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Vol. 81/No. 46 December 11, 2017
Tape shows Bundys acted to protect rights of all ranchers
BY DENNIS RICHTER
AND WILLIAM ARTH
LAS VEGAS — The government frame-up trial of cattle rancher Cliven
Bundy, his sons Ammon and Ryan Bundy, and supporter Ryan Payne entered
day 12 in U.S. District Court here Nov. 27. Prosecutors put Bureau of
Land Management agent Robert Shilaikis on the stand. The jury heard the
secret government recording made by Shilaikis of a phone call between
BLM agent Michael Johnson and Ryan Bundy on March 27, 2014. Johnson and
Shilaikis were assigned to go to the Bundy ranch in Bunkerville to
inform them the government planned to move in and seize their cattle.
Government prosecutors played 13 minutes of conversation, arguing that
this was the only part relevant to the charges. Under pressure,
prosecutors agreed later to play the full 46 minutes.
In response to threats by agent Johnson to enforce court orders to
confiscate the Bundy family cattle, Ryan Bundy said, “We will do
whatever it takes to stop your gathering of our cattle.” When Johnson
pushes Bundy on what it would take to avoid a confrontation, he replied,
“Don’t come to take the cattle. We have the right to defend ourselves if
you are taking our property. We don’t claim ownership to the land, we
claim ownership to water rights, grazing rights and the ranching
improvements.”
Despite Johnson’s best efforts to get Bundy to say ranchers would
respond with violence, he never does so.
Defense attorney Ryan Norwood reintroduced one segment from the BLM tape
the next day, where Ryan Bundy says the Bundys met with hundreds of
ranchers from throughout the region. “These ranchers believe that if we
go down that they will be next. These ranchers will stand with us,”
Bundy says. “People in Japan, China, all over the world are interested
in the issue of how the Bundys’ rights will be handled.”
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