SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Ammon Bundy, the leader of an anti-government militia, speaks to members of the media in front of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters on January 6, 2016 near Burns, Oregon. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Endorsing 'Violence and Extremism Among His Base,' Trump Pardons Oregon Ranchers Who Inspired Right-Wing Militia's Armed Takeover of Public Lands
"This pardon is a win only for those with no respect for life and basic decency."
Jul 10, 2018
In a move that sends a "very friendly message to some very dangerous people," President Donald Trump on Tuesday granted full pardons to Dwight and Stephen Hammond, the father-son team of Oregon ranchers whose 2012 conviction for arson inspired the right-wing Bundy militia's armed takeover and month-long occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016.
"Trump's pardon abandons human decency to signal encouragement of violence and extremism among his base."
--Kieran Suckling, Center for Biological Diversity
"Trump's pardon abandons human decency to signal encouragement of violence and extremism among his base," Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, told Common Dreams in an email denouncing the president's decision. "The Hammonds are dangerous people with a long history of arson, illegal grazing, threatening violence against federal officials, and child abuse."
\u201cOur dumpster fire of a president has pardoned two Oregon arsonists who also threatened to kill federal officials, abused their nephew and illegally ran cattle on a national wildlife refuge. https://t.co/rGobaXQnbk\u201d— Kier\u00e1n Suckling (@Kier\u00e1n Suckling) 1531237584
The Hammonds' crime of intentionally starting a fire on public land--which witnesses alleged was aimed at covering up the illegal slaughter of deer--carried a minimum prison sentence of five years, but a sympathetic judge decided in 2012 to hand the ranchers a far lighter sentence. Prosecutors later successfully appealed the lenient sentences, and the Hammonds were resentenced in 2015 to serve full five-year prison terms.
Brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy, who led the 2016 armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, cited the Hammond case as the driving force behind their decision to illegally seize public property wielding rifles and other firearms.
"This pardon is a win only for those with no respect for life and basic decency."
--Lori Ann Burd, Center for Biological Diversity
The Bundys and seven other members of the right-wing militia that took part in the armed occupation were acquitted of all charges in October of 2016, a decision that set what one critic called "a dangerous and far-reaching precedent for the kind of paramilitary intimidation and right-wing violence that underpins their movement."
Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the environmental group Center for Western Priorities, argued in a statement that by pardoning the Hammonds, Trump has "sided with lawless extremists who believe that public land does not belong to all Americans."
"This pardon is a win only for those with no respect for life and basic decency," added Lori Ann Burd, environmental health director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "The Hammonds are child abusers and anti-government zealots who endangered lives when they committed arson to cover up illegally slaughtering a herd of deer."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
In a move that sends a "very friendly message to some very dangerous people," President Donald Trump on Tuesday granted full pardons to Dwight and Stephen Hammond, the father-son team of Oregon ranchers whose 2012 conviction for arson inspired the right-wing Bundy militia's armed takeover and month-long occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016.
"Trump's pardon abandons human decency to signal encouragement of violence and extremism among his base."
--Kieran Suckling, Center for Biological Diversity
"Trump's pardon abandons human decency to signal encouragement of violence and extremism among his base," Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, told Common Dreams in an email denouncing the president's decision. "The Hammonds are dangerous people with a long history of arson, illegal grazing, threatening violence against federal officials, and child abuse."
\u201cOur dumpster fire of a president has pardoned two Oregon arsonists who also threatened to kill federal officials, abused their nephew and illegally ran cattle on a national wildlife refuge. https://t.co/rGobaXQnbk\u201d— Kier\u00e1n Suckling (@Kier\u00e1n Suckling) 1531237584
The Hammonds' crime of intentionally starting a fire on public land--which witnesses alleged was aimed at covering up the illegal slaughter of deer--carried a minimum prison sentence of five years, but a sympathetic judge decided in 2012 to hand the ranchers a far lighter sentence. Prosecutors later successfully appealed the lenient sentences, and the Hammonds were resentenced in 2015 to serve full five-year prison terms.
Brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy, who led the 2016 armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, cited the Hammond case as the driving force behind their decision to illegally seize public property wielding rifles and other firearms.
"This pardon is a win only for those with no respect for life and basic decency."
--Lori Ann Burd, Center for Biological Diversity
The Bundys and seven other members of the right-wing militia that took part in the armed occupation were acquitted of all charges in October of 2016, a decision that set what one critic called "a dangerous and far-reaching precedent for the kind of paramilitary intimidation and right-wing violence that underpins their movement."
Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the environmental group Center for Western Priorities, argued in a statement that by pardoning the Hammonds, Trump has "sided with lawless extremists who believe that public land does not belong to all Americans."
"This pardon is a win only for those with no respect for life and basic decency," added Lori Ann Burd, environmental health director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "The Hammonds are child abusers and anti-government zealots who endangered lives when they committed arson to cover up illegally slaughtering a herd of deer."
In a move that sends a "very friendly message to some very dangerous people," President Donald Trump on Tuesday granted full pardons to Dwight and Stephen Hammond, the father-son team of Oregon ranchers whose 2012 conviction for arson inspired the right-wing Bundy militia's armed takeover and month-long occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016.
"Trump's pardon abandons human decency to signal encouragement of violence and extremism among his base."
--Kieran Suckling, Center for Biological Diversity
"Trump's pardon abandons human decency to signal encouragement of violence and extremism among his base," Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, told Common Dreams in an email denouncing the president's decision. "The Hammonds are dangerous people with a long history of arson, illegal grazing, threatening violence against federal officials, and child abuse."
\u201cOur dumpster fire of a president has pardoned two Oregon arsonists who also threatened to kill federal officials, abused their nephew and illegally ran cattle on a national wildlife refuge. https://t.co/rGobaXQnbk\u201d— Kier\u00e1n Suckling (@Kier\u00e1n Suckling) 1531237584
The Hammonds' crime of intentionally starting a fire on public land--which witnesses alleged was aimed at covering up the illegal slaughter of deer--carried a minimum prison sentence of five years, but a sympathetic judge decided in 2012 to hand the ranchers a far lighter sentence. Prosecutors later successfully appealed the lenient sentences, and the Hammonds were resentenced in 2015 to serve full five-year prison terms.
Brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy, who led the 2016 armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, cited the Hammond case as the driving force behind their decision to illegally seize public property wielding rifles and other firearms.
"This pardon is a win only for those with no respect for life and basic decency."
--Lori Ann Burd, Center for Biological Diversity
The Bundys and seven other members of the right-wing militia that took part in the armed occupation were acquitted of all charges in October of 2016, a decision that set what one critic called "a dangerous and far-reaching precedent for the kind of paramilitary intimidation and right-wing violence that underpins their movement."
Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the environmental group Center for Western Priorities, argued in a statement that by pardoning the Hammonds, Trump has "sided with lawless extremists who believe that public land does not belong to all Americans."
"This pardon is a win only for those with no respect for life and basic decency," added Lori Ann Burd, environmental health director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "The Hammonds are child abusers and anti-government zealots who endangered lives when they committed arson to cover up illegally slaughtering a herd of deer."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.