Friday, November 17, 2017

BUNKERVILLE STANDOFF: "MR. PHILPOT, DO YOU WANT ME TO DECLARE A MISTRIAL RIGHT NOW", JUDGE NAVARRO CRACKS DOWN ON THIRD TRIAL


Ammon Bundy's defense attorney Morgan Philpot was questioning Bureau of Land Management official Mary Jo Rugwell in cross examination Thursday afternoon when he wanted to bring up new information the defense has obtained about an FBI 'threat assessment".

The bureau began to prepare for a confrontation around Bundy Ranch with a forward operations base and deployment of SWAT but then decided the Bundy's posed no threat.

The prosecution objected quickly saying the "threat assessment" was information too sensitive to discuss in court.

Mr. Philpot stressed the importance of bringing up the threat assessment to Judge Navarro, but then she became angry and made her comment as quoted by trial observer John Lamb: 

"Mr. Philpot do you want me to declare a mistrial right now.   This is not called for."


The prosecution and defense then approached the bench for a private sidebar, so the jury couldn't hear.

Reporter Maxine Bernstein of "Oregon Live" was not in Las Vegas but she had a re tweet from someone who was there saying that Judge Navarro wants all objections discussed in private at a sidebar rather than spoken out loud in the courtroom.

Judge Navarro made that ruling after the jury had left the courtroom at the end of Thursday's trial session according to John Lamb in his video posted on the "JGrady" account on You Tube.

It appears that the Judge Navarro who wants to restrict the defense has again appeared for this third trial.

But John Lamb in his videos indicates that evidence of the Bureau of Land Management's aggressiveness and the conduct of the lead BLM agent, Dan Love, has reached the jury.

Thursday's court session ran six hours from 12:30 to 6:30pm.

Judge Navarro told the prosecution and defense lawyers she did not want to have a 6:30pm ending again, but wanted to end every day at 4:30pm.

John Lamb in his late Thursday video said the trial will continue Monday and Tuesday in the coming week and possibly on Wednesday.

(UPDATED THRU SATURDAY NOVEMBER 18TH)


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