An Oregonian report reveals that Ammon Bundy, the leader of the 41-day takeover of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, offered to plead guilty to the federal criminal charges against him if federal authorities would let the remaining occupiers go free.
Bundy tried to strike the deal three day after his arrest in January while the standoff was still ongoing, but the Oregonian reports that prosecutors rejected it.
“He was willing to sacrifice his broader interests and risk his liberty for his fellow protesters then,” his lawyers argued in a new court document arguing they need more time to prepare for trial.
If they cannot get more time, they want Bundy to have an “immediate” trial all to himself, according to the Oregonian.
The fact that Bundy tried to negotiate a plea deal with authorities and they turned it down illuminates just how hard a line prosecutors may be taking with this case. In a 2014 standoff involving Bundy as well as his father Cliven Bundy, federal officials were often criticized for letting more than a year pass before they brought charges. In the Oregon case, prosecutors cast a wide net. Ultimately 26 people were charged in the refuge standoff.