Couy Griffin, the founder of the organization Cowboys for Trump, was released from a federal prison on Friday, where he remained in pretrial detention on allegations stemming from the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol.
Last week, a judge in Washington ordered Griffin detained pending trial, ruling that his history of provocative statements suggested that he was at risk of not showing up for trial.
“I appreciate that the charge here is that he disregarded signage about restricted areas of the Capitol on Jan. 6. But his subsequent cooperation with law enforcement showed that he is not a person who has a categorical disdain and disregard for any and every government act or authority,” Howell said.
Griffin denies federal charges that he knowingly entered barricaded areas of the Capitol grounds with the intent to disrupt government as Congress convened for a joint session to certify electoral votes.
Under the terms of his release, Griffin is banned from visiting Washington outside of court proceedings, must surrender his passport, and must not possess a firearm, destructive device, or any other weapon.
When Griffin arrived at the U.S. Capitol, he noticed a large crowd forming around the barricade and that he was “caught up” in that crowd, which pushed its way through the barricades and into a restricted area, he told agents.
Griffin said he and his friend didn’t enter the U.S. Capitol building at any time and remained on the steps outside the building during the breach. During that time, he led a group of protesters in prayer using a bullhorn “outside the Capitol, but up where the president is inaugurated at.” Videos of the incident and other open-source materials corroborated Griffin’s statements, according to the affidavit.
He said that the police never asked him to leave the area, and he and his friend exited the U.S. Capitol grounds peacefully.
More than 150 people have been charged in federal court with crimes following the Jan. 6 incident.
