‘Cowboys for Trump’ founder found guilty for role in Jan. 6 riot

A founder of “Cowboys for Trump” was found guilty on Tuesday of breaching the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden of the District of Columbia found Couy Griffin, 48, a rodeo rider and New Mexico county commissioner, guilty of one of the two misdemeanor offenses, according to The Associated Press. 

He was found guilty of entering a restricted area protected by the U.S. Secret Service but was cleared of disorderly conduct.

McFadden, a Trump appointee, made his decision following one day of testimony. He said it should have been obvious to Griffin that he was entering a restricted area but that prosecutors failed to prove he engaged in disorderly conduct. 

“Arguably, he was trying to calm people down, not rile them up,” the judge said.

Griffin is set to be sentenced on June 17 and faces up to a year in prison. 

In a video posted to his Facebook page, Griffin stood on the inauguration stage within the barricaded perimeter of the Capitol grounds during the riot, according to The Washington Post.

One significant question during the trial was whether Griffin entered a restricted area while former Vice President Mike Pence was still on Capitol grounds, which is needed for the U.S. Secret Service to invoke access restrictions. While Griffin’s attorneys said Pence had already left the area before Griffin entered, Secret Service inspector Lanelle Hawa testified that Pence stayed with his wife and daughter for around five hours.

Griffin is the second sentencing in connection to the Jan. 6 attack. He is one of three riot defendants who have asked for a bench trial, or a trial where judges decide a case without a jury.

About 800 people face charges connected to the Capitol riot, with about 200 already pleading guilty.

This story was updated at 1:28 p.m.