The arraignment of Ammon and Ryan Bundy grew tense, according to the Associated Press Friday as both brothers scoffed when asked to enter pleas in a case regarding their involvement in the 2014 Nevada, Bundy Ranch standoff.
Brian Cavalier, Blaine Cooper and Ryan Payne also refused to offer pleas at the arraignment after, according to the Associated Press the defendants asked the court to read the charges against them verbatim, which took more than 90 minutes.
“I will not be entering a plea today,” Cavalier said, according to the AP. The news outlet reported that instead Cavalier pulled out a small copy of the Constitution and gave it to federal prosecutors.
Ultimately, the judge offered a “not guilty” plea for the Bundys and the co-defendents.
According to the Associated Press, the scene in the court room was chaotic at times as 12 court marshals oversaw disruptions coming from the crowd in support of the defendants. Outside the courtroom, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the Bundys had a cadre of support including state lawmaker Michele Fiore, a conservative who helped negotiate the end of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge standoff in Oregon, a standoff the defendants in the Nevada case also have ties to.
“We really need to get these patriots released,” Fiore told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We want to make sure our patriots know we stand with them.”
