Sentence me already, says Flynn
President Trump issued full pardons Tuesday to the father-and-son ranchers from Oregon whose arson convictions sparked the deadly occupation of a wildlife refuge.
Dwight Hammond Jr., 76, and son Steven Hammond, 49, were freed around 2 p.m. from the California prison where the duo was serving time for 2012 arson charges. The ranchers set fire to federal land where they had grazing rights for their cattle.
The charges carried a minimum prison sentence of five years, but a sympathetic judge decided the penalty was too stiff and gave the pair much lighter prison terms.
Prosecutors won an appeal and the Hammonds were resentenced in October 2015 to serve the mandatory minimum.
Their arrests and prosecution became a cause celebre for militia and anti-government groups in the West. In 2016, dozens of occupiers led by noted limited-government advocate Ammon Bundy staged an armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon. The occupation lasted 40 days before police arrested Bundy during a traffic stop. Another of the group's leaders, Robert (LaVoy) Finicum, was shot and killed by police at a roadblock.
Bundy and his followers were found not guilty of conspiracy charges later that year.
The office of Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) delivered news of Trump's pardon to the father and son — both of whom were being held at the Terminal Island facility in San Pedro, Calif. — around 7:30 a.m., said Morgan Philpot, a lawyer for the Hammond family.
Philpot said the Hammonds plan to return to their Harney County ranch.
Dwight's wife, Susie Hammond, lauded Trump's signature as “wonderful.”
“We've been waiting a long time,” she said in a statement.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders called their imprisonment “unjust.”
“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,” the White House said in a statement.
But Jamie Rappaport Clark, president of the group Defenders of Wildlife, noted that the Hammonds were convicted of arson, a serious crime.
Breaking with tradition, Trump has issued a series of pardons during his first year and a half in the White House.
Trump has pardoned several people with conservative backing, including former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, former Bush administration senior official Scooter Libby and author Dinesh D'Souza.
He posthumously pardoned boxer Jack Johnson and has floated the idea of offering pardons to lifestyle guru Martha Stewart and former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Last month, he commuted the remainder of a life sentence for Alice Marie Johnson, who spent two decades in jail after being convicted on drug charges, after Kim Kardashian lobbied on her behalf. WASHINGTON — An attorney for Michael Flynn said Tuesday that the former national security adviser is "eager" to proceed to sentencing and put his criminal case behind him.
Under federal guidelines, Flynn's sentence is estimated to be between zero and six months in prison.
Attorney Robert Kelner made the comments during a court hearing Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan. It was the first time Flynn had appeared in court since his guilty plea last year to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials during the presidential transition, and his Turkish lobbying work.
Kelner said Flynn wants to put this "chapter" behind him, but special counsel Robert Mueller's team has requested additional delay while the retired U.S. Army general continues to cooperate with the investigation into Russian election interference and whether President Trump obstructed justice.