Ammon Bundy's Lawyer Yells At Judge. Hilarity And Tasing Ensue.
Karma is a stunner...
With Donald Trump poised to kick off his version of making America great, I decided to check back in on a clownish yokel who’s been trying to “greatify” America through armed standoffs for the last couple of years. And I’m glad I did, because Ammon Bundy’s nonsensical (read: racist) acquittal wasn’t the end of the hilarious hijinks up in Oregon.
His lawyer got himself TASED. In a courtroom!
This actually happened a couple weeks ago, but now we have the transcript of just what got Bundy’s attorney Marcus Mumford tackled and tased by federal marshals in an open courtroom. If you thought it might require a white guy acting like an entitled prick unbound by anything some “woman” might say to him — even if she’s a federal judge — then… you’d be right.
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On the afternoon of October 27, U.S. District Judge Anna Brown ordered the release of one of Bundy’s fellow acquitted defendants, David Fry. Then Mumford asked about his own client’s release. Per OregonLive:
“Well, Your Honor, you’re not keeping Mr. Ammon Bundy in custody, though, right?” Mumford asked.
“I said he is released,” the judge began.
“Okay, thank you,” Mumford interjected.
“On this charge,” the judge continued. “But he still is subject to hold by the District of Nevada, so I imagine the District — there is a hold from the District of Nevada.” (Ammon Bundy and his brother Ryan Bundy are facing a separate federal prosecution in Nevada in the 2014 standoff with federal agents over cattle grazing rights involving their father Cliven Bundy’s ranch near Bunkerville.)
Of course. If the federal government still has an independent set of obvious crimes to prosecute, they can keep him in custody. Just because one set of numbskulls nullified this verdict doesn’t mean Nevada can’t bring him in chains to his next trial.
Mumford was less than accepting:
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“If they want to come,” Mumford responded, “they know where to find him, I would say –“
Yes, that’s actually the point… they can find him in this jail cell.
Brown cut him off: “Or the government will ask for his transport. But right now he’s released on this charge only. He’s not leaving the jail, however, because of the hold.”
Mumford: “No, he’s leaving the jail.”
Um… excuse me? Is this one of those “this is an admiralty court with no jurisdiction” things? Because otherwise I don’t think that’s an acceptable response to the judge’s statement.
Mumford quickly cut in: “No, your Honor. He is, he is acquitted.”
Brown: “On this charge, yes.”
Mumford (shouting): “Nevada doesn’t have jurisdiction. I tried — Your Honor will recall I tried to get –”
Brown interjected: “Mr. Mumford, you really need to not yell at me now or ever again. Now please… all the authority I have is to release him on this case and I will do that.”
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“You really need to not yell at me now or ever again” is pretty stone cold.
That said, Mumford continued to contradict the judge with a “raised voice,” until finally she told the marshals to take Bundy away:
Mumford: “No. No. He is free right here and right now.”
The judge interjected: “Mr. Mumford, step back.”
With that, six or seven deputy marshals grabbed Mumford and tackled him to the courtroom floor beside his defense table.
Mumford: “No. I—I– whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait. What are you guys doing? What are you guys doing? What are you doing?”
Brown: “Everybody sit down.”
Mumford: “What are you doing to me?”
A marshal ordered: “You, stay. Stay.”
“I’m not doing anything to you guys,” Mumford said, followed by someone else’s indiscernible remarks. “I’m not doing anything to you guys. I’m not doing anything to you guys.”
Brown: “Everybody out of the courtroom now. Out. Everybody out!”
“Turn over now. Turn over,” a deputy U.S. marshal demanded.
The judge turned to the court reporter and had her leave as well. “Out,” she directed.
There’s nothing in this transcript to suggest that the marshals had any justification for tackling Mumford. He was being a contemptuous prick, but that’s not actually a crime, and certainly he posed no threat to the deputies. Hell, if the Bundy case means anything, it’s that you can aim assault rifles at federal law enforcement and it’s not a crime, so it’s extra hard to believe a pissant lawyer deserved to get roughed up.
And then we get to the tasing.
Mumford was shocked with a stun gun in what’s called a dry-stun mode, meaning no probes were fired into his body but a Taser was placed up against his body, [supervising deputy Eric] Wahlstrom said.
Deputy marshals acted because Mumford was preventing marshals from taking Ammon Bundy out of the courtroom and back into custody, he said. They used a stun gun because they “attempted to handcuff him and he continued to resist,” he said. Wahlstrom wasn’t in the courtroom himself.
Was that really necessary? Was this guy really someone that six deputies couldn’t physically restrain? Come on.
On the one hand, this seems to be a gross abuse of the tools of physical force at the disposal of law enforcement. On the other hand, while it should be karma rather than the federal government meting out impromptu justice… this guy was totally asking for someone to pop him in the mouth.
(Full transcript on the next page…)
Behind the tasing of Ammon Bundy’s lawyer [OregonLive]
Earlier: Saying ‘The Bundys Posed No Threat’ Is How White Privilege Works
Joe Patrice is an editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news.
Photo via GettyImages
