"This is a historic opportunity for the people of District 2 and we look forward to the next step in this process.". 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. Click here to subscribe. A full contingent of signatures would have allowed the recall question to be placed a special election ballot. 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. He said he was accused of crimes but not convicted. Otero County Clerk Robyn Holmes said the petition is due by 5 p.m. Wednesday. 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. Today, Couy Griffin is divorced, disparaged by family and confronts a political recall drive, a state corruption investigation and federal charges. 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. 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. Only current Otero County District2 voters can sign the recall petition. 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. Michelle Lujan Grisham would name a replacement. 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. 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. Contacted Monday, Griffin called the recall initiative frivolous and vowed to stand strong. Griffins term runs through 2022. 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. 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. Just a small donation to get the most dangerous County Commissioner we've EVER had removed from office! 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 was videotaped on the steps of the Capitol but not inside. He was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, according to the Alamogordo Daily News. Also, please use our hashtag #recallcouygriffin in your shares and comments, this is how we spread the word!! The recall petition fell shy, with about one-quarter as time ran out on Wednesday. Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter. Otero County Clerk Robyn Holmes says a successful petition would put the question on the November general election ballot for local, nonpartisan races. "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. Its just to help with the financial burdens of not only the legal defense, which that is part of it, but also just to survive, Griffin said of the donations. Oliver, the Alamogordo Chamber of commerce Executive Director, were the basis of an investigation. Griffin said he had not decided on whether to seek re-election to his seat on the Commission, saying he was entertaining different options for his political future. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. "The committee to recall Couy Griffin is hopeful that this effort has shined a light on local politicians and their actions while in office. Ballotpedia is the digital encyclopedia of American politics and elections. 2023 www.alamogordonews.com. Griffin, elected in 2018, says allegations in the petition are frivolous and without merit. Griffin, 47, once led his Republican posse on a ride from . "We are slightly behind the pace of signatures required to meet our goal and we are expanding our advertising and collection methods.". All rights reserved. to stand with my fellow Americans in protest of what will one day be known as the biggest rigged election in American history.. 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. NMPED opens public comment on proposed social studies standard, New push to expand nuclear radiation compensation includes New Mexico sites, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. I mean, how much bigger representation can you bring to Otero County? Griffin said. 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. 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. They say Griffin. New Mexico requires a number of signatures equal to one-third of participation in the previous 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. Commissioner Griffin's rhetoric is only getting worse. He's also been suspended from Facebook and banished from Native American lands in his district as he contests charges of. 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. Those voters in my district are constitutional conservatives. Nicole Maxwell can be contacted by email at nmaxwell@alamogordonews.com, by phone at 575-415-6605 or on Twitter at @nicmaxreporter. Griffin says that Cowboys for Trump is a for-profit endeavor that is not subject to financial disclosure requirements for political organizations. Cowboys for Trump . 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, . 2023 www.alamogordonews.com. All rights reserved. The second amended complaint against Griffin is 141 pages long and alleges failed to meet his duties as a public servant, including missing regular Otero County meetings. 296. "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 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 Committee to Recall Couy Griffin said Thursday in a news release that it has begun collecting signatures in efforts to scheduled a recall election. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin has prevailed against efforts to recall him from office as a county commissioner in southern New Mexico. 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 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 said he would not resign. 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 "It is now in their hands.". ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico A political committee has begun circulating a petition to recall Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin from public office as a commissioner in Otero County. He is fighting for his political future amid a recall initiative and state probes into his finances. The allegations could only be determined to be malfeasance,misfeasance, violation of his oath of office or a combination of all three. 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. "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. 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. The petition can be signed only by currently registered District 2 Otero County voters. 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. Griffin insists Cowboys for Trump is exempt as a for-profit group and wants a 2019 state law concerning independent political expenditure groups to be declared unconstitutional. Griffin founded the support group for President Trump that held horseback parades across the country. 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. "I would rather these allegation brought forward be heard from a group of peers rather than a (former Gov. Griffin has been rebuked by some Republicans over his racial invective. A successful petition with enough signatures would trigger a special election vote on whether Griffin can finish his four-year term in office. The petition has to be validated prior to a recall election taking place. 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. 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. 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. 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. The recall committee is seeking final approval of its petition before it can be circulated for signatures. In a written order, state Supreme Court justices unanimously rejected an appeal from Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin and upheld a . 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. The original civil complaintwas filed March 11 with amended complaints filed March 24 and April 5 by the Committee to Recall Couy Griffin. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 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. "Recall is intended to be difficult and it is intended to be a very serious matter,"Ivey-Soto said. 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. Visit us at Ballotpedia.org, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Officials at the Otero County clerks office were unavailable Monday to confirm requirements and deadlines in the recall drive. 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 recall would be voted on by Otero County District 2 voters - 1,574verified signatures would need to be gathered for a recall election to proceed. Griffin described the charges as frivolous and blamed county staff for providing bad guidance on travel reimbursements. 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. We proceeded and the judge found for us.". Separately, Griffin is defending himself against criminal charges in connection with the siege on the U.S. Capitol in Washington. "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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.". 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. "I want every person to have confidence in my representation," Griffin said. Feb 3, 2021. And Im damn sure no quitter!!". "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.
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