Group sues NM secretary of state
Cowboys for Trump says it is not obliged to disclose donors’ names
Cowboys for Trump, a controversial grassroots group supporting the president, has moved its fight with the New Mexico secretary of state to federal court, alleging she violated their civil rights by mandating that they register as a political action committee and disclose their donors.
The dispute began last fall when Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver determined the group should be considered a political committee and in February fined the group $7,800 for not filing expenditure reports with her office.
A bill passed by the Legislature in 2019 required that organizations such as Cowboys for Trump be considered political committees, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for New Mexico Thursday.
The group has undertaken cross-country horseback rides in support of the president, as well as rallies at the Roundhouse to protest abortion rights bills and border-related issues. More recently, a video surfaced of its founder, Couy Griffin, an Otero County commissioner, saying “the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat” during a rally in Truth or Consequences.
Colin Hunter, an attorney representing Cowboys for Trump, said the group does not support individual candidates and doesn’t get involved in state politics, so should not be considered a political action committee.
“(Secretary of State Toulouse Oliver) selectively picked out a group with whom she vehemently disagrees and used her office’s enforcement power to try to shut them up, stifle their speech,” Hunter said.
In the lawsuit, plaintiffs Cowboys for Trump Inc., Karyn Griffin and Couy Griffin argue that Toulouse Oliver is violating their rights under the First and 14th Amendments.
The lawsuit states that the plaintiffs are worried that if they have to disclose donors and the information is posted on the internet, their supporters will face “substantial personal and economic repercussions.”
“Across the country, individual and corporate donors to political candidates and issue causes are being subject to boycotts, harassment, protests, career damage and even death threats for publicly engaging in the public square,” the lawsuit states. “Plaintiffs fear that their donors may also encounter similar reprisals from activists if their donations are made public.”
Toulouse Oliver’s office said it had not yet received the lawsuit and couldn’t comment on the allegations, “other than to say that we determined that Cowboys for Trump meets the statutory definition of a ‘political committee’ under New Mexico law and, as such, is obligated to file campaign finance reports, and that the arbitration process that Cowboys for Trump agreed to should proceed.”
Toulouse Oliver’s spokesman said Cowboys for Trump had asked to reschedule arbitration and a new date has not been set.