ruled on April 8, 2021, that the recall effort could move forward Griffin appealed that decision to the New Mexico Supreme Court on April 19, The recall committee is seeking final approval of its petition before it can be circulated for signatures. Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin presides at a public meeting in Alamogordo, N.M., on Thursday, May 13, 2021, in a shirt with a "C4T" logo that stands for Cowboys for Trump. All rights reserved. Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Commissioner Griffin's rhetoric is only getting worse. Dan Casey. Their actions should represent the best interest of their constituents and spend tax payer money responsibly," the Committee statement read. On Monday, June 28, the New Mexico Supreme Court affirmedthe Second Judicial District Court determination that probable cause existed in the case to recall Griffin. Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, the founder of Cowboys for Trump, discussed his past and future in politics from the porch of a tidy double-wide trailer in Tularosa, N.M., on Wednesday, May 12, 2021. "It is now in their hands.". The petition has to be validated prior to a recall election taking place. The recall is one of several legal battles which Griffin finds himself in, including a federal trespassing charge for which he was arrested on Jan. 18. Supreme Court allows recall effort against Trump booster The petition alleges that Griffin neglected and misused his position as a county commissioner while skipping public meetings and. And they have criticizing Griffins pursuit of travel reimbursements from taxpayers in Otero County for a cross-country trip in 2019 that culminated in a visit with Trump at the White House. Griffin said he was informed that the recall had fell short on Sept. 28 from a friend. "The Committee to Recall Couy Griffin has received the official petition to Recall Otero County District 2 CommissionerCouy Griffin today (July 1)," Committee to Recall Couy Griffin today,"spokesman Paul Sanchez said. While Griffin was present at the hearing, he was able to answer to the allegations against him and rebut Committee To Recall CouyGriffin President Paul Sanchez. [1] Recall supporters filed paperwork on March 11, 2021. Otero Commissioners to discuss calls for resignation of Couy Griffin on Thursday, banishment from the Mescalero Apache Reservation, approximately $3,500 from a restricted donor, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. We are grateful for this opportunity to provide the registered voters of Otero County the chance to decide if Commissioner Griffin is still the person they want to continue to represent them on the county commission, as well as nationwide, the Committee to Recall Couy Griffin said in a statement. Once the recall is allowed to begin, the recall petition is taken to Otero County District 2 voters and if 1,661 verified signatures are gathered, then a recall election takes place. Griffin was present at the hearing for for about 45 minutesbefore he excused himself and returned to the Otero County Commission meeting. He is also awaiting trialon charges ofknowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authorityfor his alleged role in the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol. The petition can be signed only by currently registered District 2 Otero County voters. Griffin is reviled and revered in politically conservative Otero County as he confronts criminal charges for joining protests on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. "This is a historic opportunity for the people of District 2 and we look forward to the next step in this process.". "The fact that the committees efforts were unsuccessful will be upsetting to some and rewarding to others," a Facebook post by the Committee read. The Committee to Recall Couy Griffin reported that only 1,229 of the 1,574 required signatures were collected from District 2 voters by the Sept. 28 deadline. In April, Arrieta foundthere was probablecause to proceed with the recall petition. "We look forward to providing the voters of District 2 the opportunity to decide if they wish to keep Commissioner Griffin in office or remove him," Sanchez said. The Committee said its fundraising report would be delivered to the state Oct. 4. Griffin said he planned to fight the recall, though he no longer has the option to do that via the courts. Griffin, elected in 2018, says allegations in the petition are frivolous and without merit. ", More:New push to expand nuclear radiation compensation includes New Mexico sites, The signatures collected represent "78% of what was required," the Committee post read and "26% of the total votes cast in District Two during the last election.". Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges. The recall petition fell shy, with about one-quarter as time ran out on Wednesday. You know, they believe in individual freedoms and individual liberties. Griffin was released from federal prison on Feb. 5. Griffin says that Cowboys for Trump is a for-profit endeavor that is not subject to financial disclosure requirements for political organizations. Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter. 1 of 2. Few people are more partisan than Couy Griffin, the fast-talking, horseback-riding New Mexico politician and founder of Cowboys for Trump. Griffin is fighting for his political future amid a recall initiative and state probes into his finances. In response to the allegations, Griffin said in the April 7 email that "As far as Im concerned I will stand on the same principle Ive stated over and over. "The Committee to Recall Couy Griffin has received the official petition to Recall Otero County District . "We are grateful for this opportunity to provide the registered votersof Otero County District 2 the chance to decide if Commissioner Griffin is still the person they want to continue to represent them on the county commission as well as nationwide," Committee to Recall Couy Griffin spokesman Paul Sanchez said. 2023 www.alamogordonews.com. The filing also noted that Griffin inappropriately filed a travel voucher for a trip to Washington, D.C. and for allegedly violating the Gift Act when he accepted a $3,500 donation from a restricted donor to pay back the travel voucher. Griffin founded the support group for President Trump that held horseback parades across the country. Change.org Covid-19 . . Third Judicial District court Judge Manuel Arrieta determined probable cause existed to proceed with a recall lawsuit filed against Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, initiating procedures to remove Griffin from public office. In 2021, a committee began circulating a petition to recall Griffin from office, accusing him of missing numerous county meetings, . If Griffin is recalled from office, Democratic Gov. A full contingent of signatures would have allowed the recall question to be placed a special election ballot. Griffin denies allegations that he knowingly entering barricaded areas of the Capitol grounds with the intent of disrupting government as Congress considered the 2020 Electoral College results, though he openly ascribes to unsubstantiated claims of fraud in the 2020 election. A state district court judge says an effort can move ahead to try and recall Griffin, the Cowboys for Trump founder from his seat as an Otero County commissioner on accusations of using his public office for personal gain. Arrietaexplained that this case does not warrant a jury trial since the April 8 hearing was most likely to be the only hearing in the case and that a verdict was not to be administered and if a recall petition is successful and a recall election imminent, then the voters of Otero County's District 2 would be the jury. "On the decision, I am obviously very pleased," Sanchez said. Griffin, who founded the organization Cowboys for Trump, was arrested in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 17, for his alleged role in the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Federal prosecutors have offered Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin a plea agreement over charges that he illegally entered barricades during the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on January. Just a small donation to get the most dangerous County Commissioner we've EVER had removed from office! Griffin was accused of trespassing onto. Couy Griffin, who was charged for breaching the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, is disappointed the former president didn't follow through on his promise to jail Hillary Clinton. Michelle Lujan Grisham would name a replacement. Michael E. Vigil, Chief Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court affirmed, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Feb 3, 2021. The Otero County Clerk's Office, although not a participant in the recall proceedings, is interested to ensure that, if a recall is triggered, it is done in an orderly and clear fashion "so the voters are clear on the process," Ivey-Soto said. It states his conduct resultedin his banishment from the Mescalero Apache Reservation, that he used county resources for non-commission reasons namely forGriffin's political advocacy companyCowboys for Trump, filing an improper travel voucher and violating the Gift Act when he received approximately $3,500 from a restricted donor to pay back the travel reimbursement from the travel voucher. This story has been updated with a statement from Couy Griffin and more information about the recall process. And Im damn sure no quitter!!". ", Get caught up:Otero Commissioners to discuss calls for resignation of Couy Griffin on Thursday. Bill) Richardson appointed judge in Manuel Arrieta," Griffin said in an email April 7. Change.org Covid-19 1422. Recall supporters said Griffin had used the office for 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, . (AP Photo/Morgan Lee, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Cowboys for Trump . SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) A political committee has begun circulating a petition to recall Cowboys or Trump founder Couy Griffin from public office as a commissioner in Otero County. Bidens victory was certified by officials in each of the swing states he won and by Congress on Jan. 6 after Trumps supporters, fueled by false allegations of widespread election fraud, stormed the House and Senate chambers in a failed attempt to prevent certification of how Americans voted nationwide. "The Committee to Recall Couy Griffin is very pleased that we have been found with probable cause, no less for all five of the allegations we presented.". District Court Judge Manuel Arrieta on Thursday, April 8, 2021, ruled in favor of a group of recall petitioners who say that Griffin had repeatedly abused his authority and should be subject to a recall election this year. ? New Mexico Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Vigil on June 28 affirmed a lower courts ruling to allow an effort to recall Couy Griffin (R) from his position as the District 2 representative on the Otero County Commission to move forward. The failed recall petition accused Griffin of failing to attend commission meetings, using his elected position for personal gain in promoting a support group for former President Donald Trump, improper travel vouchers and violating state restrictions on gifts to public officials. Once the petition is received by the Otero County Clerk's Office, the recall election has to happen within 90 days. https://www.facebook.com/RecallCouy/videos/565453014816238. "I would rather these allegation brought forward be heard from a group of peers rather than a (former Gov. Oliver, the Alamogordo Chamber of commerce Executive Director, were the basis of an investigation. Griffin deniedthe allegations claiming they were"frivolous and devoid of merit," court records state. I believe the people in my district still believe in Conservative values and individual rights and freedoms and I believe that if this recall comes to vote, thatpoint will be proved.". They say Griffin skipped commission meetings and used his county office space to solicit contributions to Cowboys for Trump that covered his personal expenses. Separately, Griffin is confronting federal charges in connection with the U.S. Capitol siege on Jan. 6, where he appeared on an outdoor terrace and attempted to lead a prayer. Cowboys for Trump has held horseback-riding parades across the country in support of President Donald Trump. Of a reported $5,000 collected, $300 remain in the Committees coffers. "The fight is far from over," Griffin said. "Just because the State of New Mexico wants to acknowledge the recall doesn't mean that the good people of Otero County will. Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin, charged in the January 6 Capitol riot, will not be recalled from office as a county commissioner in New Mexico because the recall petition did not. At the time, Sanchez thought that Second Judicial District Judge Manuel Arrieta had to sign off on the petition, when the petition only needed a stamp from the court clerk's office. Recall supporters did not collect enough signatures by the deadline on September 28, 2021. The vicious Democrat recall against Republican Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin has officially failed, collecting only 1,229 signatures from voters, short of the amount needed to trigger a special election. In comparison, we tracked between 72 and 155 efforts by the midpoints of 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) A state district court judge says an effort can move ahead to try and recall Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin from his seat as an Otero County commissioner on accusations of using the office for personal gain. The allegations in the recall effort arethat Griffinfailed to attend Otero County Commission meetings properly by attending them telephonically when he was doing work for Cowboys for Trump; conduct resulting inGriffin'sbanishment from the Mescalero Apache Reservation;usingOtero County resourcesfor Cowboys for Trump business;filing animproper travel voucherand failing to "exercise proper fiduciary responsibility; andviolating the Gift Actwhen he asked for and received $3,500 from a restricted donor, the petition states. Retired military veteran Paul Sanchez and other members of the Committee to Recall Couy Griffin are accusing Griffin of using his elected county position for . Griffin was elected to the three-member commission in 2018, defeating Democratic candidate Christopher S. Jones with 65% of the vote. New Mexico requires a number of signatures equal to one-third of participation in the previous election. A statement dated Jan. 19 by Otero County, New Mexico, commissioners following the Jan. 17 arrest of fellow commissioner Couy Griffin, 47, following his arrest on . [2] This ruling said the process of recalling Griffin from his elected office, a decision first assertedApril 8 byThird Judicial District Court Judge Manuel Arrieta, may proceed. Griffin is revered and reviled in politically conservative Otero County as he confronts criminal charges for joining protests on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Griffin formed Cowboys for Trump in 2019 with a group of rodeo acquaintances to hold horseback-riding parades across the country in support of then-President Donald Trump, and has ascribed to unsubstantiated claims of massive 2020 election fraud. Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter. More:Griffin recall to begin collecting signatures on Mescalero Reservation. Ivey-Soto requested that the stamp on the facepage of the petition not be affixed until the sixth day following the April 8 hearing unless Griffin files the appeal. Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter. Officials at the Otero County clerks office were unavailable Monday to confirm requirements and deadlines in the recall drive. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) A political committee has begun circulating a petition to recall Cowboys or Trump founder Couy Griffin from public office as a commissioner in Otero County. Forinformation on the recall petition call the recall hotline 575-629-0908 or call Griffin at575-415-5782. He is fighting for his political future amid a recall initiative and state probes into his finances. Arrieta was assigned to the recall case after all of the 12th Judicial District judges recused themselves. Those grounds arethat Griffin violated the Campaign Reporting Act, Governmental Conduct Act and that he allegedly committed embezzlement, racketeering, money laundering and making or permitting a false voucher for public funds. Griffin said he would not resign. "He had as much right to due process as we do and the judge very much made it clear and afforded him that right. Griffin has five calendar days to file an appeal to the New Mexico Supreme Court. Griffin has not been charged with any crime by the New Mexico Attorney General's Office as of July 1, 2021 and the investigation of him is ongoing as of that date. Any person who makes statements like these does not have any place in Otero County Politics, no less an elected office. Otherwise, Griffin is up for possible re-election in 2022 for a second, four-year term. The recall effort has about 30 days inthe 90-day window to gather the required signatures. An effort to recall Couy Griffin (R) from his position as the District 2 representative on the Otero County Commission in New Mexico did not go to a vote in 2021. Griffin has not been criminally charged in reference to the September 2019 travel voucher. He said he was accused of crimes but not convicted. Click here to subscribe. The recall complaint listed five allegations against Griffin that are also listed on the petition. Griffin says the group is a for-profit endeavor that is not subject to financial disclosure requirement for political organizations. I will not be intimidated, I will not be threatened, and I sure as Hell wont back down!! The hearing was held in the old Otero County Commission Chambers in the Otero County Courthouse across the street from the Otero County Administration Building. He's also been suspended from Facebook and banished from Native American lands in his district as he contests charges of. The Committee to Recall Couy Griffin said Thursday in a news release that it has begun collecting signatures in efforts to scheduled a recall election. Why not subscribe? Retired military veteran Paul Sanchez and other members of the Committee to Recall Couy Griffin are accusing Griffin of using his elected county position for personal gain. Countless registered voters from the other Otero County districts were turned away from signing since only District 2 signatures counted for the recall effort. For information on the recall petition call the recall hotline 575-629-0908 or call. Retired military veteran Paul Sanchez and other members of the Committee to Recall Couy Griffin are accusing Griffin of using his elected county position for personal gain. These allegations are that Griffin failed to attend Otero County Commission meetings properly when he attended them telephonically while he was on his political group, Cowboys for Trump, business outsidethe county; conduct resulting in Griffin's banishment from the Mescalero Apache Reservation; using Otero County resources for Cowboys for Trump business; filing an improper travel voucher and failing to "exercise proper fiduciary responsibility; and violating the Gift Act when he asked for and received $3,500 from a restricted donor, the petition states.
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