Trump grants full pardons to Oregon cattle ranchers
President Donald Trump on Tuesday pardoned father-and-son cattle ranchers serving prison time for arson, in a case that helped inspire the armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in 2016.
Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son, Steven Hammond, were convicted of starting two fires in 2001 and 2006 that damaged federal lands. But the White House said Tuesday that the evidence against them was “conflicting,” and noted that the jury acquitted them of most of the charges.
The Hammonds were initially given sentences of three months to a year. But Trump blamed the Obama administration for filing an “overzealous appeal” because the judge’s sentence was too lenient under federal sentencing guidelines. That appeal sent the Hammonds back to prison.
The Hammond case was a rallying cry for the so-called “sovereign citizen” movement, which is supported by some Western ranchers who oppose federal control of grazing lands. Ammon Bundy – the son of one of the movement’s leader, Cliven Bundy – cited it in his 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
“Justice is overdue for Dwight and Steven Hammond, both of whom are entirely deserving of these grants of executive clemency,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.
The Hammonds are serving prison sentences for setting the fires, and paid $400,000 in civil damages.
“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,” Sanders said.