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Cuoy Griffin, an Otero County, New Mexico, commissioner and founder of Cowboys for Trump, has been removed from office and disqualified from any future public office positions due to his involvement in theJan. 6 capitol riots.
The ruling was the result of a lawsuit in which plaintiffs urged for Griffin’s removal under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. The section states that “No person shall hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as an officer of the United States, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same.”
According toThe Guardian, this is the first time since 1869 that this section has been used to remove some from office. The ruling also marks the first time a judge has formally called the riots an “insurrection,“CNNreported.
In March, Griffin wasconvicted of trespassingon U.S. Capitol grounds during the insurrection. Soon after, in June, a D.C. federal judge sentenced Griffin to 14 days in jail with time served and one year of supervised release.
A testimony in court not only confirmed the previous trespassing conviction, but claimed Griffin took a “leadership position” during the day including giving speeches and promoting the events on social media,Citizens for Ethicsreported.
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The New Mexico judge called Griffin’s arguments “without merit and contrary to evidence,” also noting that he provided “no evidence himself in his own defense.” Matthew wrote, “His protestations and characterizations of his actions are not credible and amounted to nothing more than attempting to put lipstick on a pig.”
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source: people.com
