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. That travel voucher was approved and a check was cut to Griffin in the amount of$3,237.48. "I want every person to have confidence in my representation," Griffin said. All rights reserved. The petition to recall Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin began circulation on July 1. Abbey Smith is a staff writer at Ballotpedia. 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 appealed Arrieta's ruling to the New Mexico Supreme Court which in turn affirmed the ruling. 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. "We are disappointed that Commissioner Griffin was not able to be here for the entire process. Griffin is also under investigation by the New Mexico Attorney General's Office for potential criminal charges relating to the September 2019 travel voucher issue. 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. Once the petition is received by the Otero County Clerk's Office, the recall election has to happen within 90 days. 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. 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. Griffin has not been criminally charged in reference to the September 2019 travel voucher. 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. Griffin is fighting for his political future amid a recall initiative and state probes into his finances. 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. 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 was videotaped on the steps of the Capitol but not inside. In the first half of 2021, Ballotpedia tracked 164 recall efforts against 262 officials. 1 of 2. The hearing was only to establish probable cause, in other words to determine if there wasevidence of truth to the charges alleged. 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. ", 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.". In a written order, state Supreme Court justices unanimously rejected an appeal from Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin and upheld a . 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. Sanchez presented the allegations to Arrieta even after Griffin left the hearing. He's also been suspended from Facebook and banished from Native American lands in his district as he contests charges of. 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. Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges. 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. "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. 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. Griffin founded the support group for President Trump that held horseback parades across the country. He denies allegations that he knowingly entered barricaded areas with the intent to disrupt government as Congress considered Electoral College results. Among the listed causes for recall were Griffin's attendance of Otero County Commission meetings by phone rather than in person,his banishment from the Mescalero Apache Reservation andthe alleged use of Otero County Commissioneroffices for personal business. 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. "Recall is intended to be difficult and it is intended to be a very serious matter,"Ivey-Soto said. 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. 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 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 . and if we do, it's gonna be a sad day because there's gonna be blood running out of that building". ", More:NMPED opens public comment on proposed social studies standard, Griffin said he would proceed with his Commission duties, and represent a constituency he said value "individual freedoms and liberties.". A successful petition with enough signatures would trigger a special election vote on whether Griffin can finish his four-year term in office. And yet he remains determined. Griffin was elected to the three-member commission in 2018, defeating Democratic candidate Christopher S. Jones with 65% of the vote. Why not subscribe? The fund drive highlights a photograph from the White House Oval Office of President Donald Trump posing with Griffin, who wears a shirt with the Cowboys for Trump insignia. 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. 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, Im really financially strained all the time. A full contingent of signatures would have allowed the recall question to be placed a special election ballot. "On a personal level I feel that I can always do better, but generally speaking Iam pleased to know that Otero County and my district (in) particular still have a strong conservative fabric. The Committee to Recall Couy Griffin, Otero County District 2 Commissioner, NEEDS YOUR HELP!! petition to recall Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, Griffin recall to begin collecting signatures on Mescalero Reservation, banishment from the Mescalero Apache Reservation, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Griffin was present at the hearing for for about 45 minutesbefore he excused himself and returned to the Otero County Commission meeting. 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. A full contingent of signatures. 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. Forinformation on the recall petition call the recall hotline 575-629-0908 or call Griffin at575-415-5782. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) An effort to recall the founder of Cowboys for Trump from his public office as a county commissioner can move forward, under an order Monday of the New Mexico state Supreme Court. If you agree that he needs to go, please like the @RecallCouyGriffin FB page. 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. "On the decision, I am obviously very pleased," Sanchez said. And I think Im in tune with them.. Griffin was accused of trespassing onto. 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 . 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. 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. Change.org Covid-19 . "It is now in their hands.". 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. 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 . Recall supporters did not collect enough signatures by the deadline on September 28, 2021. Change.org Covid-19 1422. The petition needs 1,574 signatures from current Otero County District 2 voters in order to trigger a recall election. 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. Separately, Griffin is defending himself against criminal charges in connection with the siege on the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Click here to subscribe. Powell is representing Griffin in that case, now before the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. Otero County Clerk Robyn Holmes says a successful petition would put the question on the November general election ballot for local, nonpartisan races. 2023 www.alamogordonews.com. 296. Griffin returned the funds to Otero County, as officials questioned the legality of the voucher and payment. 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. And Im damn sure no quitter!!". Cowboys For Trump was founded by Griffin in 2019 as a for-profit entity to promote the political agenda of then-president Donald Trump. 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. 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. ", Get caught up:Otero Commissioners to discuss calls for resignation of Couy Griffin on Thursday. In a written order, state Supreme Court justices unanimously rejected an appeal from Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin and upheld a lower court ruling that found adequate reasons for voters to circulate a recall petition. Recall supporters said Griffin had used the office for personal gain. The original civil complaintwas filed March 11 with amended complaints filed March 24 and April 5 by the Committee to Recall Couy Griffin. Oliver, the Alamogordo Chamber of commerce Executive Director, were the basis of an investigation. The petition, filed by the Committee to Recall Couy Griffin, alleged he failed to perform his duties as an elected official by missing scheduled county meetings, failed to "exercise proper fiduciary responsibility" when he filed an improper travel voucher,violated the New Mexico Gift Act, acted in a way which resulted in a ban from the Mescalero Apache Reservation and improperly used County resources to further his work for Cowboys For Trump. The Committee was given a 90-day window to collect the required statutory 33.3% of signatures by New Mexico Third Judicial District Judge Manuel Arrieta, after Griffin's appeal to the New Mexico Supreme Court failed. It was unclear how soon the state Supreme Court will decide whether to intervene. 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. Otero County Clerk Robyn Holmes said the petition is due by 5 p.m. Wednesday. "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. Griffin has been rebuked by some Republicans over his racial invective. "He had as much right to due process as we do and the judge very much made it clear and afforded him that right. The regular Otero County Commission meeting that had begun at 9 a.m. and was still underway into the afternoon had recessed to allow him to attend the hearing. I believe I still have much support in my district. This story has been updated with a statement from Couy Griffin and more information about the recall process. They say Griffin used his office to solicit contributions to Cowboys for Trump that covered his personal expenses. Griffin says the group is a for-profit endeavor that is not subject to financial disclosure requirement for political organizations. Griffin has called those allegations frivolous, baseless and politically motivated. "We are slightly behind the pace of signatures required to meet our goal and we are expanding our advertising and collection methods.". 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. 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. For the recall to proceed, Arrieta must sign the petition to recall, triggering a 90 day deadline for the Recall Committee to get the required signatures. So its been a blessing.. 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 has five calendar days to file an appeal to the New Mexico Supreme Court. Contacted Monday, Griffin called the recall initiative frivolous and vowed to stand strong. Griffins term runs through 2022. Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter. 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. Enjoying our stories? All rights reserved. Michelle Lujan Grisham to select an interim replacement. 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. 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. "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. 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. "The Committee to Recall Couy Griffin has received the official petition to Recall Otero County District . Im glad that I went on that day. If we quit we lose. Michelle Lujan Grisham would name a replacement. 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. Cowboys for Trump . 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. The district court stay was denied by Third Judicial District . 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. "The fact that the committees efforts were unsuccessful will be upsetting to some and rewarding to others," a Facebook post by the Committee read. I would have wanted him to have the opportunity to argue his points here," Sanchez said. 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. They say Griffin skipped commission meetings and used his county office space to solicit contributions to Cowboys for Trump that covered his personal expenses. Griffin was arrested in Washington after vowing to take his guns to the inauguration of President Joe Biden, and has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor criminal charges in connection with the siege on the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, where he appeared on an outdoor terrace and attempted to lead the crowd in prayer. Commissioner Griffin's rhetoric is only getting worse. 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. 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. Only the March 11 complaint was heard in the April 8 recall hearing. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) An effort to recall the founder of Cowboys for Trump from his public office as a county commissioner can move forward, under an order Monday of the New Mexico state Supreme Court. Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter.
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