Solomon Pena, Failed Republican Candidate, Indicted, Held for Trial
Until recently, I never really gave the state of New Mexico much thought. I've driven across it multiple times, spent the night in Las Cruces, Lordsburg and Santa Rosa, and enjoyed some week-long summer retreats in the mountains northeast of Santa Fe. But I have a growing respect for the state because of its recent defense of American democracy.
Couy Griffin, an Otero County Commissioner, also founder of "Cowboys for Trump," a notorious election denier, participated in the sedition of the January 6th Trump Insurrection and as a result of his criminal disloyalty to the United States, was removed from his post by a judge who cited his violation of a clause in the 14th amendment. The judge used the term "insurrection" in his ruling, and not only removed Griffin as a county commissioner, but also ruled that he may not hold any elected state or federal government position in the future.
Griffin had already attempted to use the power of his office to deny the will of the voters of his county by refusing to follow state law and certify the results of a Republican primary election. His refusal was based on his own lies, even though facts had been presented showing a clean election. Apparently he did have higher political ambitions, but his criminal behavior in participating in an act of sedition against the people of the United States got him booted from the county commission, much to the relief of voters in Otero County, and out of public office. In a different era, in New Mexico, that would have gotten him hanged.
Solomon Pena, who was mercilessly beaten into the ground by voters in losing a race for a state house seat by a 74% to 26% margin in November, decided to follow Trump's insurrectionist plan by screaming the election fraud lie and then hiring some help to shoot up the homes of victorious Democratic officials, resorting to violent attacks against those who were elected by the will of the people. After a relatively short period of time, a Bernalillo County judge has decided that the potential for Pena, or some of his supporters, committing more violence warranted not only the highest level of indictment allowed by the law, but also holding him in jail until his trial.
Look how fast justice moved in New Mexico. Pena has been arrested, indicted and held within a month. One month.
Perhaps, for the sake of democracy, and for protecting the American people from more violence, the DOJ should send Trump to state courts in New Mexico.
This isn't That Hard to Figure Out, Is It?
Isn't the former failed President 45 an election denier who incited the insurrection that got Griffin removed from office? Isn't it unfair to this election denying, conspiracy theorizing, Cowboy for Trump to remove him from an elected position and deny him any future elected state or federal office, but let the perpetrator of the insurrection itself go ahead and launch another wasteful campaign of lies while running for President of the United States?
And it also seems unfair to Pena, who terrorized elected officials, but didn't actually hurt or kill anyone, to be held for trial under the strictest possible indictment while the instigator of the insurrection, in which lives were lost, multiple injuries were sustained and all kinds of psychological and emotional damage was done, walks away, lives his life, raises money for his campaign and enjoys being free from any indictment for multiple crimes for two years?
Not that I care about fairness in the case of either of these two disgusting suck-up Trumpies. They deserve more than they're getting.
But it sure looks like they're being subject to an entirely different set of laws than their political idol.
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