Couy Griffin, leader of Cowboys for Trump, said he did not enter the building on Jan.6, but a video shows him in restricted areas.
(Rick Egan | Photo gallery file) Couy Griffin of New Mexico rides his horse down State Street in Salt Lake City, Thursday, April 16, 2020. Griffin was arrested on January 17, 2021 on charges of illegally entering the US Capitol. 6.
Santa Fe, NM • A New Mexico county official and founder of the Cowboys for Trump group who had vowed to return to Washington after last week’s riot at the Capitol to place a flag on the desk of home speaker Nancy Pelosi was reported Sunday arrested by the FBI.
Couy Griffin, commissioner of Otero County, was arrested on charges of illegally entering the Capitol.
According to court documents, Griffin told investigators he was “ entangled ” in the crowd, making his way through the barricades and entering the restricted area of the Capitol, but said he did not enter the building and instead on the Steps of the Capitol.
A video posted to Griffin’s personal Facebook page shows Griffin in the restricted areas, according to the affidavit.
Griffin did not immediately respond to phone or text messages asking for comment.
Last April, Griffin rode his horse through downtown Salt Lake City with Cowboys for Trump, who rode through major American cities, starting with San Francisco on April 12, 2020 and ending with New York City on May 1.
On Thursday, Griffin said he planned to travel to Washington, DC with firearms for Biden’s inauguration.
“I will be there on January 20 … and I will take a stand for our country and for our freedoms,” Griffin said at a meeting of the Otero County Board of Commissioners.
‘I’m leaving tonight or tomorrow. I have a .357 Henry Big Boy rifle handle that I have in the trunk of my car and I have a .357 single action revolver, the Colt Ruger Vaquero, which I will have under the front seat on my right side and I will have my second embrace amendment, ”he said.