UPDATE: 7:20 p.m. Ammon Bundy, one of the Oregon standoff leaders arrested Tuesday night, asked for the remaining self-styled militiamen to stand down and return home in a statement read by his attorney.
Mike Arnold delivered the statement, in which Bundy instructed everyone to go home and said that “this fight is ours for now in the courts.” The FBI had already instructed those who were still occupying the land on Wednesday to leave.
Bundy also made note of his “beloved friend Lavoy Finnicum,” who was killed when the militia members were arrested on Tuesday.
“We will have more to say later but right now I am asking the federal government to allow the people at the refuge to go home without being prosecuted,” Bundy said in his statement.
Here’s his statement in full from Arnold’s website:
First I want to address my beloved friend Lavoy Finnicum. Lavoy is one of the greatest men and greatest patriots I have ever seen. His love for this country ran deep through the blood he gave yesterday. And I mourn for him and his family. I’m praying for you fervently in every prayer.
We will have more to say later but right now I am asking the federal government to allow the people at the refuge to go home without being prosecuted.
To those remaining at the refuge, I love you. Let us take this fight from here. Please stand down. Go home and hug your families. This fight is ours for now in the courts. Please go home.
Being in the system, we are going to take this opportunity to answer the questions on Art. 1, Section 8, Cause 17 of the United States Constitution regarding rights of statehood and the limits on federal property ownership. Thank you and god bless America.
Bundy and six co-defendants will remain in a Portland jail and are scheduled on Friday at 1:30 p.m. to return for detention hearings in federal court, The Oregonian reported.
It is a bunch of lazy people when poor folks ask for help. It is our God-given right and we are entitled when a bunch of Tea Baggers demand help.
Yeah because now that he’s beginning to understand the reality of the very large and powerful federal government that he previously didn’t believe existed, he knows that every other death is going to add 10 years to his sentence (or something like that).
Yeah, but his eyes were blinking “D-U-R-P” in Morse code.
It becomes clear that this was all to garner himself attention and accolade. Accordingly, when he can no longer gain further notoriety from the situation, he thinks it should be ended. What a poser.
Perhaps seeing a friend die and his brother shot brought home the real. Nah, he’s just hopin’ it’ll help in the plea bargaining - all his lawyer’s advice.