New York Attorney General moves to sidestep any potential presidential pardons.

We are disturbed by reports that @POTUS is considering pardons of individuals who may have committed serious federal crimes—acts that may also violate NY law.

We must ensure that if any president issues such pardons, we can use NY’s laws to bring such individuals to justice. pic.twitter.com/oPEkwTrB0S

— Eric Schneiderman (@AGSchneiderman) April 18, 2018

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

New York’s attorney general has asked officials to change state law so President Donald Trump’s aides can be tried for any criminal acts committed in the state, even if they have been given a presidential pardon. 

In a letter sent to New York’s top lawmakers, including Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) said that he was troubled by Trump’s frequent discussion of his ability to issue pardons and that he was worried those who had committed crimes in the state would escape prosecution. New York has a double jeopardy law that prevents individuals from being charged with the same crime twice, even if the charges originated at the federal level. 

“New York’s statutory protections could result in the unintended and unjust consequence of insulating someone pardoned for serious federal crimes from subsequent prosecution for state crimes,” Schneiderman wrote in the letter, dated April 18. “Even if that person was never tried or convicted in federal court, and never served a single day in federal prison.”

I am not a lawyer, but I believe that if this is successful the legal term is "checkmate." 

Robert Mueller may delay bringing obstruction charges against Trump and his associates, until he has also completed his collusion and conspiracy investigations.

Courtesy of Bloomberg:

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice is said to be close to completion, but he may set it aside while he finishes other key parts of his probe, such as possible collusion and the hacking of Democrats, according to current and former U.S. officials. 

That’s because Mueller may calculate that if he tries to bring charges in the obstruction case -- the part that may hit closest to Trump personally -- witnesses may become less cooperative in other parts of the probe, or the president may move to shut it down altogether. 

The revelation is a peek into Mueller’s calculations as he proceeds with his many-headed probe, while pressure builds from the president’s advisers and other Republicans to show progress or wrap it up. 

The obstruction portion of the probe could likely be completed after several key outstanding interviews, including with the president and his son, Donald Trump Jr. The president’s lawyers have been negotiating with Mueller’s team over such an encounter since late last year. But even if Trump testifies in the coming weeks, Mueller may make a strategic calculation to keep his findings on obstruction secret, according to the current and former U.S. officials, who discussed the strategy on condition of anonymity.

Mueller may have concerns that if he moves forward with the obstruction charges that Trump will pull out all of the stops in shutting him down.

Apparently while Trump still has some small hope of vindication, he is less likely to freak out.

However that freak out is definitely coming.

Courtesy of Raw Story: 

Special counsel Robert Mueller and his prosecutors have invoked an unusual "conspiracy to defraud the government" charge to ensnare a Russian cyber network and could use the same legal strategy to go after President Trump and his associates, even if the conspiracy is not linked to a criminal act.

Last month, Mr. Mueller, a Republican and former FBI director indicted 13 Russian nationals connected to the Internet Research Agency (IRA) Russian "troll farm," accusing the IRA of interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election by spreading fake news stories through U.S. social media. The same approach was employed in securing a plea deal last month with Rick Gates, the aide for former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. 

What has attracted attention in legal circles is the underlying legal theory behind the indictments, accusing the Russians of essentially committing a crime by preventing agencies of the U.S. government from carrying out the duties. Mr. Mueller appears to be leveraging the theory "into a powerful instrument with respect to both foreign and domestic actors," according to a recent article on Lawfare, a national security blog by the Lawfare Institute and Brookings Institution. 

Emma Kohse, Harvard International Law Journal editor-in-chief, Benjamin Wittes, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and the Lawfare blog's top editor, argue that, based in the language of the indictments and the legal precedents behind them, the "conspiracy to defraud the government" charge provides the Mueller team with significant flexibility in trying to build a case against Mr. Trump and members of his 2016 campaign.

Yeah, at this point the noose must be so tight that it is starting to cut off Trump's circulation. 

Probably the best news of the week was that this guy is going to prison.

Courtesy of the Chicago Tribune:  

The smirk wiped from his face, a crying Martin Shkreli was sentenced to seven years in prison for securities fraud Friday in a hard fall for the pharmaceutical-industry bad boy vilified for jacking up the price of a lifesaving drug. 

Shkreli, the boyish-looking, 34-year-old entrepreneur dubbed the "Pharma Bro" for his loutish behavior, was handed his punishment after a hearing in which he and his attorney struggled with limited success to make him a sympathetic figure. His own lawyer confessed to wanting to punch him in the face sometimes. 

The defendant hung his head and choked up as he admitted to many mistakes and apologized to the investors he was convicted of defrauding. At one point, a clerk handed him a box of tissues. 

"I want the people who came here today to support me to understand one thing: The only person to blame for me being here today is me," he said. "There is no conspiracy to take down Martin Shkreli. I took down Martin Shkreli." 

I don;t typically like jury duty, but I would have GLADLY served on this jury just to watch this smug POS bawling like a baby when he realized that he was going to the big house.

Just in case you do not realize what a scumbag this guy is, let's take a walk down memory lane: 

Shkreli became the face of pharmaceutical industry evil in 2015 when he increased by 5,000 percent the price of Daraprim, a previously cheap drug used to treat toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that can be fatal to people with the AIDS virus or other immune system disorders. 

Shkreli seemed to treat the case like a big joke. After his arrest in December 2015, he taunted prosecutors, got kicked off of Twitter for harassing a female journalist, heckled Hillary Clinton from the sidewalk outside her daughter's home, gave speeches with the conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos and spent countless hours livestreaming himself from his apartment. 

He also infuriated members of Congress at a Capitol Hill hearing on drug prices when he repeatedly cited his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Afterward, he tweeted that the lawmakers were "imbeciles." 

Last fall, the judge revoked his bail and threw him in jail after he jokingly offered his online followers a $5,000 bounty to anyone who could get a lock of Clinton's hair.

It is no longer politically correct to wish that bad things happened to people in prison, but in this case I am willing to make an exception. 

So yesterday Dr. Larry Nassar was sentenced to another 40 to 125 years in prison.

Courtesy of NBC News: 

Larry Nassar, the former Olympic gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor accused of molesting 265 girls and women over two decades, was sentenced to another 40 to 125 years in prison on Monday for molesting three of the victims under the guise of medical treatment. 

Eaton County Court Judge Janice Cunningham said she didn't believe Nassar — who as recently as last month was claiming his invasive pelvic procedures were not sexual — was truly remorseful.

"I'm not convinced that you truly understand that what you did was wrong and the devastating impact you have had on the victims, their families and friends," the judge said. "You are in denial. You don't get it."

Nassar had previously been sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison so clearly he will never breath the air as a free man again.

Nor should he.

I have to imagine that there are sexual predators all over the country who pissed themselves a little after reading about this verdict.

It is a new day, and women are demanding a reckoning.

Woman who was fired for flipping Donald Trump's motorcade the bird receives 453,678 job offers. #ShePersisted.

Remember this woman?

Remember that she was ultimately fired for expressing an emotion shared by the overall majority ot his country?

Yeah, well as I predicted she will not be out of a job for long.

Courtesy of Extra Newsfeed:  

No worries. A week after giving the president the finger and finding herself out of work, Ms. Briskman has now received 453,678 job offers (and counting) from employers large and small, from every state in the union. 

“She’s my ‘she-ro,’” said Lucy Clementori, who owns a chain of fitness centers throughout the Southwest and promised to hire Ms. Briskman, sight unseen. “She can take over our spin classes and teach everyone that great presidential salute!”

Norm LaForge, who started a multi-million dollar company erecting cell towers in the Midwest, wants Juli Briskman to start yesterday. “It took guts to do what she did, giving the finger to The Great White Dope. That kind of chutzpah makes a great salesperson. She’s hired.” 

“I don’t have any openings, but I’ll find a place for her anyway,” said Darlene Ranalin, founder of a public relations firm in Boston. “I guess President Drumpf was right after all, he really is creating new jobs.”

And let that be a lesson to any other potential presidential protesters. 

Protest away my friends, because America has your back.

That Utah cop who arrested the nurse for doing her job has been fired from the police force.

Courtesy of WKRG: 

Authorities say a Utah police officer who was caught on video roughly handcuffing a nurse because she refused to allow a blood draw has been fired. 

A Salt Lake City Police spokesman said Chief Mike Brown made the decision Tuesday following an investigation into Detective Jeff Payne, who made the arrest that became a flashpoint in the ongoing national conversation about police use of force. 

Body-camera video showed nurse Alex Wubbels explaining hospital policy required a warrant or formal consent to draw blood from the patient injured in a July 26 car crash. Payne had neither but insisted. The dispute ended with him dragging her outside as she screamed she had done nothing wrong. Watch the video and read more on the story here. 

Police later apologized and changed their policies.

For any of those who missed this story back at the beginning of last month, this is what went down that day.

Some people become police officers to protect the public, but some become cops because they want to exert power of others.

And I still think that if this nurse had been black this cop would have remained on the force. 

This is the eclipse we all deserve.

 I am not an astrophysicist, but I predict that this eclipse is definitely on its way. 

Homophobic former governor of North Carolina has the sads because nobody will hire his bigoted ass.

Courtesy of Slate:  

Pat McCrory was supposed to have another job by now. After voters tossed the former Republican North Carolina governor out of office—thanks in large part to HB2, the deeply unpopular anti-LGBTQ bill he championed—McCrory groveled at Trump Tower, clearly expecting a consolation prize from the new president. But here we are in mid-March, and Donald Trump, who famously dislikes losers, has yet to offer him a role in the new administration.

Bereft of employment, McCrory has slid into the role of professional victim, blaming his humiliating downfall on LGBTQ advocates, corporations, protesters, nonprofits, athletic leagues, transgender children, “silent” conservatives, and pretty much everyone but himself. Recently, he took his tearful tirade to the podcast Listening In, whining to host Warren Cole Smith, who is best known for declaring that Mitt Romney’s Mormonism made him unfit for public office.

During the interview McCrory complained that is problems stem from a pro-LGBTQ group:

The Human Rights Campaign led the public opposition to HB2, criticizing the bill for barring transgender people from certain public bathrooms. In his interview, McCrory repeatedly blamed the HRC for his defeat, asserting that the group is “more powerful than NRA.” 

“I said that nine months ago and everyone laughed,” McCrory confided in Smith, “and now everyone’s going, ‘you know, maybe they are,’ because they put their pressure on corporations. The NRA puts pressure on politicians. The HRC puts public pressure, threatened boycotts on major corporations through the U.S. with a false narrative, and it worked.”

By "false narrative" I think he means the truth about his blatant homophobic tendencies. 

The one thing that I do hope is true is that this Human Rights Campaign is more powerful than the NRA. That just makes me feel good all over.

Almost as good as seeing this pathetic POS getting what's coming to him.

See? Even with all that is going on there is still some good news in the world.

LOVE this illustration.

I only hope this can last until the tangerine tyrant is finally removed from office.

Dylann Roof, the racist who murdered nine people in a South Carolina church, was found guilty on all thirty three charges.

Courtesy of NPR: 

A jury in Charleston, S.C., has found Dylann Roof guilty on all 33 counts of federal hate crimes he faced for murdering nine people and attempting to kill three others in the basement of a historically black church. 

Federal prosecutors are seeking a death sentence. Roof has asked to represent himself in the penalty phase of the trial, which is scheduled to begin Jan. 3. 

The guilt phase of the trial featured six days of testimony from 30 witnesses, including a recorded confession and excerpts from Roof's journal, and painted a picture of a young man filled with racial hatred who spent months planning to murder black people. 

Roof entered Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church in downtown Charleston on the evening of June 17, 2015, and, for nearly an hour, sat among a dozen people at a bible study before opening fire during the worshippers' final prayer.

They better sentence this guy before Donald Trump gets sworn in and gives him amnesty.

 Don't forget that a large swath of Trump supporters most likely consider this guy a folk hero. And Trump certainly wants to keep these folks happy and voting for his candidates in midterm elections now doesn't he?

After all it appears that this is going to be Donald Trump's America, and in Donald Trump's America this is probably considered a protected expression of white pride.

Donald Trump meets the pain train.

Immature? You bet. But did you secretly get a kick out of it? You know you did.

Good news over a thousand women who have been raped in Alaska, somebody might actually start to investigate your case now.

Courtesy of KTUU:  

The state of Alaska is getting a $1.1 million federal grant to test backlogged sexual assault evidence in possession of state troopers. 

Gov. Bill Walker's office announced Tuesday the U.S. Justice Department funds will be used to process more than 1,000 sexual assault kits. 

Officials say that altogether law enforcement agencies across the state are in possession of about 3,000 unprocessed kits. Amanda Price, Walker's senior crime policy advisor, says the Anchorage Police Department is among those exploring options on processing their backlogs of sexual assault kits. 

Officials say the trooper kits will be transferred to the state crime lab for processing.

I've heard of justice moving slowly, but seriously WTF?

Actually I know what the fuck because I asked about this several years ago.

What I heard then was that the state simply did not have the resources to process the unusually high number of rape kits that come in seemingly every month. Because of that the chances of a woman's rapist being prosecuted in Alaska was incredibly low unless they actually killed her or there were numerous witnesses.

Some of these 3,000 unprocessed rape kits date back as far as 1984, which means that some women who were victimized have lived with the repercussions for thirty years without seeing justice done, or even seeing an attempt to locate their attacker.

And since many of these women live in villages that means that they could literally be living next door or even in the same house as their rapist knowing that they remain untouched by the law and free to prey on them again anytime they see fit.

So for any of you who wonder why so many women do not report rape in Alaska, I think you now have your answer.

A round up of news stories dealing with Track Palin's plea deal to avoid facing justice for punching his girlfriend in the face.

So I figured I would let a day or so go by and then gather up the majority of the news coverage over the dropping of charges in the Track Palin case.

First thing to note is that it was covered quite extensively. And most of them did not let Track off very easily.

Almost all of them include an account from the original police report describing Track's alcohol intake and exactly what he did to Jordan.

Courtesy of Raw Story: 

Track Palin, 27, was arrested back on Jan. 18 at the Palin compound after a woman said he had punched and kicked her during an argument over an ex-boyfriend. According to the woman, Palin punched her in the face, then threw her phone away before pulling a gun and threatening to commit suicide. 

When police arrived, Palin had marks on his face and claimed the woman hit him with her elbow. According to police, Palin was given a breathalyzer test that measured his blood alcohol level at .189.

Alaska Dispatch is the source many of the papers used to describe the plea deal:  

"As a condition of his entry into that court the state dismissed the first two counts," Fitzgerald said. "Track pled to misconduct involving weapons (in the fourth degree), concerning being under the influence and having a firearm." 

Track Palin will have to complete a regime of "alcohol-related" treatment under the terms of this week's agreement, Fitzgerald said. Upon successful completion of the treatment, the weapons-misconduct charge will be expunged from his record. But if that doesn't happen, Palin will receive a 180-day suspended jail sentence and be placed under informal probation for two years.

It should be noted that almost all of the news coverage shied away from giving Track a free pass.

In fact the Daily Mail wrote this right below their headline: 

Track Palin agrees to rehab and avoids jail for 'punching his girlfriend in the face and drunkenly threatening to shoot himself dead with an AR-15' 

Yeah, no free pass there.

The Mail also added this:

The charges were filed on the same day his mother Sarah Palin, who was the GOP vice presidential candidate in 2008, endorsed Donald Trump before primary voting began with the Iowa caucuses. 

As media covered her son's arrest, she told reporters her son returned from Iraq 'a bit different' and blamed the incident on post-traumatic stress disorder. 

She also used the opportunity to criticize the Obama administration's policies towards veterans for her son's problems. 

Other news outlets which covered the story included Radar Online, USA Today, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, and a handful of others. (By the way if you want to see what people really think about Sarah Palin, and her violent drunken offspring these days just spend a little time at the comment sections on those sites. To put it bluntly they are no longer buying her shit.)

However it should be noted that only here on IM, and over at Joe My God, did the story of the changes on Court View receive coverage.

Though we were the only ones to note that the remanded portions was removed, and the July 11th additions did not show up, until July 14th, only as the story of Track's incarceration started to spread across the internet.

Which means that for all intents and purposes Sarah Palin was able to change the narrative again.

And that is really too bad because as all of us here know Track Palin has a long history of violent behaviors, predating his time in the military, and he really DOES need to face some consequences and to get professional help.

Because the next time it might be a whole lot worse than simply punching his girlfriend in the face and kicking her while she lay at his feet.

Next time somebody could be killed.

And I don't think that even Sarah Palin can snap her fingers and make that go away.

Sarah Palin celebrates the fact that her oldest daughter is now hawking t-shirts to make a buck, while behind the scenes she pulls strings to keep her son from facing justice.

Courtesy of the Mat-Su Manipulator's Facebook page:

I absolutely love this!!! Bristol Palin teamed up with Lifehouse Maternity Home in Louisville, KY to create these awesome shirts. Please support this great cause, get your shirt today; boldly show how you really feel about life, God & our 2nd Amendment! 

I love seeing all my kids still smiling and thriving, despite all the false and negative crap still thrown their way by the media. From all that negativity comes good like this - their productive efforts for great causes just like this. Nothing makes me prouder!

Ah yes, one day you're teaching your little one how to get rich without lifting a finger, and the next day they are out selling t-shirts like a hippie cult member on a street corner.

And what a message these shirts send.

I mean it's not often that you see the Ammosexual, Bible thumper, and anti-abortion slogans plastered together in one seemingly incongruous message across a person's chest like this.

How incredibly disturbing.

But hey, I guess it makes a certain tragically under educated Methamphetamine fueled kind of sense. I guess.

In other Palin news it appears that Track Palin has once again allowed his mommy to rescue his warrior bodied ass.

The earlier Court View entry read like this:

Notice that bottom portion where Track was remanded to custody?

Well now that is gone and the entries are as follows:

07/11/2016 
Charge Dismissed by Prosecutor 
Charge Dismissed by Prosecutor Charge(s) 1, 2 disposed with a disposition of 
Charge Dismissed by Prosecutor Charge #1: Originating - AS11.41.230(a)(1): Assault In The 4th Degree - Recklessly Injure 

07/11/2016 Notice of: Notice of: Plea Agreement (Veterans's Court) 

07/11/2016 Motion for Initial Opt-In and Order Wellness Court Motion for Initial Opt-In and Order Anchorage Veterans's Court 
Attorney: Fitzgerald, Kevin T (8711085) 
Filing Party: Palin, Track 
Case Motion #3 

07/11/2016 Order Granting Motion Order Granting Motion 
Case Motion #3: Motion for Initial Opt-In and Order Anchorage Veterans's Court

That's right the remanded portion is missing like it never even happened.

When calls were made to the courthouse to ask what the hell happened with the remanded part this was the response:

"Accidental entry."

Radar Online has more:

Track’s attorney, Kevin T. Fitzgerald, told Radar, “We got a very favorable resolution.” 

The dismissal of the domestic violence charge is “not an insignificant dismissal,” he said, praising the veterans court option. 

The possession of a weapon while intoxicated charge “really more accurately tracks what went down,” he said.

Yeah, THAT more "accurately tracks what went down."

Except no it does not.

That text by the way was also backed up by the initial report as ADN reminds us of in its reporting on this story: 

Wasilla police arrested Palin, 27, on the night of Jan. 18 at the Palins' home on Lake Lucille. A woman at the residence said he had punched and kicked her during a dispute over her contact with an ex-boyfriend, then threw her phone and threatened to commit suicide with a rifle. 

Police said Palin, who also suffered facial injuries that evening, told officers the woman struck him with an elbow. He later provided a breath sample with an alcohol content of .189.

However now that those domestic assault charges have been subjected to "Wite-Out" this as the only justice that Track Palin will have to face: 

Track Palin will have to complete a regime of "alcohol-related" treatment under the terms of this week's agreement, Fitzgerald said. Upon successful completion of the treatment course, the weapons-misconduct charge will be expunged from his record — but if that doesn't happen, Palin will receive a 180-day suspended jail sentence and be placed under informal probation for two years. 

Anchorage District Attorney Clint Campion, a military veteran who oversees the Veterans Court, said Friday the outcome of Palin's plea agreement is consistent with similar cases the court has handled. 

"Mr. Palin is getting no special treatment from the state, and I'm not treating his case any different than I would anyone under the same charges or circumstances," Campion said.

Bullshit!

You know somebody asked me just today if Sarah Palin actually still had the power to make all of this go away.

Well I guess we have our answer, don't we?

I think this about says it all.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair may face calls for impeachment in response to new report on the Iraq War.

Courtesy of The Guardian:

Senior figures from Labour and the Scottish National party are considering calls for legal action against Tony Blair if the former prime minister faces severe criticisms from the long-awaited inquiry into the war in Iraq. 

A number of MPs led by Alex Salmond are expected to use an ancient law to try to impeach the former prime minister when the Chilcot report comes out on Wednesday. 

The law, last used in 1806 when the Tory minister Lord Melville was charged for misappropriating official funds, is seen in Westminster as an alternative form of punishment that could ensure Blair never holds office again. 

Triggering the process simply requires an MP to propose a motion and provide supporting evidence as part of a document called the article of impeachment which has no time limit placed upon it. If the impeachment attempt is approved by MPs, the defendant is delivered to Black Rod before a trial. 

A simple majority is required to convict, at which point a sentence can be passed which could, in theory, involve Blair being sent to prison. However, MPs have said the attempt will be symbolic and is unlikely to result in imprisonment.

So it really would only be a symbolic gesture, but still a hell of a lot better than what we have done over here in response to learning that the Bush administration lied us into a war that saw the deaths of thousands of American servicemen.  

At least the Brits have the balls to continue to search for the truth, while in America everybody just wants to move on and pretend that the former administration was not involved in treasonous activities and war crimes. 

Track Palin succeeds in having his assault case moved to the Veteran's Court in Anchorage.

According to Court View tomorrow's court date in Palmer has been vacated, and Track's case has now moved to Anchorage.:

3PA-16-00145CR Crim Dist Ct Misd (3PA) 01/19/2016 

Palin, Track Defendant 06/13/2016 

Unopposed Motion for: 

Unopposed Motion for Transfer of Case File 
Attorney: Fitzgerald, Kevin T (8711085) 
Filing Party: Palin, Track 
Case Motion #2 

06/14/2016 

Order Granting Motion Order Granting Motion 
Case Motion #2: Unopposed Motion for Transfer of Case File 

06/15/2016 Temporary Transfer of Case to: 

Temporary Transfer of Case to: Anchorage

My assumption is that this is called a "temporary transfer" just in case Track does not show up or does not agree to the treatment that the court will insist upon in exchange for less jail time.

So another Palin finds a way to circumvent justice in Alaska.

Same old story that I have been telling for over eight years now.

(H/T to the Anonymous IM commenter who sent me this information. Thanks.)

Feds arrest co-chair of Donald Trump's veteran coalition for participation in Bundy standoff.

Courtesy of OPB: 

Federal authorities on Thursday arrested a New Hampshire man for his role in a standoff by Nevada ranchers opposed to federal control of public lands. 

Gerald DeLemus, of Rochester, was named in an indictment in Nevada as a “mid-level leader” and organizer of a conspiracy to recruit, organize, train and provide support to armed men and other followers of rancher Cliven Bundy. 

DeLemus, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and tea party activist, last year signed on as a member of presidential candidate Donald Trump’s New Hampshire veterans coalition. A July news release posted on Trump’s website listed DeLemus as a co-chair.

What? You mean people associated with the Donald Trump campaign are in trouble with the law?

Who could have predicted such a thing?

DeLemus was not the only person caught in the FBI's net. They also indicted and arrested thirteen others: 

A superseding criminal indictment was returned by the grand jury on Wednesday, March 2, and now charges a total of 19 defendants. The 14 new defendants are Melvin D. Bundy, 41, of Round Mountain, Nev., David H. Bundy, 39, of Delta, Utah, Brian D. Cavalier, 44, of Bunkerville, Nev., Blaine Cooper, 36, of Humboldt, Ariz., Gerald A. DeLemus, 61, of Rochester, N.H., Eric J. Parker, 32, of Hailey, Idaho, O. Scott Drexler, 44, of Challis, Idaho, Richard R. Lovelien, 52, of Westville, Okla., Steven A. Stewart, 36, of Hailey, Idaho, Todd C. Engel, 48, of Boundary County, Idaho, Gregory P. Burleson, 52, of Phoenix, Ariz., Joseph D. O’Shaughnessy, 43, of Cottonwood, Ariz., and Micah L. McGuire, 31, and Jason D. Woods, 30, both of Chandler, Ariz. 

Twelve defendants were arrested earlier today. Two defendants, Brian D. Cavalier and Blaine Cooper, were already in federal custody in the District of Oregon. 

“These indictments and subsequent arrests send an irrefutable message to the American people that our determination remains steadfast to protect them and pursue individuals who participate in violent acts of this nature,” said Special Agent in Charge Bucheit.

Wow, look at all the Bundy's. I wonder if there are any Bundy family members NOT in jail?

Gee what kind of country are we becoming when a man cannot gather a small army of heavily armed idiots to engage the federal government in a standoff?

You know besides a country of laws of course?

Federal judge denies Cliven Bundy bail. Good thinking judge. Update!

Courtesy of OPB: 

A federal judge in Portland denied bail for Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy at a hearing Tuesday. 

Magistrate Judge Janice Stewart agreed with prosecutors that Bundy posed a flight risk, is a danger to the community, and should be held in jail while awaiting trial. 

“I agree with the government, if he’s released and goes back to his ranch that will be the last the court will see of him,” Stewart said.

Wait, do you mean the judge thinks that simply because this yahoo flouts the law at every turn, and believes that as a sovereign citizen they don't apply to him, that he might not show up for a court date?

Like I said, smart judge.

I wonder how the Bundy boys are enjoying all of their God given freedom right about now?

Update:  It looks like the feds have now indicted some of the morons from the Oregon standoff, with crimes committed during the 2014 Nevada standoff.

Courtesy of Oregon Live:   

Ammon Bundy, brother Ryan Bundy, Ryan Payne and Peter Santilli -- already indicted in the armed takeover of a federal wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon -- now face federal indictment along with Cliven Bundy in the 2014 armed standoff near the Bundy ranch in Nevada. 

The indictment charges the four with 16 felonies: one count of conspiring to commit an offense against the United States, one count of conspiring to impede or injure a federal officer, four counts of carrying a firearm in a crime of violence, two counts of assault on a federal officer, two counts of threatening a federal law enforcement officer, three counts of obstructing justice, two counts of interfering with interstate commerce by extortion and one count of interstate travel in aid of extortion. 

It also levels five counts of criminal forfeiture against each defendant. If convicted of the offenses, they would have to forfeit property obtained from the proceeds of their crimes, totaling at least $3 million, including cattle at the so-called Bunkerville Allotment and Lake Mead National Recreational Area in Nevada. They also would have to forfeit firearms and ammunition used in the April 12, 2014, standoff with federal authorities.

I love the smell of justice in the morning, don;t you?

Cliven Bundy is going to jail for a long, long, long time.

My stupidity is this big.

Courtesy of Crooks and Liars:  

The indictment of Cliven Bundy is a masterful document, describing a conspiracy to defraud and harm the government for selfish reasons. 

There's nothing in it we don't know, but it does give a glimpse into how far the investigation has delved, and the reach of the charges they intend to bring. 

Bundy is charged with Conspiracy to Commit An Offense Against the United States; Assault on a Federal Law Enforcement Officer; Use and Carry of a Firearm In Relation to a Crime of Violence; Obstruction of the Administration of Justice; Interference with Commerce by Extortion; and, Aiding and Abetting. 

He'll be in the clink for the rest of his life after this trial, alongside his sons.

Gee, and here this moron thought that the laws simply did not apply to him.

Sucks to be so wrong doesn't it?

By the way you can read the entire complaint at the link up above.

It's quite a satisfying read.