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After they were convicted in the trial, many the defendants are quietly awaiting their verdict. Not Cowie Griffin, a commissioner from New Mexico County and founder of Cowboys for Trump.
Shortly after he was convicted by a federal judge in March of entering forbidden places on January 6, 2021, he returned to social media and airtime to downplay the case against him, insult the judge, and claim that the FBI and “Team Pelosi was responsible for the Capitol attack.
“I don’t think justice has been done,” Griffin said of his case in a radio interview earlier this month. According to a court document, he wrote on Twitter that District Judge Trevor McFadden’s “PRELIMINARY REPLY” announcing the verdict was “pathetic!” I wonder who wrote it? “
Speaking at Griffin’s sentencing on Friday, McFadden noted the “tension” between Griffin’s confession of remorse in court and his numerous public statements since his conviction. But the judge said very few people who did not enter the Capitol on Jan. 6 were charged and sentenced Griffin to 14 days in prison and a $ 3,000 fine. Griffin has already spent 20 days in jail since his arrest last year, so he was released on Friday.
Following his sentencing, Griffin urged reporters to follow the discredited conspiracy theories about the mysterious opening of the Capitol on January 6, an Arizona man falsely accused of being an FBI agitator in the crowd, and the possibility of electronic voting machines in New Mexico being electronic Mexico. He said he would attend a meeting of the Otero County Commission by telephone later Friday to refuse to certify the upcoming election until the voting machines are checked.
Federal prosecutors had pointed out that the Secretary of State of New Mexico has requested a criminal investigation into Griffin’s actions in refusing to certify the primary elections there. Online fundraising for Griffin also raised nearly $ 50,000.
McFadden told Griffin that as an elected civil servant he had taken an oath to abide by the Constitution. “The actions and statements you have made since then are tense with this oath,” the judge said. Griffin then said he felt he kept his oath “to make sure our elections are transparent and legal” and that he traveled to Washington “to stand and protest peacefully” and to represent “millions of other Americans who are feel the same way I did. ”
Instead of taking his case to the jury, Griffin chose a trial with McFadden, appointed to former President Donald Trump. Evidence during his trial showed that Griffin and his videographer climbed various barricades and barriers, then climbed the opening stage in front of the Capitol and spent more than an hour speaking through a megaphone to the rising crowd. He said he led the group in prayer.
After his arrest, Griffin was initially detained on bail, in part because he said in a video that he would return to Washington for Joe Biden’s inauguration and “blood will flow from this building.” He was released 20 days later, in part because he could await trial longer than the maximum six-month sentence for the crime he was facing.
The trial forced prosecutors to reveal the whereabouts of Vice President Mike Pence during the riot, amid objections from the Secret Service, to prove that Griffin entered a restricted area, although he did not enter the Capitol itself. McFadden acquitted Griffin of hooliganism, but convicted him of a felony for entering a building or restricted area.
According to a court document, Griffin tweeted after the trial that the media tried to make me look like the biggest loser in the last few days. The truth is, I was 1 on 1 with the US government. 1, which I lost, I will appeal. We need to win the Grand Slam on both points. ” He also reinforced his unfoundedness claims that the riot was a left-wing conspiracy when he tweeted last month, asking where the “investigation of the coordinated and PLANNED SETTING from January 6!”
His advisory guidelines for a criminal conviction ranged from zero to six months. Both prosecutors and the probation and parole department recommend that he serve 90 days. His lawyer, David Smith, demanded a two-month probation.
IN In his sentence, Griffin told the judge, “I have great respect for law enforcement” and “I respect the system.” He said he had been a pastor before enters politics in Otero County. “I lived a life dedicated to the Lord,” Griffin said. “On January 6, my actions were taken as a result of my faith,” and so “I went down to the Capitol on January 6 to go and pray with the people.”
Griffin said, “There were no signs, nothing to indicate that I was entering a restricted or unauthorized area.” McFadden said it was “ridiculous” and “you knew you shouldn’t be there and you kept doing it.”
“I suspect that you were persecuted because you did a lot to publicize your actions. “Honestly, I think that’s perfectly legitimate,” the judge said. He told Griffin, “You have not been convicted of your fraud convictions by voting,” and targeted those who make similar allegations of fraud at the national level. “They’re as wrong as you are,” McFadden said. “The difference is that then they did not decide to storm the Capitol building.”
Separately, an Indiana man pleaded guilty on Friday to carrying a loaded pistol and attacking police with a stolen stick in a Capitol breach.
Mark Andrew Matza, 57, of Shelbyville, Indiana, faces up to 20 years in prison for assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon and up to five years for carrying a gun without a license. He is due to be convicted on September 30 in Washington.
Matza is the second person convicted of carrying a gun in the Capitol riot, and a third has been charged. Two other defendants have pleaded guilty to bringing unregistered firearms into their vehicles.
The uprising on January 6
The House Election Commission, which is investigating the uprising of January 6, 2021, is holding its third high-profile hearing this month. Find the latest here.
Hearings in Congress: A House of Representatives commission investigating the attack on the US Capitol has conducted more than 1,000 interviews in the past year. He will share his findings in a series of hearings starting on June 9th. Here is what we know about the hearings and how to watch them.
the riot: On January 6, 2021, a pro-Trump mob stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election results. Five people died that day or immediately afterwards, and 140 police officers were attacked.
Inside the siege: During the riot, the rebels approached dangerously into the inner sanctuaries of the building while lawmakers were still there, including former Vice President Mike Pence. The Washington Post researched text messages, photos and videos to create a video history of what happened on January 6.
Charges: Proud Boys leader Enrique Tario and four lieutenants have been charged with rebellion, joining Oathkeepers leader Stuart Rhodes and about two dozen associates to be accused of involvement in the Capitol attack. They are just some of the hundreds who have been indicted, many of whom received significantly lighter sentences than the government demanded.
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