House Members Applaud Man Involved in Bundy Standoff

By Idaho Statesman. While the Idaho House was in session Tuesday, a lawmaker introduced, and several others applauded, a Hailey man who recently pleaded guilty to obstruction of a court order stemming from his actions during the 2014 standoff near Bunkerville, Nev.

Many lawmakers on the floor that day had earlier been part of a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions that raised concerns about the man’s prosecution.

“I’d like to introduce Mr. Eric Parker,” said Rep. Dorothy Moon, R-Stanley.

A number of House members then began applauding, until House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, gavelled them down and asked the chamber to maintain order.

The House floor introduction came at a time when representatives generally introduce visiting constituents, family members, groups of students or dignitaries. They are generally greeted with a polite wave from the entire body, rather than applause. (Read more from “State House Members Applaud Man Involved in Bundy Standoff” HERE)

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Federal Judge Orders Eric Parker to Quit Testifying, Sit Down

(Editor’s note: this story is from the trial of Eric Parker from several months ago)

By Robert Anglen. [A] federal judge ordered a defendant in the Bundy Ranch standoff trial to get off the stand, struck his testimony, dismissed jurors and abruptly left the bench.

Jurors looked stunned as Eric Parker returned to the defense table with his head hung and then buried his face in his hands, according to lawyers in the case.

“He put his head down on the counsel table and appeared to be crying,” defense lawyer Shawn Perez said. “My observation of the jury was they were looking at everybody in the courtroom and going, ‘What just happened?'” [He] said everyone in the courtroom — from jurors to lawyers to observers — was stunned into momentary silence.

Parker, of Idaho, was testifying in his own defense just before 3 p.m., when U.S. District Court Judge Gloria Navarro stopped him from talking and said she was going to strike his words from the record. She then told Parker to step down. . .

“I looked at some of those jurors and they looked aghast,” Marchese said Thursday. “I looked at one woman (juror), and she looked like she had just seen someone get their head cut off.” Read more from this story HERE.

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