Newsweek reached out to Griffin for comment. Susana Martinez. "I'm really hoping that the judge will dismiss the charges," Griffin told the Albuquerque Journal in June. Griffin was sentenced to 14 days in prison but credited for the 20 days he served ahead of trial. Thanks for contacting us. Instead of taking his case to a jury, Griffin elected a bench trial with McFadden, an appointee of former president Donald Trump. 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A Trump appointee, McFadden handed down the verdict because Griffin elected for a so-called bench trial, in which a judge rather than a jury reviews evidence and determines guilt or innocence. , Southern Poverty Law Center 'hate' list suffers legal setback, Secret Service blocks Muslim mayor from White House Eid-al-Fitr celebration, Ryan Webb, Delaware County, Indiana, councilman, mocks left by coming out as lesbian woman of color, Seven bodies found in Henryetta, Oklahoma, during search for two missing teens, U.S. government destroying the dollars value through inflation, Bidens idea of freedom should frighten every liberty-loving American. We have not had to escalate the process for any other political committee, Vigil said. Hemel added: I wouldnt want Couy Griffin to be my county commissioner, or anyones county commissioner, but I think defenders of democracy need to think long and hard about whether judicial disqualification is the wisest approach.. Stay up to date with what you want to know. More than 230 riot defendants have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors, and at least 127 of them have been sentenced. had a first row seat.". He posted a video of himself to the Cowboys for Trump Facebook page on the following day, bragging that he had "climbed up on the top of the Capitol building" and had a "front row seat" to the riot. In court testimony, State Elections Director Mandy Vigil said that state regulators typically negotiate with political groups to encourage registration without seeking sanctions. Judge removes Otero County's Couy Griffin for Jan. 6 role : NPR There is an uncomfortable irony when, in the aftermath of that attack, we purport to defend democracy by using the judicial process to deprive voters of their choice of leader. During the weeks that Griffin spent in jail following his arrest, he was placed in isolation due to his refusal to take a required COVID-19 test. "To mount a meaningful defense Griffin must be allowed to test the veracity of the Government's contention that Vice President Pence was on the Capitol grounds during the relevant period," McFadden ruled. Mr. Griffins attempts to challenge Mr. Trumps defeat in the 2020 election including issuing calls for violence on behalf of the former president preceded the events of Jan. 6, according to the ruling by the judge in New Mexico. The judge said Griffins many defenses were not credible, and nor was his summary of his role on Jan. Newsweek has contacted Cuoy Griffin's county commission office for comment. Unlike that trial, which featured felony charges, Griffin was accused only of misdemeanor offenses. The recent bench trial was a disturbing tale of two realities. People try to storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. His comments come as conspiracy theories continue to swirl about the events of January 6, including one that the the FBI was involved in plotting the attack after infiltrating far-right groups. Struck has an immunity deal with prosecutors for his testimony. Regardless, they said the law only requires that Pence was at the complex or "would be" returning to prove that Griffin unlawfully entered a Secret Service-protected area.