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A New Mexico county official and founder of the Cowboys for Trump group who vowed to return to Washington after last week’s riot at the U.S. Capitol to place a flag on the desk of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been arrested Sunday by the FBI.
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Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin was arrested for illegally entering the United States Capitol.
According to court documents, Griffin told investigators he was “caught” in the crowd, which forced its way through the barricades and entered the restricted area of the United States Capitol, but he said he had not entered the building and had remained on the Steps of the United States Capitol.
A video posted to Griffin’s personal Facebook page shows Griffin in restricted areas, according to the affidavit.
Griffin did not immediately respond to phone or text messages requesting comment.
Griffin said on Thursday he plans to go with guns to Washington, DC, for Biden’s inauguration.
FBI special agents said Griffin told them “he hopes a change of direction can be accomplished ‘without a single shot being fired,’ but noted that there was’ no option that was not on the table for freedom ‘”, according to the affidavit.
“I will be there on January 20 … and I will stand for our country and for our freedoms,” Griffin said at a meeting of the Otero County Board of Commissioners.
“I will be leaving tonight or tomorrow. I have a .357 Henry Big Boy rifle lever action that I have in the trunk of my car and I have a .357 single action revolver, the Colt Ruger Vaquero that I will have under the front seat on my right side and I will adopt my second amendment, ”he said.
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas called for Griffin’s resignation via Twitter on Sunday.
“I demand that Couy Griffin immediately resign from the Otero County Commission or my office will seek its removal,” Balderas said.
Associated Press reporter Morgan Lee contributed to this report.
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