But the judge acquitted Coury Griffin of another charge of disorderly conduct.
Washington – The founder of the «Cowboys for Trump» organization and Commissioner of Otero County, New Mexico has been found guilty of entering restricted U.S. Capitol grounds on, but he was acquitted of another misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. Judge Trevor McFadden ruled from the bench on Tuesday that Couy Griffin is guilty of the charge that amounted to illegally entering Capitol grounds in the vicinity of then-Vice President, who was in the of the Electoral College votes and remained in the Capitol complex during the riot. A United States Secret Service Inspector said Monday Pence was taken to an underground loading dock located underneath the Capitol building as the attack unfolded. Video of Pence’s movements throughout January 6 was released to the Court following a day-long effort that began Monday morning between prosecutors and the United States Capitol Police Board. But McFadden found Griffin not guilty on the second charge of disorderly conduct, saying Tuesday Griffin’s attempt to get the crowd to pray with him «arguably» was not disorderly, but an attempt to calm the crowd down. Griffin – who started his two-day trial by pulling up to the courthouse in a truck carrying a horse trailer and wearing a cowboy hat – was not accused of any act of physical violence or even entering the Capitol building at all on January 6, but of being present on the restricted Capitol grounds that law enforcement had cordoned off and closed to the public ahead of the election certification. Jan 6 defendant Couy Griffin of New Mexico is not a fan….. of this Twitter feed ====> pic.twitter.com/31U0gpy8HR He was arrested in the weeks following the attack and held in pretrial detention before his legal team successfully won his court-ordered release. Griffin continually maintained his innocence and argued he was unaware that Pence was still in the area. Unlike the first trial in the sprawling January 6 investigation in which a, Griffin opted for a bench trial in which a federal judge would quickly hear evidence from both sides and decide his fate. Griffin told CBS News that he would have opted for a jury trial anywhere else but Washington, D.C., because he said it would hard to find a fair jury in D.C. «I wear January 6 as a badge of honor,» he said.» Griffin, the first elected official to stand trial in the January 6 investigation, did not testify in his defense. Although the trial lasted longer than expected as it entered its second day on Tuesday, McFadden ruled expeditiously in the split verdict. Prosecutors’ star witness Monday was Matthew Struck, a videographer and one-time member of Cowboys for Trump who said he traveled with Griffin to Washington, D.
