On Wednesday, Dwight Hammond and his son, Steven, walked out of a federal prison in Southern California, joined oil magnate Forrest Lucas aboard his private jet, and . A day prior, President Donald Trump had pardoned them, wiping away convictions of felony arson on public land. In Oregon, a crowd of well-wishers greeted the Hammonds like heroes of a mythic Western range war. 鈥淚鈥檓 here to convey that the community, Americans out there … love you,鈥 one woman said during an impromptu press conference. 鈥淚 have no questions. Just that you鈥檙e loved.鈥
The Hammonds were virtually unknown outside eastern Oregon ranching circles before 2016. Had that remained the case this pardon might have even been widely seen as merciful.聽In 2012, a jury found the Hammonds guilty of setting two fires that blazed onto public land; Dwight was sentenced to three months (he was involved only in the first fire) and Steven one year in prison. Then in 2015, federal prosecutors appealed and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court ruled that the men must each serve聽five years, the mandatory for that crime.聽In Oregon, plenty of people felt the Hammonds鈥 sentences鈥攎andated by the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996鈥攚ere聽excessive. The judge who handed down the original punishments, advocates routinely note, said聽five years聽would 鈥渟hock the conscience.鈥 The Oregonian鈥檚 editorial board wrote that 鈥溾 clemency; the Bend Bulletin called for a .
鈥淭he Hammonds are devoted family men, respected contributors to their local community, and have widespread support from their neighbors, local law enforcement, and farmers and ranchers across the West,鈥 the read.
It鈥檚 clear that Bundy鈥檚 movement feels as though their ideology has been validated, and their mission accomplished.
But whether or not the feds were too harsh on the Hammonds聽has almost become irrelevant, because as soon as their case caught the attention of Ammon Bundy and his militant followers, their name became entwined with the Bundy cause.聽聽
In 2016, fresh off his father鈥檚 standoff with the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada, Bundy instigated the Malheur takeover, where Dwight had for decades grazed his cattle (). Bundy and his followers stayed 41 days, and supporter LaVoy Finicum was killed by authorities. , most locals wanted the Bundys out. Even the Hammonds鈥攏o strangers to 鈥攈补惫别听聽up to this day.聽Back in Burns on Wednesday, a reporter asked Steven Hammond to share his feelings about the occupation he once declined to support. Behind him were three men on horseback carrying huge American flags鈥攁n image portrayed relentlessly during the聽takeover. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛鈥擨 don鈥檛 want to comment on it today particularly,鈥 Hammond said. He paused for about five seconds before continuing: 鈥淭here was a lotta people that did a lotta things, maybe things that are trying to define what a patriot is today.鈥
Though they claimed to be champions of ranchers, the Bundys鈥 allies were mostly armed members of fringe militias who vehemently oppose the federal government鈥擟liven, who wasn鈥檛 present in Oregon, and LaVoy Finicum were among the only actual ranchers in the crew.
It鈥檚 not entirely clear if the Bundy occupation of Malheur laid the groundwork for this pardon. It was, after all, Oregon Representative , not Ammon Bundy, who had the president鈥檚 ear. But it鈥檚 clear that Bundy鈥檚 movement feels as though their ideology has been validated, because the occupation made the Hammonds synonymous with a small militant wing of extremists in the West. And now that President Trump has pardoned them, he has granted that fringe group validation from the most powerful office in the world, raising them up like the victims of an insidious system.
The Hammonds聽may have been dealt with too harshly鈥攐r maybe they got the sentence they deserved.聽Either way, Trump's pardon is an聽endorsement of the right-wing, gun-toting, lawbreaking militia that follows the Bundys. It鈥檚 unclear whether Trump鈥檚 hat-tip to the Bundy militia will empower more anti-government displays with the potential for bloodshed, but the Hammonds鈥 freedom is a momentous coup for that movement.
鈥淭oday shows that, hey, we were right,鈥 Ryan Bundy, Ammon鈥檚 brother and Nevada gubernatorial candidate, . 鈥淲e went there for a good reason, and our efforts have finally come to fruition.鈥
The logic is clear: We fought, and we won.聽