Soros-backed Group Has NM Official Removed from Office for Jan. 6 ‘Insurrection’

Couy Griffin, the County Commissioner of Otero County, New Mexico, and the founder of “Cowboys for Trump,” was removed from office by a Democrat judge on Tuesday for participating in an “insurrection” against the United States — i.e. the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Democrats and the media often refer to the riot as an “insurrection” — as opposed to riots against President Donald Trump at the White House and across the country in 2020, which are typically described as “mostly peaceful” protests for “racial justice.”

Judge Francis Mathew, a Democrat who was appointed by Gov. Susana Martinez (R) and elected to his current post in 2014, issued the ruling under a law that allows any private citizen in New Mexico to challenge an official’s eligibility under the 14th Amendment.

That Amendment provides that no public officeholder “shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the [U.S.], or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.” It was written with former Confederates in mind.

But Griffin, like many participants in the Capitol riot, apparently believed he was defending the Constitution, not rebelling against it. He has also pushed back against the “insurrection” label — though he has referred to January 6 detainees as “prisoners of war”:

Isn’t it considered “insurrection” if you make threats of violence if you don’t get your way politically??? These people need to be arrested and charged!!! Or else turn ALL J/6 POW’s loose. I see it as ONLY FAIR!! https://t.co/j98TNGIsmZ

— Couy Griffin (@CowboyCouy) May 19, 2022

The successful complaint was brought by a left-wing group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). CREW has taken funding from billionaire left-wing financier George Soros, who donates to a variety of Democratic and left-wing causes.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.