New Mexico official who vowed to protest Biden inauguration arrested in Washington

Authorities say he returned to New Mexico after the riot, where he said at a Jan. 14 meeting of the Otero County Council that he planned to drive back to Washington with a rifle and a revolver to protest Biden's inauguration this Wednesday. It was not immediately clear whether Griffin was carrying firearms when he was arrested on Sunday.

The U.S. Justice Department said on Sunday that it had arrested an elected official from New Mexico who had vowed to travel to Washington with firearms to protest President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. Cuoy Griffin, a New Mexico county commissioner and founder of a group called "Cowboys for Trump," was arrested in Washington on charges related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to documents posted on the Justice Department's website.

Griffin was among the thousands who stormed the Capitol in an attempt to block Congress from certifying Democrat Biden's victory over Republican President Donald Trump, according to charging documents. He stood on the steps of the building but did not enter it. Authorities say he returned to New Mexico after the riot, where he said at a Jan. 14 meeting of the Otero County Council that he planned to drive back to Washington with a rifle and a revolver to protest Biden's inauguration this Wednesday.

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It was not immediately clear whether Griffin was carrying firearms when he was arrested on Sunday. He has been charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)