Griffin was present at the hearing for for about 45 minutesbefore he excused himself and returned to the Otero County Commission meeting. "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. 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. 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. On June 28, JusticeMichael E. Vigil, Chief Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court affirmeda lesser court's opinion that there was probable cause to recall District 2 Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin. 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. All rights reserved. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. "I would rather these allegation brought forward be heard from a group of peers rather than a (former Gov. A probable cause determination is not a guilty verdict, rather it is a determination that the defendant most likely committed the crimes/issues alleged against him or her. Griffin can run for reelection in 2022, but told The Associated Press last week that hes more interested in running for sheriff in his native Catron County or governor of New Mexico some day. Any person who makes statements like these does not have any place in Otero County Politics, no less an elected office. [2] That travel voucher was approved and a check was cut to Griffin in the amount of$3,237.48. If Griffin is recalled from office, Democratic Gov. The hearing was only to establish probable cause, in other words to determine if there wasevidence of truth to the charges alleged. Time is running out for a petition drive to recall Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin from office as a county commissioner in southern New Mexico. He denies allegations that he knowingly entered barricaded areas with the intent to disrupt government as Congress considered Electoral College results. This was the most recall efforts for this point in the year since the first half of 2016, when we tracked 189 recall efforts against 265 officials. Calls mount for Griffin's removal During his incarceration, Griffin's fellow Otero County Commissioners, New Mexico Attorney General Hector. Griffin was videotaped on the steps of the Capitol but not inside. If you agree that he needs to go, please like the @RecallCouyGriffin FB page. 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 . "We are still striving to get the signatures by Sept. 8in order to get the recall initiative on the November ballot instead of a special election," a press release from to recall effort states. 2023 www.alamogordonews.com. Separately, Griffin is defending himself against criminal charges in connection with the siege on the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Griffin appealed Arrieta's ruling to the New Mexico Supreme Court which in turn affirmed the ruling. Change.org Covid-19 1422. A state district court judge this month found good cause for a recall petition, but Griffin says the hearing took place unjustly at the same time as an Otero County commission meeting where he was being pressured to resign. Griffin filed a notice of appeal Monday with the high court that contends he was deprived of due process rights and raises other jurisdictional objections. In 2021, a committee began circulating a petition to recall Griffin from office, accusing him of missing numerous county meetings, . Griffin says the money helped him travel to Phoenix last week for a Justice for January 6 rally. The recall complaint listed five allegations against Griffin that are also listed on the petition. 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. I will not be intimidated, I will not be threatened, and I sure as Hell wont back down!! Recall supporters said Griffin had used the office for personal gain. 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 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. The recall committee is seeking final approval of its petition before it can be circulated for signatures. The petition needs 1,574 signatures from current Otero County District 2 voters in order to trigger a recall election. Recall committee spokesman Scott Fredrick said a petition drive collected 1,229 signatures from registered voters in Griffins Otero County district, short of what they needed to trigger a special election. On the 7th of January, after being part of the crowd that attacked the US Capitol grounds on 6 January (and live streaming from it), he made a video where he states "We could have a 2nd Amendment rally on those same steps where we had that rally yesterday. 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. Griffin described the charges as frivolous and blamed county staff for providing bad guidance on travel reimbursements. He is fighting for his political future amid a recall initiative and state probes into his finances. The recall petition fell shy, with about one-quarter as time ran out on Wednesday. Griffin was released from federal prison on Feb. 5. Backers of the petition drive in Otero County say they still need to collect several hundred additional signatures by next Wednesday to trigger a special recall election against Griffin. Griffin was elected to the three-member commission in 2018, defeating Democratic candidate Christopher S. Jones with 65% of the vote. Commissioner Griffin's rhetoric is only getting worse. Why not subscribe? . 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. The petition has to be validated prior to a recall election taking place. Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges. 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. Griffin founded the support group for President Trump that held horseback parades across the country. FILE - In this May 13, 2021, file photo, Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin presides at a public meeting in Alamogordo, N.M., in a shirt with a "C4T" logo that stands for Cowboys for Trump. Michelle Lujan Grisham to select an interim replacement. Griffin has resumed traveled to political speaking engagements in Texas, Montana and Arizona while burnishing his image in a new video documentary as a God-fearing peaceful patriot who stands in solidarity with about 70 defendants jailed on charges related to the Jan. 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol. Scott Fredrick, a member of a political committee to recall Griffin, said Thursday that the effort was still about 400 registered voters shy of the 1,574 signatures needed to force an election after extensive canvassing. Griffin said he planned to fight the recall, though he no longer has the option to do that via the courts. In the first half of 2021, Ballotpedia tracked 164 recall efforts against 262 officials. 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. 2023 www.alamogordonews.com. Michael E. Vigil, Chief Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court affirmed, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 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. On the 7th of January, after being part of the crowd that attacked the US Capitol grounds on 6 January (and live streaming from it), he made a vide 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. 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. 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. The original civil complaint was filed March 11 with amended complaints filed March 24 and April 5 by the Committee to Recall Couy Griffin. Contacted Monday, Griffin called the recall initiative frivolous and vowed to stand strong. Griffins term runs through 2022. For information on the recall petition call the recall hotline 575-629-0908 or call. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin has filed an appeal with the state Supreme Court as he seeks to fend off an effort to recall him from office as a county commissioner in southern New Mexico. Recall supporters said Griffin had used the office for personal gain. Griffin's motion for dismissal was heard in theApril 8 recall hearing and denied. 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. The Committee to Recall Couy Griffin, Otero County District 2 Commissioner, NEEDS YOUR HELP!! Griffin was accused of trespassing onto. 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. Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter. 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. Abbey Smith is a staff writer at Ballotpedia. 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. All rights reserved. As of Aug. 24, the petition to recall Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin has collected 853 of the required 1,574 signatures. Otero County Commission talks aftermath of Couy Griffin statement. and if we do, it's gonna be a sad day because there's gonna be blood running out of that building". Several of the allegations listed in the recall petition are among the things for which Griffin is being investigated by the New Mexico Attorney General's Office. 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, . "The fact that the committees efforts were unsuccessful will be upsetting to some and rewarding to others," a Facebook post by the Committee read. Cowboys for Trump . Griffin also is challenging directives by state election regulators to register Cowboys for Trump as a political committee, arguing that financial disclosures would subject contributors to harassment. Im really financially strained all the time. Visit us at Ballotpedia.org, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 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. Griffin appealed Arrieta's ruling to the New Mexico Supreme Court which in turn affirmed the ruling. The petition to recall Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin began circulation on July 1. New Mexico allows recalls at the county level for malfeasance or misfeasance in office or violation of the oath of office by the official concerned. Those actions must have occurred during the officials current term of office in order for a recall effort to be approved to circulate petitions. [1] Recall supporters filed paperwork on March 11, 2021. You know, they believe in individual freedoms and individual liberties. This story has been updated with a statement from Couy Griffin and more information about the recall process. 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 . The Committee to Recall Couy Griffin, Otero County District 2 Commissioner, NEEDS YOUR HELP!! Griffin is under scrutinybased on five allegations that led New Mexico Third Judicial District Judge Manuel Arrieta to find probable cause for a recall. 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. 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. "We are disappointed that Commissioner Griffin was not able to be here for the entire process. Recall supporters did not collect enough signatures by the deadline on September 28, 2021. The Committee said its fundraising report would be delivered to the state Oct. 4. A successful recall election would have allowed Democratic Gov. Griffin said the allegations against him were baseless and politically motivated. 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. After Griffin was arrested, District 1 Commissioner Gerald Matherly (R) and District 3 Commissioner Vickie Marquardt (R) called for his resignation, as did New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas (D). Change.org Covid-19 . Bill) Richardson appointed judge in Manuel Arrieta," Griffin said in an email April 7. 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 .

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