Trump pardons Oregon ranchers who inspired refuge standoff

[webfact]

Trump pardons Oregon ranchers who inspired refuge standoff

By Jonathan Allen

 

FILE PHOTO: A U.S. flag covers a sign at the entrance of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon, U.S. January 3, 2016. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart/File Photo

 

(Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday pardoned two imprisoned Oregon ranchers whose sentencing on arson convictions sparked the 2016 occupation of a wildlife refuge, part of a long-simmering dispute over federal land policies in the U.S. West.

 

The armed standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Oregon followed a judge's ruling that sent Dwight Hammond and his son, Steven, back to prison to serve more time after their initial release. Police shot one of the occupiers dead during the 41-day midwinter protest.

 

The takeover was another flare-up in a decades-old conflict over federal control of millions of acres of public land in the Western United States. In Oregon, about half of all land is controlled by the federal government.

 

The leaders of the Malheur standoff, including activists Ammon and Ryan Bundy, were cleared of federal charges for their role in the protest in October 2016.

 

Ammon Bundy on Tuesday called the pardon "long overdue."

 

"We went up there to prevent the atrocity from happening to begin with, and if people would have listened to us, the Hammonds wouldn't have to have gone through this suffering," Bundy said in a telephone interview.

 

The pardons are the latest in a series by Trump that have raised questions about whether he is using the presidential power to reward political supporters.

 

Trump in late May pardoned Dinesh D’Souza, a conservative pundit convicted of campaign finance crimes. Last August he pardoned former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who campaigned for Trump before being convicted in a case regarding racial profiling.

 

"LAWLESS EXTREMISTS"

Dwight Hammond, 76, and Steven, 49, were convicted in 2012 for setting a fire that spread onto public land after years of disputes with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

 

The Hammonds said they were using standard brush-control and land-management techniques, but the government said that in at least one instance they were trying to hide evidence of their slaughtering a herd of deer.

 

Some conservation groups were dismayed at the pardon.

 

Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the Center for Western Priorities, called the Hammonds "lawless extremists."

 

"Pardoning the Hammonds sends a dangerous message to America’s park rangers, wildland firefighters, law enforcement officers, and public lands managers," Rokala said in a statement.

 

The two men were initially sentenced to less than the legal minimum five-year prison sentence by a judge who thought the minimum too harsh and later released the two, Dwight Hammond after three months and Steven Hammond after a year.

 

After the government's appeal in 2016, a different federal judge ordered the pair back to prison to serve the full five years, sparking protests and the refuge occupation.

 

In a statement on Tuesday, the White House said the decision sentencing the Hammonds to five years in prison was "unjust" and said that the fire had burned only "a small portion" of public land.

 

"The evidence at trial regarding the Hammonds’ responsibility for the fire was conflicting, and the jury acquitted them on most of the charges," the statement said.

 

As of 2018, Dwight Hammond had served about three years in prison and Steven Hammond had served four, according to the White House.

 

Alan Schroeder, a lawyer for the Hammond family, said the two men could be released from prison before the day was over.

 

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Additional reporting by Gina Cherelus; Editing by Frank McGurty and Leslie Adler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-07-11

 

[anon537687643]

If ever you need an example of a psycho Pres who basically governs for his base not the Country! Failing Republic


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[Chomper Higgot]

Clear message:

 

Feel free to take up arms against the Federal Government.

[Tug]

Shameless pandering to his base of support he could care less about their cause probably has no idea what it is just a foul excuse for a human being let alone a president 

[stevenl]

33 minutes ago, Tug said:

Shameless pandering to his base of support he could care less about their cause probably has no idea what it is just a foul excuse for a human being let alone a president 

Exactly what I was thinking.

[nahkit]

I've no idea about the rights or wrongs of this case but how can a judge sentence someone to less than the legal requirement?

[meechai]

3 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Feel free to take up arms against the Federal Government.

 

Many if not most Americans do not see it as wrong to do so if warranted (not saying this instance was warranted)

Much of the Bill Of Rights exists to protect citizens rights  should the Feds overstep their bounds.

[Baerboxer]

3 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Clear message:

 

Feel free to take up arms against the Federal Government.

 

Wasn't that part of the reasoning for the Second Amendment?

[bristolboy]

1 minute ago, meechai said:

 

Many if not most Americans do not see it as wrong to do so if warranted (not saying this instance was warranted)

Much of the Bill Of Rights exists to protect citizens rights  should the Feds overstep their bounds.

How does "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State..." become "The right of citizens to take up arms against the government being necessary for the protection of rights..."

Look up the Whiskey Rebellion.

 

Got some support for your assertion that most Americans do not see it as wrong if warranted?

[bendejo]

The Kochs are behind this this whole movement.  The idea is to give gov't land to people, their claims being they've grazed their livestock there for generations etc.  Once they become official owners they can sell it, or mining rights to it, to, let's say, a Koch industry.  The Kochs have been playing to "the base" long before the orange demon descended the escalator that June day. 

 

 

[expat_4_life]

Here is one of the best summarys I've located of the events/history surrounding this case.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/07/10/president-trump-grants-full-pardon-for-dwight-hammond-76-and-steven-hammond-49-oregon-ranchers/

 

This is about a lot more to this pardon than just the simple "facts" in the Reuters article too.  Note this case is also tied to events that led

to the shooting of Lavoy Finicum during the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, which has been very embarassing

to law enforcement involved in the incident.

 

Personally, I think the pardon was warranted.

 

 

[JCauto]

Where are all the Trump supporters here decrying the lack of "law and order"? These guys clearly broke the law, yet they're being allowed to walk free. Where's the outrage?

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, JCauto said:

Where are all the Trump supporters here decrying the lack of "law and order"? These guys clearly broke the law, yet they're being allowed to walk free. Where's the outrage?

White right wing extremist gun nuts, what's to decry? 

[bristolboy]

15 hours ago, expat_4_life said:

Here is one of the best summarys I've located of the events/history surrounding this case.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/07/10/president-trump-grants-full-pardon-for-dwight-hammond-76-and-steven-hammond-49-oregon-ranchers/

 

This is about a lot more to this pardon than just the simple "facts" in the Reuters article too.  Note this case is also tied to events that led

to the shooting of Lavoy Finicum during the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, which has been very embarassing

to law enforcement involved in the incident.

 

Personally, I think the pardon was warranted.

 

 

Here's some further information about these 2 model citizens:

EXCLUSIVE: Relative who testified against Trump-pardoned ranchers blames family, Oregon refuge standoff for rough times

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-news-relative-blames-hammond-ranchers-oregon-standoff-20180710-story.html

 

[expat_4_life]

53 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

Here's some further information about these 2 model citizens:

EXCLUSIVE: Relative who testified against Trump-pardoned ranchers blames family, Oregon refuge standoff for rough times

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-news-relative-blames-hammond-ranchers-oregon-standoff-20180710-story.html

 

You're on the wrong topic, the pardon was about an arson conviction.

[bristolboy]

6 hours ago, expat_4_life said:

You're on the wrong topic, the pardon was about an arson conviction.

Actually had you read the article you would know that he testified that these 2 clowns suborned him into setting fires on the range.