GREG BURLESON SENTENCED TO VIRTUAL LIFE  SENTENCE IN BUNKERVILLE STANDOFF CASE

After being convicted on mulitiple charges in a trial earlier this year, Greg Burleson was sentenced to 68 years and 3 months in prison yesterday for this role in the April 12, 2014 standoff near Bundy Ranch at Bunkerville.

Among other things Burleson, who ironically was once an FBI informant on a left-wing protest in Arizona,  was convicted of 'assault on a federal officer'.   IN LITERAL FACT, NO ASSAULT OF ANY KIND OCCURRED ON FEDERAL OFFICERS DURING THE BUNKERVILLE STANDOFF.

Burleson was one of two men convicted in a trial earlier this year where the jury was split on the guilt of four other defendants with Judge Gloria Navarro declaring a mistrial.

Those four men  (Eric Parker, Steven Stewart, Scott Drexler and Ricky Lovelien) are now being tried again in a trial where the federal prosecutor praised by Attorney General Jeff Sessions during his visit to Las Vegas (Acting US Attorney Steven Myhre) has further restricted the defendants ability to defend themselves by getting the judge to ban use of the First and Second Amendments of the Constitution in the trial.

  BUNKERVILLE STANDOFF TRIAL UNDERWAY IN      JUDGE GLORIA NAVARRO'S KANGAROO COURT

ACTING US ATTORNEY PRAISED BY AG SESSIONS LEADS PROSECUTION THAT MOVED              TO GET FIRST AND SECOND AMENDMENT DEFENSE ARGUMENTS                                        BANNED FROM TRIAL WITH JUDGE NAVARRO RULING IN FAVOR

JURY SEATED FOR TRIAL INCLUDES FOUR MEMBERS STRUCK BY DEFENSE, BUT                                                     ALLOWED ON BY JUDGE NAVARRO

NAVARRO ALLOWS JURORS TO ASK QUESTIONS DURING THIS TRIAL BUT WITH                                  ULTERIOR MOTIVE OF PREVENTING JURY NULLIFICATION 

The second Bunkerville Standoff trial of four men not convicted in a trial earlier this year began Monday.  

 Eric Parker, Steven Stewart, Scott Drexler and Ricky Lovelien are being tried under conditions imposed by US District Judge Gloria Navarro that included her ruling in favor of a prosecution motion to ban use of the First and Second Amendments of the US Constitution as a legal defense.

The prosecution also got Judge Navarro to ban the defense from mentioning alleged misconduct or excessive use of force by the federal authorities that were involved in the dispute over Cliven Bundy's cattle that culminated in the April 2014 Bunkerville Standoff  near Bundy Ranch.

Acting US Attorney Steven Myhre, recently praised by the Attorney General Jeff Sessions as the "top guy leading the battle, going to court, standing up and defending the office and the principles of the law" came out claiming the four men "got on a bridge, armed with semi-automatic rifles, and threatened to shoot law enforcement officers who stood below them in a wash".

Defense attorney Richard Tanasi, representing Steven Stewart, said "This case is about standing up for what you believe in.  Nothing more, nothing less."

Attorney Jess Marchese, who represents defendant Eric Parker, wanted to put it on the record at the beginning of the trial that he objected to the composition of the jury that included four jurors struck by the defense, but reinstated by Judge Navarro.

 Todd Leventhal, the attorney for Scott Drexler, said his client "saw images that shocked his conscience" and believes "no man is above the law, badge or not".  Drexler saw videos of police dogs and stun guns being used against protestors by federal authorities around Bundy Ranch.

Ricky Lovelien's attorney Shawn Perez noted that during the protest "not a shot was fired, not a bottle was thrown, not a rock was thrown....nobody was injured and everyone went home"

Judge Gloria Navarro is allowing the jury to ask questions during the trial, but that's seen as her way of making sure the jurors aren't going to nullify.  If Navarro feels the jury is moving in the wrong direction, its expected she will declare a mistrial according to supporters of the defendants.

JEFF SESSIONS PRAISE OF CONSTITUTION CRUSHING PROSECUTOR ALSO HURTS PRESIDENT TRUMP

"Look Sessions gets the job.  Right after he gets the job, he recuses himself.    Well, Sessions should have never recused himself, he should have told me before he took the job, and I would have picked somebody else....Jeff Sessions takes the job, gets into the job, recuses himself.  I then have--which, frankly is very unfair to the president.    How do you take a job and then recuse yourself?   If he would have recused himself before the job, I would have said, 'Thanks Jeff, but I can't, you know I'm not going to take you.'  It's extremely unfair, and that's a mild word, to the president...."

President Donald Trump's "New York Times" interview published July 19. 2017

"I've got to tell you, its impressive when you have a tough case, a controversial case and you've got the top guy leading the battle, going to court, standing up and defending the office and the principles of the law.....I'm not taking sides or commenting on the case.  Just want to say that leadership requires, a lot of times, our people to step up and be accountable."

Attorney General Jeff Sessions July 12, 2017 praising Acting US Attorney in Las Vegas, Steven Myhre, leading the prosecution of 19 men accused in the Bunkerville Standoff near Bundy Ranch-April 2014 

"I think saying that he commends  the prosecution  leading these Bundy cases and this atrocity speaks for itself......but I believe him commending the prosecution on holding these guys for this amount of time and all the money that they're spending on this retrial, this double jeopardy speaks for itself.  He says he's not taking sides, but obviously he has.  So Sessions is not our friend...."

Andrea Parker, wife of Second Bunkerville Trial defendant Eric Parker  comments July 12, 2017 immediately following Jeff Sessions comments

Steven Myhre, the main Jeff Sessions was praising, offered up opening arguments in Las Vegas last Monday (July 17th) at the retrial of four men not convicted by the jury in their first trial earlier this year for supporting the Bundy Family at the standoff near Bundy Ranch in April 2014.

Myhre made a motion before the trial to ban the defendants from using the Constitution's First and Second Amendments as a defense and got US District Judge Gloria Navarro to agree to the ban.

One saving grace for President Trump in this matter was the appearance of one of his supporters, Roger Stone, at a rally for the Bunkerville Standoff defendants on Saturday July 15th.

Stone called on the President to pardon the 19 men involved in the case, only three convicted, one sentenced, with the other 18 currently being jailed indefinitely without bail.

Sessions comments on the Bunkerville Standoff  prosecutor should just be the last straw.

These comments  cause harm to the President among grassroots supporters including the jailed Cliven Bundy, who endorsed Donald Trump in a letter published right before the election last November.   Also among the 19 behind bars, Jerry DeLemus, co-chair of Veterans for Trump during the New Hampshire Primary last year.

DeLemus received a seven year plus (87 month) sentence from US District Judge Gloria Navarro, a sentence 15 months harsher than the one requested by the federal prosecutors in the case.

   HIGH PROFILE LAWYER TAPPED TO DEFEND FBI AGENT ACCUSED OF LYING ABOUT SHOTS FIRED WHEN LAVOY FINCIUM WAS KILLED IN OREGON

Reporter Maxine Bernstein of "Oregon Live" tweeted last week that Washington DC lawyer Rob Cary has been admitted to the defense of FBI Agent W. Joseph Astarita.

Astarita is accused of lying about the two shots he fired in the direction of Oregon Standoff protestor LaVoy Finicum at a roadblock that was part of a "felony traffic stop" aimed at arresting the leadership of the non-violent protest.

Finicum was fleeing his truck as Astarita's shots were fired and ended up being shot dead by Oregon State Police who felt "threatened" by his actions.

Cary represented former US Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska in a high profile corruption case and authored a book "Not Guilty: The Unlawful Prosecution of US Senator Ted Stevens".

Earlier this month US District Judge Robert E. Jones in Portland issued a "protective order" to ban the FBI agents defense lawyers from sharing documents because they name FBI agents and Oregon State Police troopers.   Assistant US Attorney Paul Maloney said "threats" have been made against law enforcement involved in the killing of LaVoy Finicum.

"Oregon Live" has also reported that the Oregon shooting team from the Deschutes County Sheriff's Ofiice and the US Justice Department's Office of Inspector General are investigating the four other Hostage Rescue Team agents who were present at Finicum's killing who may have tampered with evidence from the shooting scene.

Astarita's trial is set for August 29th in Portland.

W. Joseph Astaria remains employed by the FBI in an administrative capacity.

Meanwhile, a video has been posted showing vandalism of the memorial at the place where LaVoy Finicum was killed along US Route 395 in Harney County, Oregon.   The poster of the video on  Facebook (Tony Atencio-32K views) says a fire was lit at the site in what he called a controlled burn suggesting "destruction of evidence" at the site.

This would not be the first time memorials to LaVoy Finicum have been vandalized-destroyed there.

    ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF SESSIONS PRAISES PROSECUTOR LEADING CONSTITUTION CRUSHING                     BUNKERVILLE STANDOFF CASE 

"I've got to tell you, it's impressive when you have a tough case, a controversial case and you've got the top guy leading the battle, going to court, standing up and defending the office and the principles of the law.......I'm not taking sides or commenting on the case.  Just want to say that leadership requires, a lot of times, our people to step up and be accountable."

Attorney General Jeff Sessions  Own Words Spoken in Las Vegas July 12, 2017

When Attorney General Jeff Sessions was in Las Vegas on Wednesday (July 12th) he stepped into the Bunkerville Standoff case where many were hoping for a change in attitude from the Trump Administration.

Sessions singled out the Acting US Attorney in Las Vegas, Steven Myhre, leader of the federal prosecution of Cliven Bundy, his sons and others who helped the Bundy Family during the standoff in Nevada near Bundy Ranch.

Reporter Jenny Wilson of the "Las Vegas Review Journal" tweeted:

"Sessions commends prosecutor's leadership on the Bundy case but says "I'm not taking sides or commenting on the case."

Activist Gavin Seim said this on Facebook quoting a "Review Journal" news report that was scrubbed from the Internet:

"He praised Myhre for his work on the "tough case, controversial case, leading the battle of law" in regard to the Bundy Trials.....

Sessions praised a prosecutor who led an effort that got US District Judge Gloria Navarro to ban the defendants in the second trial getting underway this week from using the First or Second Amendments of the Constitution to either defend themselves or in questioning potential jurors.

Former federal prosecutor and Congressman, Bob Barr, told Alex Jones on his show Thursday that the federal government needs to back down from prosecuting the 19 people indicted in the case.

Two of them,by the way, were convicted in the first trial on some charges earlier this year.   Barr also noted that they are being held without bail indefinitely with Jones adding like 'they are in North Korea'.

            KANGAROO COURT RESUMES IN NEVADA   

   ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF SESSIONS COMMENDS PROSECUTION IN             BUNKERVILLE TRIALS AND CLAIMS HE IS NOT TAKING SIDES

  

        JUDGE GLORIA NAVARRO AGREES WITH PROSECUTION TO LIMIT                DEFENSE IN SECOND TRIAL OF BUNKERVILLE DEFENDANTS    

The courtroom activities resumed in Las Vegas Monday July 10th at the federal courthouse with Judge Gloria Navarro trying to rig the second trial for four defendants whose trial ended in a mistrial earlier this year.

She ruled to prevent the defense from questioning potential jurors about the US Constitution and to prevent the defendants from explaining why they showed up armed at the standoff as in exercise of their First and Second Amendment rights.  

UPDATE-JULY 11th

Some personalities arrived in the courtroom on Tuesday.  Judicial activist Larry Klayman and former Congressman and federal prosecutor Bob Barr.  Courtroom observer Andrea Parker noted that the judge and federal marshals were more "on their toes" and careful in their actions in the presence of the two men.

The slipshod actions of both Judge Navarro and federal marshals and their hostility towards the defendants and those supporting them in the courtroom seemed to be less so during the hours both men were present.    

Parker has reported on and shown the tough approach in the name of "security" at the courthouse.

UPDATE JULY 12th

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions was in Las Vegas today and he "commended" the proseuction in the Bunkerville trials and added that he was "not taking sides" in the case.

This was the cause of great consternation among supporters of the defendants who responded by saying "Sessions is not on our side".

Jury selection was completed in the afternoon in what  was described as a "Soviet style rigged process in Judge Gloria Navarro's courtroom with "males" and "ethnics" being deliberately excluded from the jury and the judge riding roughshod over defense lawyers objections to the jury selection process.