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Couy Griffin, commissioner for New Mexico's Otero County and founder of "Cowboys for Trump," said he plans to ride his horse into court next week as he begins a trial for his alleged involvement in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Griffin plans to take his horse "Red" to the courthouse in Washington, D.C., as he is charged with knowingly entering restricted areas of the Capitol building on the day of the deadly riot, the Associated Press reported.
Griffin is one of hundreds of people who have been arrested and charged in the riot, which left five people dead and spurred a House investigation of former President Donald Trump and his allies. He is also one of at least 10 people being charged who were holding a government office or had run for one in the past few years, the AP added.
The FBI received a tip that Griffin was involved in the riot, according to an affidavit from the U.S. Department of Justice, at which point the agency discovered a video posted to the Cowboys for Trump Facebook page in which Griffin said he "climbed up on the top of the Capitol building and...had a first row seat."
He also said in the video that he intended to return to the Capitol on January 20, 2021, the affidavit mentioned.
"You want to say that that was a mob? You want to say that was violence? No sir. No ma'am," he said in the video. "No, we could have a Second Amendment rally on those same steps that we had that rally yesterday. You know, and if we do, then it's gonna be a sad day, because there's gonna be blood running out of that building."
He added that he intended to put an American flag on the desks of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and "Donald J. Trump if it boils down to it."
Griffin formed the Cowboys for Trump group in 2019 with some "rodeo acquaintances," Newsweek previously reported. Since then, the group has led several horseback rides in support of Trump, including an eight-day, 170-mile journey from Maryland to Washington, D.C., in 2019, which received praise from Trump, even getting Griffin a trip to the Oval Office in February 2020 to meet the former president.
In September 2021, Griffin survived a recall after a petition calling for him to be removed from office didn't get enough signatures.
Griffin did not immediately respond to Newsweek's request for comment.
Update 03/17/22 5:25 p.m. ET: This story was updated to add more information and background.
