OREGON STANDOFF: THE FEDS KEEP TURNING THE SCREWS IN THE CASE FROM LAWYER TO BLOGGER

Jason Patrick, one of those convicted in the rigged process of the second Oregon Standoff trial, was denied pre-sentencing release by US District Judge Anna Brown in Portland last week.

Brown described Patrick as "insolent" among other things in her comments during  a hearing last Friday.   In response, defense lawyer Andrew Kohlmetz said that if Patrick deserved to remain in jail based on Brown's comments, then Marcus Mumford should be in jail, too.

Kohlmetz was referring to  Ammon Bundy's defense attorney in the first Oregon Standoff trial. Marcus Mumford was tackled, tased and arrested right after the seven defendants in that trial were acquitted last fall.

While the federal prosecutors decided to drop charges against Mumford, the chief judge of the US District Court in Oregon, Michael Mosman, launched an effort to disbar Mumford from practicing in federal court in Oregon.

The same federal judge appointed for the criminal case brought and dropped against Mumford, US District Judge John Coughenour of the US District Court in eastern Washington state, will decide on the disbarment of Marcus Mumford.   

Coughenour has ordered that Mumford be provided with a transcript of the first Oregon Standoff trial in order to defend himself.  And yes, we the taxpayers are paying for this consequence of the endless prosecution-persecution of Mr. Mumford.

Meanwhile the current US Attorney in Oregon, the one appointed by the Obama Administration in December 2015, remains in place.   Billy Williams was not asked to resign by the Trump Administration and serves as "Acting US Attorney."

Williams has asked Judge Brown to jail California blogger Gary Hunt until he agrees to remove posts from his "Outpost of Freedom" blog that outed FBI informants in the Oregon Standoff Case.  In his written argument to the judge, Williams said that "Hunt and others who might seek to emulate him need to be deterred".

Williams claims Gary Hunt has published "protected material" but as Hunt has pointed out his ability to out FBI informants was based on redacted federal documents released to the public and interviews with people involved in the protest.

Judge Brown has set an August 23rd date for a hearing.  That's Wednesday August 23rd at 130pm at Federal Court in Portland.  

The first of the defendants convicted in the  second Oregon Standoff trial will be sentenced soon.