President Donald Trump Reportedly Considering Pardons For the Oregon Ranchers Who Inspired Malheur Takeover

Dwight and Steven Hammond were convicted of arson on federal lands, which angered Ammon and Ryan Bundy.

Bundy supporters' BBQ on Oct. 29, 2016. (Joe Riedl)
By Nigel Jaquiss

The Washington Post reported today that President Donald Trump is considering pardons for two ranchers from Eastern Oregon whose federal convictions inspired the 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

"The White House is also now weighing whether to grant a presidential pardon to two ranchers from eastern Oregon, Dwight and Steven Hammond, whose 2016 imprisonment on arson charges inspired the 41 day-armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge," the Post reports. "Ranching and farming groups, as well as some militia adherents, have pushed for clemency to send a signal that federal officials won't engage in overreach out West."

The Hammonds were sentenced to five-year mandatory minimum sentences for intentionally setting fires on federal lands, which caught the attention of brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy.

Ryan Bundy (John Sepulvado)

The Bundys were later among the organizers of the Malheur occupation, which they claimed was a protest against excessive federal control of public lands.

Dwight Hammond, 76, is scheduled for release in Feburary 2020. His son, Steven, 49, is set for release in June 2019. Both men, according to the Bureau of Prisons, are being held at Terminal Island Federal Correctional Institution in San Pedro, Calif.

Related: Bundyland: Two devout Mormon brothers have created a fantasy camp for commandos in Eastern Oregon. 

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