Santa Fe, New Mexico – A New Mexico county employee and founder of the Cowboys for Trump group, who promised to return to Washington after last week’s riot at the US Capitol to place a flag on the table of Mayor Nancy Pelosi, was arrested on Sunday by the FBI.
Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin was arrested on charges of illegally entering the United States Capitol.
According to court documents, Griffin told investigators that he was “caught” by the crowd, who pushed his way through the barricades and entered the restricted area of the US Capitol, but said he did not enter the building and instead remained in the USA Capitol Steps.
A video posted on Griffin’s personal page on Facebook shows Griffin in the restricted areas, according to the testimony.
Griffin did not immediately respond to telephone or text messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.
On Thursday, Griffin said he planned to travel with firearms to Washington, DC, to Inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
“I will be there on January 20 … and I will defend our country and our freedoms,” said Griffin during a meeting of the Otero County Commissioners Council.
“I’m going out tonight or tomorrow. I have a leverage .357 Henry Big Boy rifle that I have in the trunk of my car and I have a single-action .357 revolver, the Colt Ruger Vaquero that I will have underneath from the front seat on my right side and I’ll embrace my Second Amendment.
“I will maintain my right to carry weapons. My vehicle is an extension of my home with respect to constitutional law and I have the right to have these weapons in my car,” he said.
ViacomCBS ‘”Inside Edition” program showed Griffin on the Capitol steps during the protest. “We are not going anywhere,” he said. “We will not take no for an answer. We will not have our election stolen from China.”
When asked about the comments he made on Facebook that there will be “blood running” on the Capitol if there are more demonstrations and if he feared more people would die, Griffin replied, “I am more afraid of losing my freedom than I am anything. . ”
At another point, Griffin also said, “We will not allow it. There will never be a presidency for Biden.”