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Posted on 07/10/2018 6:19:11 PM PDT by Texas Fossil
His action makes right a heartless judicial excess - in keeping with the purpose of clemency
For Immediate Release
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Date: July 10, 2018 |
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Contact: Tanner Hanson |
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Members of the Congressional Western Caucus including Chairman Paul Gosar (AZ-04), House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01), House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chairman Greg Walden (OR-02), Chief Rules Officer Dan Newhouse (WA-04) and Western Caucus Member Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) issued statements following the announcement of President Trump's decision to issue full pardons for Dwight and Steven Hammond of Oregon:
Congressman Gosar stated, “Besides being a commendable application of the principle of equal justice under the law, the President’s action today is a strong symbolic gesture of good faith and good will directed towards rural western communities. I wish the Hammonds the absolute best as they are granted this awesome chance to return to their lives and families in Oregon.”
Congressman Rob Bishop stated, “I’m glad President Trump chose to weigh in on the unjust sentencing of the Hammonds. I wish the Hammonds well in returning to their families and local communities."
Congressman Walden said, “Today is a win for justice, and an acknowledgement of our unique way of life in the high desert, rural West. I applaud President Trump for thoroughly reviewing the facts of this case, rightly determining the Hammonds were treated unfairly, and taking action to correct this injustice. For far too long, Dwight and Steven Hammond have been serving a mandatory minimum sentence that was established for terrorists. This is something that would ‘shock the conscience,’ according to Federal Judge Michael Hogan, who presided over the case and used his discretion in sentencing which later was reversed. As ranchers across eastern Oregon frequently tell me, the Hammonds didn’t deserve a five year sentence for using fire as a management tool, something the federal government does all the time. Moving forward, I’m encouraging the House Judiciary Committee to act on my legislation to prevent this situation from happening to other ranchers. H.R. 983 would ensure farmers and ranchers are not prosecuted as terrorists for using fire for range-management purposes. For now, though, I am pleased that Dwight and Steven Hammond will return to their families and ranches in Harney County. I look forward to welcoming them back home to eastern Oregon.”
Congressman Newhouse stated, “I applaud President Trump for pardoning Dwight and Steven Hammond. There are few incidences that occur in our nation that better depict just how out of touch and unresponsive our federal government is to our citizens than the sentencing of Dwight and Steve Hammond from Eastern Oregon. After the Hammonds started a backfire to protect their cattle grazing land and assist the greater wildfire control effort, the Hammonds were prosecuted by the Department of Justice for arson under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act. After a federal judge only sentenced the Hammonds to three months, stating anything longer would be a ‘shock to the conscience,’ aloof federal prosecutors appealed and succeeded in attaining a five year prison sentence. I support President Trump’s decision to pardon the Hammonds, whose struggles represent many rural communities’ valid frustrations with the federal government’s unresponsiveness, callousness, and poor land management tendencies.”
Congressman LaMalfa said, “Dwight and Steven Hammond were let down by our justice system. After serving one sentence – on charges that could be seen as questionable to begin with – overzealous prosecutors wrongfully and unfairly forced the Hammonds to serve additional time in jail, despite their excellent standing in their community. Their case is a prime example of the previous Administration’s overbearing regulation and enforcement on public lands, while their poor stewardship creates fire hazards and restricts access to land that cattle have grazed on for generations. I’m glad to see the President has pardoned these men, and that they will not spend another day unfairly locked away from their families and livelihoods. I join many in Northern California and Oregon in celebrating President Trump’s willingness to resolve this injustice, and I will continue to pursue policy changes to ensure that those using fire as a management tool aren’t treated the same way as terrorists.”
Background:
President Trump today made use of the Executive's power of clemency in order to grant a full pardon to members of the Hammond family of ranchers in eastern Oregon - Dwight Lincoln Hammond, Jr. and his son, Steven Hammond - on account of the unconscionably severe sentencing that was successfully sought against them by the previous administration.
A fair read of the evidence in the case indicated that the Hammonds should not have been found guilty of anything but negligence for having engaged in what amounts to the routine, controlled burn of invasive plants on their own property - fires which unfortunately got out of hand. That mandatory minimum sentencing was successfully sought for these accidental matters which harmed no human lives indicates, at a basic level of fairness and justice, that clemency is an appropriate remedy for what was a heartless and overzealous prosecution.
From the White House press release:
Today, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Grants of Clemency (Full Pardons) for Dwight Lincoln Hammond, Jr., and his son, Steven Hammond. The Hammonds are multi-generation cattle ranchers in Oregon imprisoned in connection with a fire that leaked onto a small portion of neighboring public grazing land. The evidence at trial regarding the Hammonds’ responsibility for the fire was conflicting, and the jury acquitted them on most of the charges.
At the Hammonds’ original sentencing, the judge noted that they are respected in the community and that imposing the mandatory minimum, 5-year prison sentence would “shock the conscience” and be “grossly disproportionate to the severity” of their conduct. As a result, the judge imposed significantly lesser sentences. The previous administration, however, filed an overzealous appeal that resulted in the Hammonds being sentenced to five years in prison. This was unjust.
Dwight Hammond is now 76 years old and has served approximately three years in prison. Steven Hammond is 49 and has served approximately four years in prison. They have also paid $400,000 to the United States to settle a related civil suit. The Hammonds are devoted family men, respected contributors to their local community, and have widespread support from their neighbors, local law enforcement, and farmers and ranchers across the West. Justice is overdue for Dwight and Steven Hammond, both of whom are entirely deserving of these Grants of Executive Clemency.
I have no doubt he knows. And that it is aimed at him. These vermin must be removed from all power to abuse the system.
I did not see that.
There is only one explanation. The entire congress carries a secret crime that non can admit. So, neither side will ever admit it or they all go down.
It goes right to the top of the Obozo regime.
The $400,000 must also be repaid to the Hammonds, and the papers they were FORCED to sign with the Feds concerning ‘first right of refusal if the Hammonds sold their land’ must be torn up.
The Feds were totally out of line.
Just to show you how fast a fire can travel. The ‘Martin Fire’ in N Nevada is totally out of control This AM, it was 667 SQUARE MILES and growing with 5% containment. (Control is AFTER CONTAINMENT). I missed tonight’s update.
At one point it was moving at the rate of 11 MILES AN HOUR.
THINK about that. Think about something that is 11 miles away from where you live & then realize that a fire could move that fast.
The Hammonds had permission for the backfire from the Feds. Then the Feds totally double-crossed the Hammonds. The backfire burned ONLY about 1 1/2 acres of Federal land.
You forgot to shine the light of the elephant trying to hide behind the flower pot : The COE, the Corpse of Engineers, who were created to build things, to use their training and skills to help our military soldiers...
Not to destroy civilian lives in concert with the appointed criminals in the BLM, the EPA, the IRS and the Federal Courts.
I am ashamed to share the title "Engineer" with these bureaucratic criminals embracing no ethics whatsoever.
With no real war to fight for decades, the cowards chose to join a cowardly war against helpless fellow citizen Americans, rather than shrink the Corpse by 80%
We knew long ago here on FR 12/23/2008
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2153351/posts -> GoTo my Post #37
To: Republic of Texas
Naaaah! Welcome to New Kenya (Africa U.S.A.)
“Where the law of the jungle has replaced the Law of the Land.”
—
de Texas Fossil
37 posted on 12/23/2008, 3:13:26 PM by Texas Fossil
Thank you President Trump.
REMEMBER LAVOY FINICUM
This is wonderful. A friend from Oregon, very conservative, was delighted to see the pardon announced on her birthday.
I am so happy.
Thank you for sharing that. This was the right thing for him to have done.
Yes. Remember Lavoy Finicum indeed.
You bet. I was in Wa state at the time and horrified by the treatment the Hammond’s rec’d. Frightening. We were convinced the libs wanted the land for a larger refuge. When you live out there you see agenda 21 all around you.
People not there don’t realize how they are working to close ranches, bulk up on wolf populations, turn rural lands to rewilding.
Wish Trump could get Jerry Delemus free.
I wish that were the law, my FRiend!
I did not immediately recognize Jerry’s name. So I searched for it and yes I remember. Think he was entrapped by undercover agents and made statements he would not have otherwise said.
No one is talking about how in that operation LaVoy and his friends were ambushed , chased down , run off the road in the snow and then executed . Not only did the Obama-Fed LEO’s kill LaVoy but the tried to kill everyone else hiding in the truck . So no witnesses? The chain of command that ordered that hit ambush should be tracked down , identified and prosecuted . You would probably get to the point where both Obama and Lynch would be found to say “ just kill those God damned rednecks “... and they did .
Remember Ruby Ridge too . They shot a mother thru the throat while she was holding her little baby in her arms , standing in the doorway of her own home , unarmed .
Why is there never any accountability for these events ?
President Trump ? Show us that you care .
And that appears to be the basis of the messages Trump has been sending with his pardons.....
Yes, and it was the correct message. The pardon was the correct action.
It is a very long string of such events.
All the mass arrests the Feds have made in the past 10 years seem to be disasters that they use to demonstrate their amazing database tools for prosecuting crimes. (real and imagined)
The Waco Biker mess is another. I doubt there will be any convictions, it has been 3 year now. A huge number of people were arrested on 1 million dollar bonds and now? silence.
This is not the legal process proscribed by the Constitution. This is not my nation any more.
I know one of the people who is caught up in the Waco mess. Not in person, but from the web. He is very sick and in and out of the hospital. I feel very sorry for him and his family. And he did absolutely nothing wrong.
Agree - I haven’t had a problem with any of Trump’s pardons.
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