In another surprising move by President Trump, two more pardons were issued today as he traveled to Europe for meetings with NATO, Britain, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to The Daily Caller:
President Donald Trump pardoned two Oregon ranchers forced back into prison in 2016 to serve out the rest of the mandatory minimum sentence required under an anti-terrorism law.
“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 White House said in a statement. “The evidence at trial regarding the Hammonds’ responsibility for the fire was conflicting, and the jury acquitted them on most of the charges.
Dwight and Steven Hammond were convicted of committing arson on federal land in 2012 under an anti-terrorism law from 1996. The U.S. District Court judge who sentenced the ranchers believed the mandatory minimum sentence was too harsh, thus both men served short stints in prison.
The Hammonds served their time, but federal prosecutors appealed the case and a federal court overturned the 2012 judgement. The Hammonds were forced back into prison in 2016 to serve the rest of their sentences.
This reincarceration sparked protests by the famous Bundy protestors and an armed standoff ensued. Legal experts have said this was an incredibly malicious prosecution.
