Posts

Ammon Bundy Arrested after Refusing to Wear Mask in Court

/0 Comments/in , /by

. . .Ammon Bundy was arrested in Idaho on Monday after he refused to wear a mask in court, thus preventing him from entering and making him a no-show for his own trial, officials said.

Ammon Bundy was due in a Boise courtroom at 8:15 a.m. for the beginning of his trial on misdemeanor trespassing and resisting arrest charges stemming from an August incident at the Idaho Statehouse.

For nearly a year now, the Idaho Supreme Court has required masks for entry into any courthouses in the state.

“Mr. Bundy today refused to wear a mask to come into the courthouse and thus was not granted admission,” Steven Hippler, administrative judge for the Fourth Judicial District, told NBC News.

And when he didn’t get inside the Ada County Courthouse, Magistrate Judge David Manweile issued a warrant for Bundy’s arrest. (Read more from “Ammon Bundy Arrested after Refusing to Wear Mask in Court” HERE)

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE and MeWe HERE

House Members Applaud Man Involved in Bundy Standoff

/0 Comments/in , /by

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)

___________________________________

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.

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Jury Refuses to Convict in Bundy Ranch Standoff

/0 Comments/in , /by

By Ken Ritter. A federal jury in Las Vegas refused Tuesday to convict four defendants who were retried on accusations that they threatened and assaulted federal agents by wielding assault weapons in a 2014 confrontation to stop a cattle roundup near the Nevada ranch of states’ rights figure Cliven Bundy.

In a stunning setback to federal prosecutors planning to try the Bundy family patriarch and two adult sons later this year, the jury acquitted Ricky Lovelien and Steven Stewart of all 10 charges, and delivered not-guilty findings on most charges against Scott Drexler and Eric Parker.

More than 30 defendants’ supporters in the courtroom broke into applause after Chief U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro ordered Lovelien and Stewart freed immediately and set Wednesday morning hearings to decide if Parker and Drexler should remain jailed pending a government decision whether to seek a third trial. (Read more from “Jury Refuses to Convict in Bundy Ranch Standoff” HERE)

___________________________________________________

“Fed’s Taking it Personally”: Decide to Retry Two Defendants a THIRD Time

By Robert Anglen. Federal prosecutors who didn’t succeed in the Bundy Ranch standoff trial will retry and retry again.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Las Vegas confirmed Wednesday it will go back to court for the third time in an attempt to convict two men accused of taking up arms against federal agents.

Less than 24 hours earlier, a jury had acquitted two standoff defendants and dismissed the most serious charges against two others. Now federal prosecutors say they will retry the men next month on outstanding weapons and assault charges.

The move pushes back the trials for 11 other defendants in the 2014 Bundy Ranch standoff, including Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and his sons Ammon and Ryan Bundy, who have spent 18 months in prison while awaiting their court date. (Read more about the Bundy ranch stan off acquittals HERE).

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Bundy Militants ‘Locked and Loaded’ After Obama Monument Push

/0 Comments/in , /by

Anti-government militants erupted with fury and calls for an armed uprising after President Obama designated a new national monument in Nevada that includes the site of the infamous Bundy Ranch standoff between right-wing agitators and federal agents.

Members of the self-styled militias that swarmed to the aid of Cliven Bundy outside of Las Vegas in 2014 — and who later joined the rancher’s sons to seize a federal wildlife refuge in rural Oregon — said they were readying for another showdown. Obama’s move on Wednesday to protect 300,000 acres of federal land around Gold Butte, close to the Bundy ranch, comes as two dozen people await trials for their roles in the Nevada and Oregon standoffs, which emboldened right-wing militants across America and became a powerful symbol of anti-government sentiment.

“Get your gear ready,” wrote Jon Ritzheimer, one of the men who used handguns and assault rifles to hole up in Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for 41 days last year. “Obama just designated the Bundy Ranch a national monument.”

Others with ties to patriot groups and militia movements online responded with a bit more force. “Locked and loaded ready to go,” wrote Chris Border, a member of the Cliven Bundy’s Army! Facebook group, which boasts more than 2,000 members. “Tired of this crap and time to do something.”

Whether the tough talk turns into another armed confrontation remains to be seen. “So far it’s just been a lot of posturing,” JJ MacNab, an expert on anti-government extremism in the U.S. and author of the upcoming book “The Seditionists,” told Vocativ. “But members of these groups are looking for something to happen. They don’t really care what it is.” (Read more from “Bundy Militants ‘Locked and Loaded’ After Obama Monument Push” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Federal Judge Refuses to Allow Nationally-Known, Conservative Lawyer to Defend Cliven Bundy

/32 Comments/in , /by

Nevada’s chief federal judge has refused to let nationally known conservative lawyer Larry Klayman join Cliven Bundy’s defense team.

In a three-page order, Gloria Navarro questioned Klayman’s candidness with her about the outcome of professional disciplinary proceedings against him in Washington, D.C. . .

Klayman, the founder of the Washington-based public interest groups Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch, is known for his tenacious pursuit of litigation, mostly in support of a wide range of conservative and libertarian issues. . .

Last week, Klayman told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the Bundy family had asked for his legal help. Bundy, 69, who is in federal custody, is facing criminal charges stemming from the April 12, 2014, armed standoff with law enforcement near his ranch in Bunkerville.

Bundy is now represented by Las Vegas attorney Joel Hansen, who is active in the ultraconservative Independent American Party of Nevada. (Read more from “Federal Judge Refuses to Allow Nationally-Known, Conservative Lawyer to Defend Cliven Bundy” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

This Is Why a Judge Is Refusing to Free Cliven Bundy From Jail

/2 Comments/in , /by

Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher who led an infamous standoff with the federal government in 2014, was denied bail in federal court and will remain behind bars as he awaits trial on charges that he threatened, assaulted and conspired against law enforcement.

US judge Carl Hoffman Jr ruled at a hearing in Las Vegas on Thursday that Bundy, 69, would pose a danger to the public if he was released, according to Natalie Collins, spokeswoman for the US attorney’s office.

The rancher, who become the unofficial leader of the anti-government land-use rights movement in the west after his high-profile conflict with federal officials, was previously denied bail in Portland, Oregon, where he was arrested last month.

Bundy had for years refused to pay grazing fees to the government to allow his cattle to use public lands. The dispute escalated in 2014 when officials attempted to seize his cattle, sparking an armed conflict that drew hundreds of supporters to his ranch in Bunkerville, 80 miles north of Las Vegas.

He avoided charges for nearly two years but was taken into custody when he attempted to travel to Oregon, where his sons Ammon and Ryan Bundy led a similar standoff with an armed occupation at a wildlife refuge. (Read more from “This Is Why a Judge Is Refusing to Free Cliven Bundy From Jail” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Nevada Rancher Taunts Feds by Still Grazing Cattle on Undisputed Lands

/7 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: The Washington Times

Photo Credit: The Washington Times

Unbowed and unapologetic, Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy is still running his cattle on disputed grazing land eight months after his highly publicized standoff over public lands, but that doesn’t mean his feud with the federal government is over.

In a tense confrontation that generated international headlines, the 68-year-old Mr. Bundy won that round last spring: Bureau of Land Management officials agreed to leave the property and release his impounded cattle after hundreds of armed supporters descended on the Southern Nevada ranch in April. He says he hasn’t seen any sign of federal agents since.

“[W]e’ve really enjoyed some liberty and freedoms out here,” Mr. Bundy told the Las Vegas Review-Journal last month.

“Since the standoff, we haven’t seen one BLM vehicle on any of these country roads around this ranch. We haven’t seen one BLM ranger. We haven’t seen one [National] Park Service ranger. We haven’t really seen any undercover-type people,” he said. “We haven’t seen snipers on top of our hills. We haven’t seen high-tech communication equipment. We haven’t seen any of those things” . . .

His legal battle with the BLM over grazing rights, one that has resonated across the region, is ongoing. Mr. Bundy has refused to pay $1.2 million in grazing fees to the BLM, arguing that the land belongs to the state, not the federal government. The land rights issue is particularly heated in Nevada, where 85 percent of the land within the state’s borders is federally owned. (Read more about the Nevada rancher HERE)

Follow Joe Miller at Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Bundy Joins Independent American Party

/0 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: AP / Las Vegas Review – Journal, John LocherCliven Bundy and his wife Carol changed party affiliation, registering Friday as voters with the Independent American Party.

Bundy was the featured speaker at an Independent American Party event held to honor him for his courage in standing up for state sovereignty, according to a statement from the party.

There was a large and enthusiastic crowd at the Las Vegas National Golf Course, reported Janine Hansen of Elko, a national committee representative for the party.

When Bundy was asked why he was switching parties he replied, “Well, I haven’t got much good out of the Democrats and Republicans so I decided to try a new one.”

At the meeting, State Chairman John Wagner invited the Bundys to join the party.

Read more from this story HERE.

Obama Seizes N.M. Land for National Monument in Bundy-Like Showdown (+video)

/15 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: Pete SouzaPresident Obama on Wednesday will declare a national monument in southern New Mexico, delivering a win for environmentalists but angering ranchers and local law enforcement, who say the land restrictions will end up creating a safe haven for drug cartels to operate within the U.S.

Mr. Obama will declare about 500,000 acres as the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. About half of that land is expected to be set aside as wilderness, meaning it will be closed to vehicles and construction.

Local ranchers say it’s a land grab that will interfere with their grazing rights, and border security advocates said the move will make it tougher for federal agents and local police to patrol the land, leaving a security gap that Mexican smuggling cartels will exploit.

“This is about opposing so many thousands of acres that is going to create nothing more than a pathway for criminals to get into this country to do their criminal acts,” Dona Ana County Sheriff Todd Garrison told The Washington Times in a telephone interview Monday.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency refuted the claim that the national monument designation would threaten border security.

Read more from this story HERE.

FBI Investigating Bundy Supporters in BLM Dispute (+video)

/49 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: 8 News Now

Photo Credit: 8 News Now

A dramatic development in the saga surrounding rancher Cliven Bundy, the FBI has entered the case.

The 8 News NOW I-Team has learned that FBI agents have started an investigation into the events surrounding a potentially deadly showdown one month ago.

It is one thing for Cliven Bundy and his supporters to square off against an assortment of Bureau of Land Management employees. It is quite another when the FBI enters the picture, and that is exactly what has happened.

The I-Team has confirmed that FBI agents have launched a formal investigation into alleged death threats, intimidation and possible weapons violations that culminated with a dangerous showdown on April 12, and the first people to be interviewed by FBI agents are Metro Police, starting with Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillispie.

Federal employees suspended their roundup of Cliven Bundy’s cattle, following a confrontation outside the BLM compound near Bunkerville. At the urging of Metro Police, Bundy’s cattle were released, but BLM’s new director announced the matter wasn’t over and would be resolved, one way or another. We now know what that means.

8 News NOW

Read more from this story HERE.