Couy Griffin Appeals Historical Use Of 14th Amendment To Remove Him From Office Over Jan. 6th
3 min read
County Griffin, a New Mexico politician and founder of Cowboys for Trump, who was removed and barred from elected office for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021 a few weeks ago, filed an appeal on Tuesday after being removed from office leaving his constituents without representation.
“I’m just on the road thinking about it. Just filed this appeal with the NM Supreme Court on the district court ruling that removed me from office,” Griffin texted us with a screenshot after talking about the need for an appeal the day before.
“I am the first person in 150 years to be removed from office using the 14th amendment,” Griffin said.
Griffin was removed from office a few weeks ago.
“The ruling against Griffin this month from a Santa Fe-based District Court was the first to remove or bar an elected official from office in connection with the attack on the U.S. Capitol building that disrupted Congress as it was trying to certify President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory,” MSNBC reported.
Griffin was previously convicted in federal court of a misdemeanor for entering the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, without going inside the building.
Griffen told Santilli media that he still thinks the government needs to make their case that he could have known the area was he was- had been restricted at the time.
“The government failed to make it’s case there was no signage there that the area was closed; we were like sheep led to the slaughter. They presented no factual evidence, the government only provided social media posts, which is not proof that that I knew the area was restricted,” Griffen said.
From NBC News about Girffin’s case:
Griffin has invoked free speech guarantees in his defense and says his banishment from public office disenfranchises his political constituents in Otero County.
He was barred from office under provisions of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which holds that anyone who has taken an oath to uphold the Constitution can be barred from office for engaging in insurrection or rebellion. The provisions were put in place shortly after the Civil War.
A flurry of similar lawsuits around the country are seeking to use the provision to punish politicians who took part in Jan. 6.
Griffin says he continues to act as his own legal counsel in the case.
“Honestly I have felt very abandoned by many,” Griffin said.
Conservative activists aligned with Griffin have urged supporters to file disciplinary complaints against the judge who barred Griffin from off
Griffin, a 48-year-old former rodeo rider and former pastor, helped found Cowboys for Trump in 2019. The promotional group staged horseback parades to spread President Donald Trump’s conservative message about gun rights, immigration controls and abortion restrictions.
This year, Griffin voted twice as a county commissioner against certifying New Mexico’s June 7 primary election, in a standoff over election integrity fueled by conspiracy theories about the security of voting equipment in the Republican-dominated county.
About Pete Santilli
