OREGON STANDOFF 2018 :  MARCUS MUMFORD DISBARMENT, FBI AGENT TRIAL, LAST RIDE TO JAIL

Its been two years (January 2, 2016)  since Ammon Bundy began the Oregon Standoff protest at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon.

It was a protest launched based on the notion that one should  "love thy neighbor" as in Dwight and Steven Hammond .

The Hammonds were reporting to the federal prison at Terminal Island, California that day ordered back after serving lighter sentences to serve out five year mandatory sentences for "terrorism" because they lit a backfire to protect their property from a brush fire.

The jury heard Ammon Bundy on the stand describing the stand he took and found him and six other "leaders" of the protest not guilty on October 27th, 2016.

Bundy's defense lawyer Marcus Mumford then asked for his release but the prosecution said there was a Nevada retainer to keep Ammon Bundy in custody.     When asked to see the paperwork, Mumford was told it was "in the office".    As Mumford continued to argue for Bundy's release he was descended upon by a group of federal marshals tackled, tased and arrested.

Criminal charges were filed against Mumford with marshals saying he took an aggressive stance towards them.    But when Mumford's lawyer asked for cell phone records of the marshals communications about Mumford, the criminal charges were dropped.

Then the Chief US District Judge in Oregon, Michael Mosman, moved to disbar Mumford from the federal court in Oregon.

A Senior US District Judge from Washington state, John J. Coughenour , is handling the disbarment matter.    He dismissed the criminal case without prejudice meaning it could be brought back.

Coughenour has refused efforts by Mumford to amend the record of the trial or remove himself from the matter.

A full hearing of evidence in the disbarment is set for Portland on January 8th.

May 8th is the trial date for W. Joseph Astarita.   Astarita is the FBI Hostage Rescue Team agent accused of lying about the shots he fired at the truck driven by LaVoy Finicum on January 26th, 2016.

Ryan Bundy, who was riding in the truck, was injured and its believed the shrapnel wound he sustained came from Astarita's gun.  Federal prosecutors have said they would like to have the shrapnel.

There's no firm word on whether Ryan Bundy will allow it, but Bundy is now on pretrial release in Las Vegas in the Bunkerville Standoff case.    Its been suggested he may get medical treatment to remove the shrapnel, but that's a question mark for now.

Astarita has retained a high profile Washington DC attorney,  Rob Cary, for his defense.

Cary defended US Senator Ted Stevens in a corruption case and wrote a book about his "unlawful prosecution".

The defense intends to attack the credibility of the Deschutes County Sheriff's Department shooting team that investigated the shots fired on January 26th, 2016 at the "felony traffic stop" along US Route 395 in Harney County.

The shooting team exonerated Oregon State Police in the killing of LaVoy Finicum, but then discovered that two additional shots were fired and that the FBI was responsible for them.

The matter ended up with the Department of Justice's Inspector General's Office leading to the charges of lying against the FBI agent.

Duane Ehmer was among a second group of defendants in the Oregon Standoff tried in a second rigged process set up after acquittal of the first group of defendants.

US District Judge Anna J. Brown sentenced Ehmer to one year and one day in prison.

Duane Ehmer rode his horse "Hellboy" outside the courthouse in Portland during many of the court proceedings in the case and now he's riding from his Oregon home down the West Coast enroute to the federal prison at Lompoc, California where he begins serving his sentence on Jan. 24th.

Ehmer rides carrying the American flag drawing attention to the case and those imprisoned from the Hammonds to others involved in the Oregon and Bunkerville cases.

A special flag with LaVoy Finicum's cattle brand on it is being signed at stops along with ride.

It will be auctioned off at the end of Ehmer's ride.