An elected official from New Mexico went to trial with a judge — not a jury — set to decide if he is guilty of charges that he illegally entered the U.S. Capitol grounds on the day a pro-Trump mob …
The judge heard testimony Monday from three government witnesses. Griffin’s lawyer said he doesn’t plan to call any defense witnesses.
A key question in Griffin’s case is whether he entered a restricted area while Pence was still present on Capitol grounds, a prerequisite for the U.S. Secret Service to invoke access restrictions. Prosecutors didn’t give any opening statements. Their first witness was Matthew Struck, who joined Griffin at the Capitol and served as his videographer. Struck has an immunity deal with prosecutors for his testimony.
“I love the smell of napalm in the air,” Griffin said in an apparent reference to a line by Robert Duvall’s character in the war movie “Apocalypse Now.” “They started chanting, ‘Pray for Trump,’” Struck replied. “It looks like they’ve been calm and they’re listening to Couy.”