A New Mexico county commissioner who is the leader of the Cowboys for Trump group was arrested Sunday in DC for his alleged involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot.
Couy Griffin has been charged in the US District Court for the District of Columbia with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful entry.
Police received a tip that Griffin, an Otero County, New Mexico, Commissioner, was among the rioters at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and that his Facebook posts included videos showing his intentions to return to DC on Inauguration Day and “plant our flag” on the desk of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Authorities determined that Griffin is the founder of an organization called “Cowboys for Trump.” On the group’s Facebook page, Griffin reportedly shared a video following the insurrection at the Capitol, where he said he “climbed up on the top of the Capitol building and . . . had a first row seat.” According to the DC US Attorney’s Office, in the video, which was later deleted from Facebook, Griffin also said:
“You want to say that that was a mob? You want to say that was violence? No sir. No Ma’am. No we could have a 2nd Amendment rally on those same steps that we had that rally yesterday. You know, and if we do, then it’s gonna be a sad day, because there’s gonna be blood running out of that building. But at the end of the day, you mark my word, we will plant our flag on the desk of Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer and Donald J. Trump if it boils down to it.”
Griffin also spoke about his participation in the Capitol riot at an Otero County council meeting on January 14, as well as his plans to return to DC to protest President-Elect Biden’s inauguration on January 20. It is claimed that Griffin talked about his plans to bring firearms to DC.
Cowboys for Trump describe their vision as “to support our sitting President Donald J. Trump and his Make America Great Again policies” on their website.
“We believe that by securing our border, protecting our second Amendment, and protecting the lives of the unborn are the most vital and key aspects in Americas Greatness,” the group says.