U.S. Republican Yvette Herrell of New Mexico removed social media posts highlighting support for one of her most flamboyant political supporters after her arrest on charges stemming from the January 6 riot on the U.S. Capitol .
Couy Griffin, the founder of Cowboys for Trump and a county commissioner in Otero County, New Mexico, was arrested by the FBI in Washington, DC on Sunday on charges of knowingly entering or staying in a building or restricted land without legal permission, according to a US District Court criminal complaint.
In September 2019, days before President Donald Trump held a rally in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, Herrell posted on his campaign Facebook page that “Cowboys For Trump is really one of the recommendations that I follow. more proud! Keep up the good work, Couy! ”
The message was deleted on Monday.
Griffin has spoken openly about his presence on Capitol Hill, including in a video posted to social media that was shot during the riot. An arrest affidavit cites another video in which Griffin vowed to return to Capitol Hill on January 20, the day President-elect Joe Biden was inaugurated.
In the video, which was posted by the Cowboys For Trump Facebook account, Griffin said, “We could have a Second Amendment rally on the same steps we had this rally yesterday. You know, and if we do, then it will be a sad day because there is going to be blood spilled from this building. “
The group’s Facebook page was taken down on Monday. A Twitter account operated by the group was also suspended, although Griffin’s personal account remained online.
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At the Otero County Commissioners’ meeting on January 14, Griffin reiterated his vow to return to Washington and added that he would be armed: “I have a Henry .357 Big Boy rifle … in the trunk. out of my car, and I’m ‘I’ve got a .357 single-action revolver… under the front seat on my right side. And I’ll embrace my Second Amendment, I’ll keep my right to bear arms. “
He said at the meeting that he would be there on the day of the inauguration “to take a stand for our country and for our freedoms”. In a TV interview for “Inside Edition” Griffin said, “There will never be a Biden presidency.”
Herrell has made several appearances with Cowboys for Trump during her campaign for the second congressional district seat in New Mexico, and she has been pictured with Griffin often, including at the Rio Rancho rally.
On Monday, however, his YouTube account deleted a video featuring Griffin’s extended endorsement. Griffin’s video was part of a series of endorsements by members of the Congressional District on the theme of “The Yvette I Know”. Others in the series remained available.
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The video featuring Griffin was posted on Herrell’s YouTube channel in May 2020, days before he garnered attention (and a retweet from Trump) with a speech at a political rally where he declared: “The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat”. In that same speech, Griffin clarified the remark, saying he meant political death.
Herrell, who was elected to the United States House in the November 2020 election, was on Capitol Hill when rioters broke in as Congress debated objections to the Electoral College results claiming Biden’s victory over Trump.
Griffin was not among those who entered the Capitol, although the FBI said video evidence showed he was in a restricted area on the Western Front.
Herrell condemned the violence the day it happened, but continued with his objection to the counting of the electoral votes in Arizona and Pennsylvania.
Contacted Monday by the Las Cruces Sun-News of the USA TODAY networkHerrell’s office released a brief statement from the congressman: “What Couy said and did was wrong. I do not endorse or apologize for his comments or actions in any way.”
Algernon D’Ammassa can be reached at 575-541-5451, [email protected] or @AlgernonWrites on Twitter.
