HOME / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Who is Couy Griffin? 'Cowboys for Trump' founder arrested after storming Capitol and boasting about his guns

In video footage summoned by the affidavit, New Mexico county commissioner Griffin can be seen telling the crowd that it was a 'great day for America'

A New Mexico county commissioner was arrested on Sunday, January 17 after federal authorities stated that he entered a restricted section of the US Capitol during the deadly pro-Trump incursion and led rioters in prayer. Couy Griffin, a commissioner of Otero County, New Mexico, and founder of a group called Cowboys for Trump, was among thousands who stormed the Capitol in an attempt to block Congress from certifying Biden's victory over President Donald Trump, according to charging documents.

In testimony, a Metropolitan Police detective stated that a Cowboys for Trump videographer told authorities that after he and Griffin saw the group push past security barriers, they scaled the Capitol building’s wall before making their way to an outside deck.

In video footage summoned by the affidavit, Griffin can be seen telling the crowd that it was a “great day for America” and that “people are showing that they’ve had enough.” “People are ready for fair and legal elections, or this what you’re going to get,” he said, according to the affidavit.

In a Facebook post, posted on Thursday, January 14, Griffin, said he planned to travel with firearms to Washington, DC, for Biden’s inauguration. “I’m gonna be there on Jan. 20 ... and I’m gonna take a stand for our country and for our freedoms,” Griffin said during a meeting of the Otero County Board of Commissioners. “I’m gonna leave either tonight or tomorrow. I’ve got a .357 Henry Big Boy rifle lever action that I’ve got in the trunk of my car and I’ve got a .357 single-action revolver, the Colt Ruger Vaquero that I’ll have underneath the front seat on my right side and I will embrace my Second Amendment,” he said.

He told authorities that he left the Capitol peacefully and hoped there could be a shift in leadership “without a single shot being fired.” He added that there's “no option that’s off the table for the sake of freedom,” the affidavit says.

Earlier Griffin made headlines when he made condemning comments about the Democrats. "We're a blue state, we got blue leaders involved, they all band together. I've come to a place where I've come to the conclusion that the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat," Griffin said at an event in May 2020. "Cheers. I can already see the videos of people saying I want to murder Democrats. No, I mean that in the political sense. The Democratic agenda and policy is anti-American right now," he added.

As soon as the news of his arrest made its way to social media, people started talking about it. One Internet user said, "Cowboys for trump, too funny. White Supremacy comes under many banners." While another one slammed him and said, "Cowboy's for Trump" may as well be "Cows for Steakhouses""

Another one said: "The description of an insurrectionist criminal! This thug lacks the love dignity and respect for America! He’s not wearing a hoodie! He wears a cowboy hat! He’s no patriot! This is no true #Cowboy! #CowboysForTrump #DomesticTerrorist." Another one tweeted, "When I look at Cowboys for Trump, I see Joe Exotic, damn you boys love your fringe and your mama didn't raise you right."