Five Days After Protesters Occupied Malheur Wildlife Refuge, Candidate Trump Condemned The Bureau of Land Management & 'Near-Dictatorial Executive Power.' Now He Is Prosecuting Those Very Patriots=
Martin Hill
Just nineteen days before LaVoy Finicum was killed in cold blood by the FBI on a snowy Oregon roadside as he attempted to surrender, candidate Donald Trump criticized the "near-dictatorial power" of the President and the executive branch and the "draconian rule of the Bureau of Land Management."
Nevada ranchers Ryan and Ammon Bunday, along with an assortment of supporters, decided to take a stand and in a peaceful act of civil disobedience, occupied the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. Their protest gained international and nearly 24-7 media coverage.
Yet a mere 12 and a half months later, President Trump's Attorney General Jeff Sessions has vigorously joined in the criminal prosecutions of the four remaining Malheur Wildlife Refuge protesters from last year.
Who's side are you really on, Donald?
Not even 13 months ago, in an editorial for the Reno Gazette-Journal, just five days after the Bundy's occupied the wildlife refuge, candidate Donald Trump wrote, in part,
"The United States of America is a land of laws, and Americans value the rule of law above all. Why, then, has our Congress allowed the president and the executive branch to take on near-dictatorial power? How is it that we have a president who will not enforce some laws and who encourages faceless, nameless bureaucrats to manage public lands as if the millions of acres were owned by agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management and the Department of Energy?
In Nevada, the lack of enforcement of immigration laws and the draconian rule of the BLM are damaging the economy, lowering the standard of living and inhibiting natural economic growth. The only way to change these circumstances is to bring to Washington a president who will rein in the federal government and get Congress to do its job. It's not that we don't have talented people in D.C. It's that we have no leadership there."
Less than 20 days after Trump published this column against BLM, the Malheur protesters were fearing for their life and negotiating to surrender to the feds who had just murdered their leader in cold blood on international live television on January 26, 2016.
Candidate Trump continued with all the right great-sounding platitudes:
"Honest, hardworking citizens who seek freedom and economic independence must beg for deference from a federal government that is more intent on power and control than it is in serving the citizens of the nation."
Candidate Trump ended with his proposed solution to these type problems:
"...What is needed in Washington is a president who will rein in the executive branch and work with Congress to make sure the legislative branch does its job. What is needed in Washington is a president who has the will, strength and courage to lead. What is needed in Washington is a president who is not beholden to special interests and who is only interested in putting America and Americans first. When I am elected president, I will bring the executive branch back inside the Constitution and will work with Congress to put America first."
It's a shame and a travesty, thetefore, that Donald Trump's federal prosecutors have not dropped the criminal prosecutions of Jason Patrick, Darryl Thorn, Jake Ryan and Duane Ehmer.
Especially given the fact that a jury acquitted Ryan and Ammon Bundy, along with all five of the other Malheur Refuge occupiers of all charges last year. It would have been very easy and even politically expedient for the feds to save face and drop the case, dismiss all the bogus felony charges against the remaining defendants.
The federal trial of the 'Malheur four' starts next week. There is still a chance and opportunity for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to dismiss all charges and set these good righteous men free.
Donald Trump, the world is watching you. What will your real legacy be?
Update: Another important point is that prosecutors have charged Jason Patrick and the other three defendants with multiple misdemeanor charges, and the judge has ruled that they are NOT entitled to a jury trial for those charges. She uses a 1970 Supreme Court precedent to justify this. So this appears to be their "fail-safe" method to railroad these guys even if a jury acquits them of the felony charges. You can read more about this aspect at Jason Patrick's Facebook page here.
- See more at: http://libertyfight.com/2017/Feb/Trump-BLM.html#sthash.PG929JhU.dpuf
Just nineteen days before LaVoy Finicum was killed in cold blood by the FBI on a snowy Oregon roadside as he attempted to surrender, candidate Donald Trump criticized the "near-dictatorial power" of the President and the executive branch and the "draconian rule of the Bureau of Land Management."
Nevada ranchers Ryan and Ammon Bunday, along with an assortment of supporters, decided to take a stand and in a peaceful act of civil disobedience, occupied the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. Their protest gained international and nearly 24-7 media coverage.
Yet a mere 12 and a half months later, President Trump's Attorney General Jeff Sessions has vigorously joined in the criminal prosecutions of the four remaining Malheur Wildlife Refuge protesters from last year.
Who's side are you really on, Donald?
Not even 13 months ago, in an editorial for the Reno Gazette-Journal, just five days after the Bundy's occupied the wildlife refuge, candidate Donald Trump wrote, in part,
"The United States of America is a land of laws, and Americans value the rule of law above all. Why, then, has our Congress allowed the president and the executive branch to take on near-dictatorial power? How is it that we have a president who will not enforce some laws and who encourages faceless, nameless bureaucrats to manage public lands as if the millions of acres were owned by agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management and the Department of Energy?In Nevada, the lack of enforcement of immigration laws and the draconian rule of the BLM are damaging the economy, lowering the standard of living and inhibiting natural economic growth. The only way to change these circumstances is to bring to Washington a president who will rein in the federal government and get Congress to do its job. It's not that we don't have talented people in D.C. It's that we have no leadership there."
Less than 20 days after Trump published this column against BLM, the Malheur protesters were fearing for their life and negotiating to surrender to the feds who had just murdered their leader in cold blood on international live television on January 26, 2016.
Candidate Trump continued with all the right great-sounding platitudes:
"Honest, hardworking citizens who seek freedom and economic independence must beg for deference from a federal government that is more intent on power and control than it is in serving the citizens of the nation."
Candidate Trump ended with his proposed solution to these type problems:
"...What is needed in Washington is a president who will rein in the executive branch and work with Congress to make sure the legislative branch does its job. What is needed in Washington is a president who has the will, strength and courage to lead. What is needed in Washington is a president who is not beholden to special interests and who is only interested in putting America and Americans first. When I am elected president, I will bring the executive branch back inside the Constitution and will work with Congress to put America first."
It's a shame and a travesty, thetefore, that Donald Trump's federal prosecutors have not dropped the criminal prosecutions of Jason Patrick, Darryl Thorn, Jake Ryan and Duane Ehmer.
Especially given the fact that a jury acquitted Ryan and Ammon Bundy, along with all five of the other Malheur Refuge occupiers of all charges last year. It would have been very easy and even politically expedient for the feds to save face and drop the case, dismiss all the bogus felony charges against the remaining defendants.
The federal trial of the 'Malheur four' starts next week. There is still a chance and opportunity for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to dismiss all charges and set these good righteous men free.
Donald Trump, the world is watching you. What will your real legacy be?
Update: Another important point is that prosecutors have charged Jason Patrick and the other three defendants with multiple misdemeanor charges, and the judge has ruled that they are NOT entitled to a jury trial for those charges. She uses a 1970 Supreme Court precedent to justify this. So this appears to be their "fail-safe" method to railroad these guys even if a jury acquits them of the felony charges. You can read more about this aspect at Jason Patrick's Facebook page here.
- See more at: http://libertyfight.com/2017/Feb/Trump-BLM.html#sthash.PG929JhU.dpuf