by:Tim Pearce
Unsealed court documents detail how the team of prosecutors tasked
with convicting Cliven Bundy and his sons of crimes relating to a 2014
armed standoff failed to turn over potential exculpatory evidence to the
court, The Oregonian reports.
The Bundys’ case ended in a mistrial Dec. 20 after Judge Gloria Navarro ruled that prosecutors violated the civil rights of the defendants by withholding evidence supporting the Bundys’ case.
Navarro is considering dismissing the case “with prejudice” and blocking prosecutors from retrying the case.
Her decision will come Jan. 8, according to The New York Times.
“There were approximately 3,000 pages that were provided to us only
after we started trial,” Bundy lawyer Bret D. Whipple told TheNYT.
“I personally have never seen anything like this, especially in a case of such importance.”
Judge Gloria Navarro called a mistrial today in the #bundytrial — "the only suitable option" because of several Brady violations in government's handling of discovery. "A fair trial at this point is impossible."
9:39 AM - 20 Dec 2017
Those 3,000 pages include the Bundys’ requests for multiple federal
assessments that showed the Bundy family was likely not dangerous.
Prosecutors called
the requests part of a “long list of frivolous and vexatious
pleadings,” until a government witness, under cross examination,
revealed knowledge of the assessments in court, The Oregonian reports.
Defense attorney’s asked federal prosecutors to hand over Inspector
General reports on Bureau of Land Management agent Dan Love, who
directed the BLM raid on the Bundy ranch to seize the family’s cattle
over decades of unpaid grazing fees.
Love was fired from the agency in September for corruption and unethical behavior.
“I personally have never seen anything like this, especially in a case of such importance.”
Those 3,000 pages include the Bundys’ requests for multiple federal
assessments that showed the Bundy family was likely not dangerous.
Prosecutors called
the requests part of a “long list of frivolous and vexatious
pleadings,” until a government witness, under cross examination,
revealed knowledge of the assessments in court, The Oregonian reports.
Defense attorney’s asked federal prosecutors to hand over Inspector
General reports on Bureau of Land Management agent Dan Love, who
directed the BLM raid on the Bundy ranch to seize the family’s cattle
over decades of unpaid grazing fees.
Love was fired from the agency in September for corruption and unethical behavior.
Prosecutors had dismissed the allegations and investigations of Love
as an “urban legend,” but ended up handing over 500 pages worth of
reports on Love in December, according to The Oregonian.
The Bundys’ lawyers made two requests to Navarro for a special
“discovery monitor” to ensure that all relevant documents were being
turned over by the prosecution.
Both requests were denied. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, however, launched an investigation into prosecutorial misconduct after the mistrial.
By Tim Brown
Once again, we see the hypocrisy and corruption coming out of the office
of prosecutor Steven Myhre as he has sought to not only try and keep
the defense from appealing to actual evidence, testimony and the law,
but is seeking to use cherry-picked statements from things he does not
want to allow the defense to use. Now, at least one of the defendants
is calling him out on it and requesting the judge in the case to enforce
the order the court gave concerning the matter.
In a motion that was filed on Thursday by
Chris T. Rasmussen, attorney for reporter Pete Santilli, there was an
appeal to Judge Gloria Navarro to enforce the court’s order not to use
anything from the Oregon case involving Santilli, in which all the
charges against him were dropped.
“Fourteen days before trial, the Government has decided to ignore this Court’s Order (Dk: 1613),” wrote Rasmussen.
“Santilli filed a motion to compel disclosure of discovery from the
case in Oregon,” Rasmussen continued. “The government arrogantly
announced in their response, ‘The Oregon case is not this case.'”
Rasmussen pointed to the court’s order which states, “Judge Navarro
found that “the Oregon case is not relevant… especially given that the
activity related to the Malheur occupation began well after the events at issue in this case.'”
He then called out the fact that Myhre and company are attempting to ignore the order and “bring in Oregon activity.”
“Although the statements they seek to introduce are not of
Santilli’s, their goal is to poison the entire room with unflattering
statement from co-defendants,” wrote Rasmussen.
On behalf of Santilli, Rasmussen asks the court to enforce its ruling
concerning bringing in information from the Oregon case “or in the
alternative allow Santilli to present to the court the fact that the
Department of Justice reviewed Santilli’s speech and declared it constitutional resulting in a dismissal of all charges.”
addressing in voir dire, opening statement, or closing argument and/or
adducing or eliciting during direct or cross-examination, an
information or argument that: portrays or implies that the law
enforcement officers acted unlawfully or unethically during impoundment
operations; or that the actions of the defendants were justified by the
US Constitution or other law.
Mr. Myhre and company sought to “preclude evidence, information,
commentary, beliefs, explanations, or opinions about the following:”
Self-Defense, defense of others, or defense of property, justification, necessity arguments which have no foundation in the law;
Third-party/ lay person testimony or opinion about the level of
force displayed or used by law enforcement officers during impoundment
operations, including operations on April 6, 9 and 12, 2014;
Opinions/public statements of Governor Brian Sandoval of April 8,
2014, and/or opinions registered by other political office holders or
opinion leaders about BLM impoundment operations.
Allegations of workplace misconduct by the SAC of the impoundment, or regarding those who worked for, or with, him.
Allegations that officers connected with the impoundment acted
unethically or improperly by the way they were dressed or equipped
during the impoundment, or that they improperly shredded documents
during or after impoundment operations.
References to supposed mistreatment of cattle during the impoundment operations;
Legal arguments, beliefs, explanations, or opinions that the
federal government does not own the land or have legal authority or
jurisdiction over public lands where impoundment operations were
conducted, or that the land was or is otherwise owned by the State of
Nevada;
Legal arguments, beliefs, explanations, or opinions regarding
infringement on First and Second Amendment rights, including any effort
to confuse the jury that there is some form of “journalist” or “protest”
immunity for the crimes charged;
References to punishment the defendants may face if convicted of the offenses;
References to the Oregon trial of United States v. Ammon Bundy, Ryan Payne, and Ryan Bundy, or the results in that trial;
References to the outcomes in the previous two trials in this case; and
Legal arguments, explanations, or opinions advancing defendants’
views of the US Constitution, including claims that law enforcement
officers within the Department of Interior have no constitutional
authority, that “natural law” or other authority permits the use of
force against law enforcement officers in defense of property or
individual rights, or that the US District Court for the District of
Nevada has no jurisdiction or authority under the Constitution to order
the removal of cattle from public lands.
Yet, they want to talk about social media posts that took place more
than two years after Bundy Ranch. They want to talk about actions of
the defendants that occurred months after Bundy Ranch, as though they
are relevant.
However, when it comes to the Oregon case, the reason the prosecution
doesn’t want that coming up except for its own selected portions is
exactly what Rasmussen sees as “poisoning the room.”
If they were to allow all the evidence of Oregon into this case, it
would be an absolute slam dunk for the defendants because many of the same charges leveled at them were either dismissed or they were acquitted of them all.
We’ll see how things turn out very soon.
***
If you are able and would like to help the Bundy Ranch political
prisoners win their case against the tyranny of the central government
or would like to write them, please click here.
If you would like to support a house in Nevada that is caring for
wives and children of these men as they attend the trials, please click here.
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.
"Random people off the
streets, these jurors, they told the government again that we're not
going to put up with tyranny," said a John Lamb, a Montana resident who
attended almost all the five weeks of trial, which began with jury
selection July 10.
"They've been tried twice and found not
guilty," Bundy family matriarch Carol Bundy said outside court. "We the
people are not guilty."
A first trial earlier this year lasted two months and ended in April
with a different jury finding two defendants — Gregory Burleson of
Phoenix and Todd Engel of Idaho — guilty of some charges but failing to
reach verdicts against Drexler, Parker, Lovelien and Stewart.
Prosecutors
characterized the six as the least culpable of 19 co-defendants
arrested in early 2016 and charged in the case, including Bundy family
members. With the release of Lovelien and Stewart, 17 are still in
federal custody.
The current jury deliberated four full days after more than 20 days
of testimony. The six men and six women returned no verdicts on four
charges against Parker — assault on a federal officer, threatening a
federal officer and two related counts of use of a firearm — and also
hung on charges of assault on a federal officer and brandishing a
firearm against Drexler. Navarro declared a mistrial on those counts.
None
of the defendants was found guilty of a key conspiracy charge alleging
that they plotted with Bundy family members to form a self-styled
militia and prevent the lawful enforcement of multiple court orders to
remove Bundy cattle from arid desert rangeland in what is now the Gold
Butte National Monument.
Bundy stopped paying grazing fees
decades ago, saying he refused to recognize federal authority over
public land where he said his family grazed cattle since the early
1900s. The dispute has roots a nearly half-century fight over public
lands in Nevada and the West, where the federal government controls vast
expanses of land.
Acting U.S. Attorney Steven Myhre declined immediate comment on the
verdicts. He said he'd make a determination later whether to seek a
third trial for Parker and Drexler.
Stewart became emotional and
reached for tissues as the jury findings were read. He and Lovelien were
later taken with their lawyers, Richard Tanasi and Shawn Perez, to be
processed by U.S. marshals for release.
Stewart, 38, lives in
Hailey, Idaho. Lovelien, 54, is from Westville, Oklahoma, but he led a
militia group called Montana State Defense Force.
All four men
were photographed carrying assault-style weapons during the standoff
near the Nevada town of Bunkerville, about 80 miles northeast of Las
Vegas. Each had faced the possibility of decades in federal prison if
they were convicted.
Jurors saw images of Parker and Drexler in
prone shooting positions looking down their rifles through slots in the
concrete barrier of an Interstate 15 freeway overpass toward heavily
armed federal agents guarding a corral of cows below.
Defense attorneys noted that no shots were fired and no one was
injured. They cast the tense standoff with more than 100 men, women and
children in the potential crossfire as an ultimately peaceful protest
involving people upset about aggressive tactics used by federal land
managers against Bundy family members.
Drexler, 46, is from Challis, Idaho, and Parker, 34, is from Hailey, Idaho.
Parker's attorney, Jess Marchese, said he hoped Myhre will dismiss the two charges remaining against his client.
Drexler's
attorney, Todd Leventhal, referred to defense teams' complaints that
Navarro set such strict rules of evidence that defendants weren't able
to tell why they traveled to the Bundy ranch.
The judge rejected
testimony from five prospective defense witnesses, and Drexler and
Parker were the only defendants to testify in their defense. However,
the judge struck Parker's testimony for what she said was a deliberate
failure to keep his testimony within her rules.
All four defense
attorneys declined Aug. 15 to make closing arguments, a gesture of
standing mute that Leventhal said may have had an effect on the jury.
"As much as we were shut down from bringing anything up, the jury saw through it," he said.
Pete Santilli is a reporter and American political prisoner who has
been in jail for more than a year on charges related to the 2014 Bundy
Ranch standoff in Cliven County, Nevada. Recently, Santilli spoke out
about what’s happening behind the scenes of the Bundy Ranch trials —
and he claims that Americans would be “outraged” to learn the truth:
“If
Americans knew what was happening here in Nevada, they would be
outraged!” said Santilli via a phone call from the Souther Nevada
Detention Center in Pahrump, Nevada.
Santilli
thanked his supporters and urged unity among them. He then encouraged
them to share with their friends in America what is going on.
“What
this story is about, if you were to come to somebody that has no idea
what’s happening here in Nevada with the American patriots, with people
like myself, a journalist who has been incarcerated for the words that
he used on his radio show here in the united States,” he said. “This
story is about the Obama administration, the Clintons, Loretta Lynch,
James Comey, the FBI director, and Harry Reid rounding up a bunch of
American patriots who, since dating back to 2014, wanted to free western
lands from government control.”
The utter hypocrisy that is being demonstrated in the Bundy Ranch
trial by those who swore an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution
from both foreign and domestic enemies is quite telling as to the level
of corruption we are seeing in our land today. Furthermore, it is
demonstrating that many of those who have taken that oath not only don't
know what the Constitution says, but also have become the very domestic
enemies they proclaim to oppose because of their ignorance.
First, take this update from Guerilla Media Network's Deb Jordan.
However, that is not the whole of what is taking place in Nevada. The Nevada Independent reports:
Although no shots were fired that day, federal officers previously
testified that alarming investigative intelligence, combined with the
guns present in the agitated crowd and para-military dress of some of
the protesters, made them afraid for their safety. Six defendants the
government describes as Bundy’s gunmen are on trial accused of
threatening and intimidating BLM and U.S. Parks Service law enforcement
officers.
In recent weeks, on cross examination, the defense has managed to
portray the federal cops as inexperienced wannabes who lacked judgment
and overreacted under stress. After the decision was made to discontinue
the roundup, some of BLM rangers and Park police initially refused
orders to put away their weapons, stand down and pack up. Some of their
responses under oath made them appear more fearful than professional.
But the defense this past week had little success with Metro Sgt. Tom Jenkins and none at all with Sheriff Joseph Lombardo.
Additionally, there was testimony by Metro Sgt. Tom Jenkins, who
claimed that protesters were flashing handguns and rifles "from the time
we got there until the time we left." However, he remained steadfast
in his claims even though lengthy recorded exhibits didn't always agree
with his testimony. Someone is not being truthful or has a really bad
memory that cannot be trusted.
Jenkins claims his officers were "scared" and "crying." Really?
I wonder if Sgt. Jenkins thought there was fear in the hearts of the Bundys and their supporters over this?
https://youtu.be/9p0YemhFnw8
or this?
https://youtu.be/LhJ6H9vlEDA
Then there was testimony from Lombardo. Again, from The Nevada Independent:
When Lombardo’s took the stand Thursday, he reminded those who have
followed his career that the public needn’t worry about his leadership
skills. An assistant sheriff at the time of the standoff, Lombardo
accompanied Sheriff Doug Gillespie to Bundy’s makeshift stage outside
his ranch in an attempt to cool the heated rhetoric and avoid bloodshed.
He stood patiently during Bundy’s windy grandstanding and impossible
demands — disarm all federal law enforcement and bulldoze the entrance
booths at the region’s federal conservation and recreation areas — and
then returned to Las Vegas believing the botched cattle roundup was
reaching a peaceful resolution.
For the first time jurors saw video of the elder Bundy holding
forth with armed, uniformed members of the Arizona State Militia, who
call themselves the “Praetorian Guard,” standing guard. Dozens of his
hundreds of followers were armed with handguns and rifles.
When Bundy instructed his followers to go get his cattle,
Lombardo’s day grew complicated and dangerous. He attempted to negotiate
with one of Bundy’s sons, Dave Bundy, in a plea for patience and enough
time to allow the BLM to make a safe exit.
It was Lombardo, jurors learned, who essentially put his career on
the line to overrule BLM Supervisory Special Agent Dan Love and press
for the release of the impounded cattle during the height of the armed
standoff’s tensions.
“He advised me they were federal cattle and it was his decision,” Lombardo said.
Fortunately, Lombardo prevailed.
On what constitutional basis do Cliven Bundy's cattle become
"federal cattle"? There is no victim any what the government is
portraying here. Furthermore, just because a video shows armed citizens
protecting one another from a tyrannical BLM, something that even
Sheriff Lombardo was willing to stand up to, doesn't mean they were
breaking the law. Seriously, is no one reading the Second Amendment?
Do none of these people know
why we have it and what provoked the writing of the Second Amendment?
or the First? or the Third? or the Fourth, etc. etc.?
While the author of the Nevada Independent piece concluded, "Bring
guns to a peaceful protest, and you’re bound to get everyone’s
attention," what he failed to identify is who brought them first. The
response of protesters with guns was an equal and measured defensive
response to tyrants, period. Now, you can see the utter hypocrisy and
lack of moral compass that is on display in this case.
by:Anthony Dephue The first of three Bundy Ranch Trials is finally underway and
testimony from Government witnesses has begun but already a shocking
development has occurred.
A video surfaced online showing previously unseen footage from the Bundy
Ranch protest in 2014. Defendants have always insisted that the
Government escalated tension in the Tuquop Wash on Saturday, April 12th
2014. Leaked video shows federal agents being instructed to sling or put
their long guns out of view. Instead, Special Agent in Charge Daniel P.
Love deployed militarized BLM and US Park Police agents who
subsequently pointed their weapons at protesters. Body cam footage
records agents laughing about shooting animals and speaking as if they
wanted an armed confrontation.
The narrative and timeline of events has always been disputed.
Defendants insist that the Sheriff had announced that BLM’s roundup of
Bundy cattle would cease. Eager to watch the cattle return to Golden
Butte, protesters met horseback riders in the Tuquop Wash who would
guide the cattle under the highway and back to the range.
They arrived to find federal agents with weapons raised and repeated
attempts to tell them to disperse. People with binoculars could see
snipers positioned on elevated ground behind the wash. The aggressive
nature of federal agent’s action caused some citizens to take defensive
postures out of the reasonable concern for grave bodily injury or death.
The Government would have people believe that Bundy dispatched an armed
assault force to retrieve his cattle. Although it is well-documented
that the Sheriff had already announced a cease of roundup activity, this
video depicts a concise but accurate version of events in the wash and
includes video clips that incriminate BLM agents for the escalation of
tension.
The video also shows BLM agents asking people to relocate to a First
Amendment Area. It goes on to show the arrest of Dave Bundy for
photographing the militarization of agents in the area. Later it shows
body cam footage of agents talking casually about killing protesters in
the wash. Substantial portions of the video have never been seen
publicly. If the video is any indication of what lies in evidence under
protective order by the Court, the Government has a lot of questions to
answer; and the wrong 17 people are going to trial.
by:Tim Brown
I've been covering the Bundy Ranch
now going on three years. As trials of political prisoners on trumped
up charges by the central government loom, charges that have either been
dismissed or they have been acquitted of in Oregon, the Bureau of Land Management
agent in charge has now allegedly been found guilty of misconduct by
the Inspector General; and a Bundy case attorney is going after him.
Guerilla Media Network reports
On Wednesday Attorney Chris Rasmussen filed a Motion For Review of BLM Personnel Records after a scathing report released by the Office Of The Inspector General,
said a Special Agent In Charge of the BLM was found to have committed
Ethical Violations and Misconduct during an event in 2015 called
“Burning Man” held in Black Rock Desert, Nevada.
The report contained points of interest for attorneys fighting an
uphill battle in the Bundy Ranch case, especially the part about the
Special Agent trying to intimidate and influence witnesses in his ethics
investigation.
Daniel P. Love,
who is believed to be the Special Agent in Charge the report is
referring to, was also the Special Agent In Charge of the Bundy Ranch
Cattle Impoundment of 2014. Complaint after complaint was filed against
Dan Love before, during, and after the protest, but failed to catch the
eye of the Inspector Generals Office. This time the complaints came
from within the BLM staff itself and it looks as though the
“Super-Agent” will finally be held accountable.
This revelation came as no surprise to the people who live in States
in which the BLM has taken on the role of Law Enforcement under the
direction of Special Agent Daniel P. Love. Locals say they can attest
that misconduct is an almost daily routine for the agency.
Chris Rasmussen, the Attorney of record for Pete Santilli,
the journalist being held without bond after being swept up in a series
of arrest stemming from the 2014 protest, wasted no time in demanding
the court release the unredacted document filed by the Inspector
Generals Office on January 30th, because he believes Dan Love may be the
agent that was investigated and the Governments star witness in their
case against Cliven Bundy and co-defendants.
Mr. Rasmussen says that if Daniel P. Love is the agent being charged in
the Inspector General’s report, his client and other co-defendants
have a right to know and be allowed to impeach his testimony, if he
takes the stand.
Just two weeks ago, I met with Santilli at the Souther Nevada Detention Center
and we discussed some of Love's misconduct, as well as the evidence
that would exonerate every single person the central government is
holding without bail. Santilli called out the misconduct after prosecutors in the case filed a motion to protect the BLM from any scrutiny during the trial.
In essence, they were seeking to cover up the criminal actions and
lawless conduct of armed BLM agents that surrounded Bundy Ranch.
According to Santilli's co-host, Deb Jordan, though Love was
abandoned by the FBI, the Clarke County Sheriff's Department and the Las
Vegas Metro Police, Daniel P. Love threatened reporter Pete Santilli,
who sought to reason with Love, just as he did with the FBI in Oregon
for a peaceful resolution to the matter. His attempts were in vain.
One protester believed lives to be in danger and commented,
"There was never ever any talk of invading the 1 million dollar
compound Daniel P. Love erected on the Gold Butte or forcefully taking
back any cattle; it was always the plan to protest until the release
occurred naturally, said one witness who has asked to remain anonymous.
We went down into the wash under the assumption the BLM had left the
area and that is where we were met by 200 armed agents who said they
were ready to use lethal force. It was very frightening and confusing,
we said a prayer and moved forward to face a BLM, we thought had left
hours before. "
Former Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore also stood at Bundy Ranch alongside fellow citizens of Nevada and Americans.
"You know what?" Fiore said. "I am just pissed off that this dirty SOB has
been protected from being prosecuted for his outrageous behavior at
Bundy Ranch – Scoring a few tickets and having sex with his girlfriend
in a BLM trailer at “Burning Man” is the least of his offensives."
"This man is the same guy who threatened to use lethal force against
American Citizens and Elected Officials – myself included – during the
protest at Bundy Ranch," she added. "How the hell did he ever get by
with that? And now it’s just disgusting that the Nevada BLM has the
audacity to speak poorly of our elected, President Donald Trump while
never saying one thing about this mad-man being permitted to threaten
protestors without any repercussion?" "This guy actually disobeyed the direct order of our State Attorney
General and beat people up and arrested them when he had no authority to
do so," she continued. "In the wash that day the BLM made fun of our
Metro Las Vegas Police and County Sheriff Tom Roberts instead of obeying
a direct order to put away their Long Guns. I’m telling you all right
now, Daniel P. Love disrespected the authority of our Nevada State
Attorney General and Local Law Enforcement, and almost caused a
terrible tragedy. There was no damn conspiracy – We all went down into
that wash to set cattle free because the Sheriff said the “operation”
had ceased and the BLM was leaving – We were almost killed by
that raging lunatic; It’s just that simple."
Fiore then offered a solution to the problem at hand. "At this point
I think the right thing to do in this situation is, to let our men who
have been wrongfully accused of threatening the BLM, out of jail and put
Daniel P. Love, the real criminal, in jail for a very, very long time."
She also mentioned the fact of Love's misconduct in another area.
"While they’re at it I think they should also look into the allegations
of misconduct during the 2012 Winter Olympics when an on duty Dan Love
was presumably observed by his men in a dark corner of a bar getting up
close and personal with a woman he had had drinks with instead of
providing security for the diplomats he was charged to protect."
And she threw in his previous involvement in a story that I reported on in 2016. "Maybe they should take another look at the operation Dan Love conducted in Utah that lead to the suicide of three people including Dr. James Redd in Blanding, Utah."
"I think it’s high-time somebody say enough is enough and tell us the truth; That Daniel P. Love was demoted – not promoted
this year – because he can’t handle the overwhelming responsibility of
picking up the trash on our Public Lands without threatening to kill
someone, and has finally been relegated to a desk job where he can’t
hurt people," Fiore said.
In 2012, Steve Martin sat in a briefing room at the
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Artesia, New Mexico,
listening to the details of a clandestine operation his agency was
planning in the Nevada desert. The goal seemed commendable — to round up
rancher Cliven Bundy’s cattle, which had been grazing illegally on
public land for decades — but the means seemed off to the Arizona-based
special agent for the federal Bureau of Land Management. It was full of
optimistic bravado, he recalls, and it was missing a key ingredient:
cooperation with the county sheriff. Says Martin: “I remember thinking,
‘Is this still the BLM?’
GMN also added regarding the comments of Ryan Bundy at his pre-trial hearing this past Tuesday,
During his pre-trial release hearing on
Tuesday, Ryan Bundy revealed that at least 200 gunmen (BLM Agents and or
Parks and Services) were involved in the April 12th protest, and that
many of them could be heard laughing while choosing the protestors they
wanted to kill, including horses and dogs.
Ryan Bundy also stated for the record, an agreement had been made
between the Sheriff’s Department and the Bureau Of Land Management on
April 11th, 2014 – that said the impoundment operation would cease
immediately – a full day before the final protest on April 12th. Mr.
Bundy quickly pointed out the flaw in the indictment by asking the
question, “If there were no operation on the 12th, and if the cattle
were already being released — how is that impeding?”
The BLM is out of control. They believe their authority supercedes the Constitution.
However, they are an illegal agency, as the Constitution does not
provide for them to uphold the laws of the Constitution. Rather, it is the citizen militia that is to do so. I would encourage you to read what Lynette Warren says are the "OIG’s
worst findings" concerning Love on the last two pages of the 15-page report. You can read that report by clicking here.
Don't forget to support Santilli in his defense, helping wives and
children of political prisoners and getting the story out on what is
really taking place in Nevada by clicking here.
by: Tim Brown
It appears the government wants to hide the illegal actions it has taken, along with those of the Bureau of Land Management in the Bundy Ranch trial that is soon to begin.
On Tuesday, Prosecutors in Las Vegas filed a Motion In Limine in
the case of The United States vs Cliven Bundy et al. They are hopeful
that Nevada District Court Judge Gloria Navarro will allow the US
central government to “cover-up” any wrong doing by Bureau Of Land
Management agents during the 2014 Bundy Ranch siege.
An attorney for one of the defendants told Guerilla Media Network,
"It’s a shocking blatant attempt by the Government to cover-up the
brutal conduct of BLM agents that caused a near catastrophe in
Bunkerville, Nevada during the impoundment of rancher Cliven Bundy’s
cattle."
Guerilla Media Network reports:
The motion is a draconian attempt at best to “protect” government
agents from being exposed to further scrutiny during the upcoming Nevada
trials in which they will be under-oath to tell the truth.
...
The defense in this case is centered around civil rights violations
of the Bundy family and protestors who came to Bunkerville, Nevada to
protest an overreaching government agency who had beaten and
incarcerated Cliven Bundy’s son Dave Bundy and other protestors, used a
stun gun on his son Ammon Bundy, viciously attacked Mr. Bundy’s sister
Margaret, and terrorized peaceful protest with threat of snipers and
military force.
Further the government which successfully used the idea that some of the
defendants in the Oregon trial of the United States vs Ammon Bundy et
al .. were also involved in the Bundy Ranch “armed” protest as a reason
to deny them a pretrial release, now ask the Judge to not allow any
reference to that case including the fact they were acquitted.
Here's a copy of the relevant portion of the motion.
"It is what it is and we will fight it," said Chris Rasmussen, attorney for reporter and radio show host Pete Santilli.
"The government wishes to eliminate anything we could use that goes to
the defendants' state of mind .. and we cannot allow that to happen.
These people were frightened and there was a reason they reacted the way
they did."
"Do we or do we not still live in America?" said former Nevada State Assemblywoman Michele Fiore
on Tuesday in response to the motion. "One way or the other the truth
will be told and I would like to see them stop me from voluntarily
giving my testimony when this trial begins."
Fiore has already told about some of the evidence that is known to exist concerning the criminal BLM, including audio and video from body cameras, and even spoken out on their crimes on the Nevada Assembly floor.
Carol Bundy, Cliven Bundy’s wife, reacted in a similar manner, "So
what kind of defense are we allowed to have if we can’t tell the truth?
Because if the Government has it’s way it looks like we will not be
allowed to have any defense at all."
The central government has been at the center of coverups. Among them have been Waco and Ruby Ridge.
They have sought and are seeking to do the same in the Bundy case just
as they are attempting to do in the case involving the murder of LaVoy Finicum and as they have done concerning Daniel P. Love, the man in charge of the aggressive nature against the Bundys.
I met with Santilli on Saturday at the Southern Nevada Detention
Center and he informed me that he believes with the evidence they have,
that everyone should be acquitted of the charges against them.
He went on to state to GMN: Sure, they would love it if we all just went into
this trial docile and defeated, not willing to fight them, but that just
isn’t going to happen. The Bureau of Land Management went to Bundy
Ranch with a clear disdain and lack of respect for the Bundy Family. Dan
Loves Objective fell just short of scorched earth policy; We can prove
it, they know it and they are very, very afraid of that. As I see it,
we have them right where we want them, why would they file such a
ludicrous Motion otherwise? This Motion has the “BLM is guilty” written
all over it and I for one think that’s great news.
If the Government gets it’s way and eliminates the fact that Daniel P Love gave agents the authority
to beat up on Bundy Family members and was not acting in a rational way
during the impoundment, if the Jury is not allowed to hear what elected
officials told Love in response to his brutal actions, and if there was
never any reason whatsoever for protestors to be in fear for their
lives, then I believe any Jury worth it’s salt is going to be very
suspect as to the validity of this case. I mean, if nobody did anything
wrong, then why the hell are we having a trial?
Judge Navarro has demonstrated that she is just as corrupt as the BLM
and the politicians surrounding what is going on in Nevada. Just look
at what she has done to Santilli and Cliven Bundy. Does anyone really believe she is not going to accept this motion?
oped: Side note: When will the corruption end in the Obama administration?..it has become a never ending story...Obama,Clinton,Holder,Lynch and now the FBI director James Comey. Hopefully it will end Nov 8,2016 when Donald Trump is elected POTUS and he and his appointed cabinet cleans house and takes out the proverbial trash!
by: Tim Brown
In the latest news out of Las Vegas, Nevada concerning the Cliven Bundy
case, in which numerous defendants' freedom and liberty itself is at
stake, the defendants have claimed that the DC government has tampered
with video evidence from the Bureau of Land Management in the case and is hiding that by not disclosing the discovery to the American people.
Guerilla Media Network reports:
Defendants in the case of United States vs Cliven
Bundy et al.. are accusing the BLM [Bureau of Land Management] and the
FBI of altering dashboard and body-cam video in an attempt to cover-up
their aggressiveness during the 2014 protest that led to the arrest of
Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and 18 others.
Defendants are also accusing the FBI "infiltration team" who
posed as a documentary film crew called Long Bow, of editing video at
crucial moments to make defendants who gave interviews look guilty of
crimes they did not commit.
On
at least 5 different occasions the defendants in the case say that
video used to gain their indictments and create the Governments
narrative that has kept them all in jail pending trial, was clearly
altered at crucial moments to hide what they believe would expose the
BLM as the aggressors and not the "victims" as Prosecutor Steven Myhre
contends.
We
have found at least 5 different clear cases of evidence tampering and
have only viewed 1/4 of the discovery that was recently released to us
by the Prosecutors office say defendants, who have begun the process of
creating a power point demonstration that will be viewed by defense
attorneys on October 7, 2016.
On April 9th, 2014 a video was released by Guerrilla Media Network [Pete Santilli]
that showed the brutal tazing of Cliven Bundy's Son, Ammon Bundy.
During that protest there was also a vicious attack by a BLM agent on
Margaret Houston, a 57 year old cancer survivor and Cliven Bundy's
sister. It was not until Fox News picked up the video and aired it live
the following morning on the program Fox and Friends, that people from
across the Nation felt compelled to pack up and come to Bundy Ranch
in protest of the aggressive attack on the family. While the
defendants are not allowed to disclose what was said by BLM agents
leading up to the attack on protestors, they allege that at least 5
seconds of audio recorded during the protest on April 9th, was altered
by the BLM to cover-up what BLM agents actually said.
Defendants also stated, that BLM video shot during the protest on
April 12th, 2014 – of protestors that accompanied Ammon Bundy to
retrieve cattle Sheriff Douglas Gillespi said could be released, was
again altered to omit some of what Daniel P. Love and other agents were communicating back and forth to one another.
One video, which was captured by the ranchers, we reported on previously
of the BLM setting fires within a hundred yards of personal property
and cattle. The video shows the burning of cattle and buildings, both of
which are criminal. https://youtu.be/2zvrrQbjepc
Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore
produced a short video to speak about the failure to disclose what the
BLM actually said on both video and audio recordings regarding their
thoughts of murdering innocent protesters and animals at the Bundy Ranch back in 2014. https://youtu.be/oC-YIyWBYmQ
Fiore mentioned some of the comments made by the BLM that were not altered, such as:
BLM joking about which peaceful protesters they were going to kill
BLM talking about which horse they would put down first
BLM joking about which human they were going to put down first
BLM joked about making Bunkerville bigger than Waco by a hundred times
Then there is footage from the BLM that has obviously been altered,
in which several minutes of footage is missing (1 to 4 minutes). What is
the purpose of the video if you are allowed to turn it off or edit it
as you see fit? What good does that do?
Additionally, Fiore mentioned body cam and dash cam video evidence
that is being kept from the American people where the BLM literally beat
Dave Bundy and kidnapped him. This is all being withheld from the
public.
Tell me something America, would you sit there and be entertained by
it, like you are your politics? Or would you act and demand that the BLM
agents involved, every member of the FBI, judges and anyone at the
local level or at the federal level be immediately arrested and tried
for their crimes?
Fiore then gave kudos to Sheriff Doug Gillespie and undersheriff Mr.
Roberts, along with the Las Vegas Metro Police for standing alongside
the Bundys and the protesters.
She then said that if you are part of a media outlet to get this information out to the public to email her at Michele@votefiore.com.
In closing, Deb Jordan adds, "We believe if the public could hear and
see what the BLM was saying and doing for the duration of the protest,
before and leading up to the BLM confronting the protestors by
threatening lethal force, the narrative would go back to what it was
initially about and that is that a Government agency was violating the
civil rights of a rancher and his family and those of the people who
came to protest the brutality of it."
"Magistrate Peggy Leen enforces an order that tells the public, you
may scrutinize and repeat all of the bad stuff the defendants said on
social media but you are not allowed to see and repeat all the bad stuff
the BLM was doing and saying behind the scenes that led up to such a
passionate protest by the defendants and other protestors," she
concluded.
It's time to demand transparency in this case. If you are willing to
do so, please contact the following and cite your demands that they open
up the discovery to the public.
Carson City
State Capitol Building
101 N. Carson Street
Carson City, NV 89701
Phone: (775) 684-5670
Fax: (775) 684-5683
Las Vegas
Grant Sawyer State Office Building
555 East Washington Ave, Suite 5100
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: (702) 486-2500
Fax: (702) 486-2505
Odds are, if you consider yourself a “constitutionalist,” or a true
“Patriot,” it’s a safe bet you already know what happened during the
early days of 2016 in Harney County, Oregon, during the Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
Depending on who you talk to, some might refer to the series of events
as the “Bundy Standoff.” Wikipedia describes the events as follows, but
for those of us who paid close attention… it was much, much more.
The Bundy standoff was an armed confrontation between protesters and
law enforcement that developed from a 20-year legal dispute between the
United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and cattle rancher Cliven Bundy, over unpaid grazing fees on federally owned land in southeastern Nevada.
Since I covered the standoff from start to finish, at the bottom of
this post, you’ll find links to every story I did, and they are in
chronological order beginning with the first one at the top and the most
recent one at the bottom. In the following video, I provide a brief
recap of what transpired during the standoff. I'll explain who is
currently being held as political prisoners as a result of that
standoff, and I'll explain how they were taken by the same corrupt
government, and same corrupt politicians that sold this country's
Uranium to the Russians and the Chinese. Ultimately, I’ll explain how it
came to pass that Ryan Bundy’s face is all beat up as you can see above
in the picture.
During the video, and throughout the brief recap, I’ll also explain
who Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore and Gavin Seim are. Both of them
have done a great deal to try to help our wrongfully imprisoned brothers
and sisters. https://youtu.be/-KDKt1FfxFs
The next video was recorded by Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore and
Gavin Seim. The video can be found with a long article that
accompanies it HERE. The
video starts off with Michelle and Gavin explaining that Ryan Bundy was
recently abducted (for lack of a better word), from his prison cell.
Ryan's abduction prompted Ammon Bundy, Ryan’s older brother, to call his
wife Lisa and let her know what was happening.
As Michelle explains in the video, she got a frantic call from Lisa
Bundy, the wife of Ammon Bundy, who was the leader of the January
takeover at the ranch. Lisa called Michelle in the morning at 9:14 am
saying she had just spoken with her husband, and according to Fiore,
Lisa was quite frantic and in a panic because Ammon had told her that
guards “bum rushed” Ryan’s cell in order to convince him to go to the
hospital for the purpose of having a bullet removed from his arm.
To help paint the picture, without ruining the video, you should know
that “law enforcement” claimed no bullets were shot. “Law enforcement”
has claimed a lot of things since the standoff that have turned out to
be TOTAL lies, and I know that because I’ve seen and heard them with my
own eyes and ears on several of the videos contained in the posts linked
below. To sum up what’s going on, “law enforcement” NEEDS that bullet
to vanish, and it goes without saying, that Ryan Bundy NEEDS that
bullet right where it is, because It’s his only evidence. Watch the
video: https://youtu.be/-UGXFDBT8CE
Shari Dovale wrote:
Ryan Bundy is in Solitary Confinement until after his
trial. This means that he will have limited opportunities to prepare for
defending his freedom. How did this happen?
Bundy was a major player in the political protest that took place at
the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Harney County this past January. On
January 26, 2016, the FBI, in coordination with Oregon State Police
(OSP), staged an illegal “Deadman’s Roadblock” which resulted in the
murder of LaVoy Finicum. It also left a bullet, or possibly a fragment
of a bullet, in the arm of Ryan Bundy.
The FBI agents are already under investigation for lying during that
incident. They claimed that they did not fire their weapons. However, it
has been shown that there were two bullet casings
that were illegally removed from the scene. All of OSP’s shots have
been accounted for, therefore the shots seem to have come from the FBI.
This is all relevant because of the bullet left in Bundy’s arm. It
was never removed, even though he was treated for it after being
arrested. This could be crucial evidence of the FBI cover-up.
Bundy has maintained that he does not give permission to State or
Federal authorities to remove the evidence from his arm. He has said
that he is willing to have it removed, however, he has certain
conditions under which he will agree, including having an independent
forensic analysis done. The Federal authorities refuse these terms.
Therefore the bullet remains in Ryan Bundy.
This has caused some worrisome days for the FBI, as this bullet could
be the evidence that proves the case for these political prisoners.
They have been incarcerated for over 6 months for staging a political
protest, and bringing the government over reach to the limelight of the
country. They are scheduled for trial on September 7, 2016.
Early last week, Ryan was taken to a hearing in which the government
attempted to convince Bundy to allow them to remove the evidence from
his arm. He reiterated his terms for removal and the government, again,
denied those terms. They do not want anyone other than themselves to
retain, and analyze, the evidence against them.
Bundy was returned to his cell at Multnomah County Jail.
This past Tuesday, August 9th, Ryan Bundy was awakened
early by several guards. He was told to get up, as he had “an
appointment.” Bundy did not refuse to go, however, he did ask them where
he was going. This question was deemed inappropriate and considered to
be “refusing” to follow the guards orders.
By just asking a question.
They proceeded to manhandle him out of his cell. When they got to the
stairway, one guard, Sgt. Curtis E. Sanders, actually attempted to push
Ryan down the stairs. He was severely hurt, with his wrist dislocated,
his thumb either broken or dislocated, knee trouble, and head injuries.
Yes, this happened and it is under an official investigation. The
guards have not been relieved of their duties. They have not been placed
on administrative leave, or any other status. But, it is claimed that
there is an ‘Official’ investigation into how Ryan Bundy received such
severe injuries.
Bundy was taken to the courthouse that day and made to sit for hours.
He had no hearing or conference scheduled or completed. There were
suspicions that he would be taken to a hospital to have the bullet
evidence forcibly removed from his arm, but that did not happen. The
evidence remains within his arm.
While he was away from the jail, all of his belongings, including his trial preparation documents were thrown into garbage bags and removed from his cell.
After he was returned to the jail, Bundy was given an internal
“hearing” for his bad behavior in asking where he was being taken. This
“hearing” was conducted by internal employees, not an official judge.
He was not allowed to defend himself, he was barely allowed to speak.
All evidence was presented by the guards involved in the assault on him.
It was determined that he was guilty of disruptive behavior and has been sentenced to solitary confinement until September 17th, weeks after the trial is scheduled to begin.
This should be considered cruel and unusual punishment, as he has
been severely limited in his abilities to prepare for trial, as well as
his current physical health due to the assault by the guards. How does a
citizen of the USA defend his freedom under these circumstances?
But is this is business as usual in the Multnomah County Jail? Is it becoming commonplace for inmates to die in Multnomah, as there have been at least 2 deaths since the first of the year?
More recently, a video surfaced of a man as he was released from
Multnomah He described abuses that took place in the jail. Richard
Eldridge was incarcerated on charges of ‘Failing to properly use 911’,
then he was later released with no charges. He showed evidence of abuse
during his time within Multnomah. A very telling video describing
Constitutional violations that are normal in this country.
And yet, some still wonder why the Bundy’s,
and others, are still trying to highlight these abuses to the citizens.
They won’t wonder if they ever end up on the receiving end of this
uncontrollable government injustice.
#1) GET THE NARRATIVE RIGHT!
What “tactics” didn’t you agree with exactly? Here are the FACTS: The
group that occupied Malheur Wildlife Refuge did nothing more than
engage in a political protest, so unless you object to the First
Amendment, or you object to the Right to Bear Arms, then whatever
“tactics” you think they used were a distortion of the truth supplied to
you by the mainstream media.
The group occupied the refuge, and their occupation included being
armed for self-defense purposes only, NOT for preemptive strikes, a point that was made VERY clear to Sheriff Ward over and over. In other words, the men and women protesting were exercising
their rights protected under the Second Amendment to protect their
rights, which are to be protected under the First Amendment! To sum
up the first thing we can do, start by GETTING THE NARRATIVE
CORRECT, and then SPREAD the TRUTH to those still being manipulated by
the lies.
#2) START SHOWING UP!
Obviously this won’t be possible for everyone, but if you are within a
reasonable distance, start showing up. The group currently being held
as political prisoners showed up for you when it counted, and look what
it got them! It’s time we return the favor if we have the means to. and
that means showing up at the prisons to visit, at local rallies, or even
in the courtrooms. #3) START GIVING!
As I said already, It’s time to stop making excuses. It’s time we
either step up for liberty when it matters most, when it's under
attack, or we demonstrate to the world that we were never FOR liberty to
begin with. The group being held as prisoners put their lives, their
fortunes, and their sacred honor on the line for you, so even those
folks out here living through tough times should be able to spare a few
dollars to ease the suffering of those held captive, and the suffering
of their loves ones.
by:Tim Brown
In seeking the release of Cliven Bundy on Tuesday, Attorney Joel
Hansen referred to Bundy as a "political prisoner" and said the
government does not want to release him for fear it would lose if the
case is ever heard before a jury.
Yes, friends, the Fifth Amendment seems pretty clear to me here:
"No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or
otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a
grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in
the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor
shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in
jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to
be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or
property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be
taken for public use, without just compensation."
There were no bombs used, guns fired or credible threats made by Cliven Bundy.
Did he say he would stand on his principles? Yes, absolutely, but the
man is being kept in solitary confinement in prison without bail, like
many of the men who were involved at the Bundy Ranch siege two years ago.
For two years these men were free. Did they engage in anything that was
a crime? Were they a threat to the community? Nope. Yet, the majority
of them cannot get bail, something that is offered to various people who
engage in all sorts of criminal behavior.
In filing paperwork
on Tuesday, Hansen referred to Bundy as a "political prisoner." Though
the judge that decided to keep him in jail back in February after his arrest in Oregon declared that he was both "lawless and violent," no evidence has been presented to substantiate those claims.
"The government seems to be afraid that it might lose in a jury
trial, so it wants to keep him in prison, in solitary confinement, as
long as it can because he, like Nelson Mandela, is a political
prisoner," Hansen wrote. "There is nothing in the U.S. Constitution
allowing the federal government to hold political prisoners without a
trial. Nothing."
I don't know if that is a good thing to write. After all, Mandela engaged in actual terrorism. He was not a freedom fighter. He was a totalitarian
However, here is the more pressing issue that Hansen brings up in his filing.
"Does Mr. Bundy have the right to raise a constitutional question
about the legality of the high-handed tactics of the BLM?" Hansen asked.
"Of course he does — and particularly by making statements about the
actions of the BLM and by the exercise of people's First Amendment right
to peacefully assemble and the people's Second Amendment right to keep
and bear arms."'
Review Journal adds:
Hansen likened the armed Bunkerville standoff with
law enforcement on April 12, 2014, to the Revolutionary War battles at
Bunker Hill, Concord and Lexington between American patriots and the
British.
He also argued that no one from Bundy's side ever fired a weapon
or assaulted a federal officer and that the only acts of violence in
Bunkerville were committed by federal agents.
"The government has seemingly put together a strong case against
Mr. Bundy, but when it is seen for what it really is, it is a collection
of unsupported allegations, inconceivable innuendos, bald assertions
and unproven allegations," Hansen wrote.
, and even 
and 
.
They have sought and are seeking to do the same in the Bundy case just
as they are attempting to do in the case involving the murder of 
