Politics

GOP lawmaker urges BLM to stop illegal ‘paramilitary raids’ against rancher

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Michael Bastasch DCNF Managing Editor
Font Size:

Texas Republican Rep. Steve Stockman sent a letter to the Bureau of Land Management this week claiming that the agency was illegally using armed agents in its “paramilitary raid” against a Nevada rancher.

Even though the Bureau of Land Management ceased rounding up Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy’s cattle, reports indicate that federal agents are gearing up for a raid on Bundy’s ranch. Stockman says that such use of force is illegal and the BLM is required by law to rely on local law enforcement officials — not heavily-armed BLM agents.

“Because of this standoff, I have looked into BLM’s authority to conduct paramilitary raids against American citizens, and it appears the BLM is acting in a lawless manner in Nevada,” Stockman wrote to BLM officials.

Stockman says federal law requires the BLM to use local law enforcement officers to help enforce federal laws. The BLM has not done this in the case of Cliven Bundy. Federal agents have been spearheading efforts to gather cattle and suppress protesters who sympathize with Bundy, while local law enforcement agents have sat on the sidelines.

Stockman cites 43 United States Code Section 1733 which says that the Interior Secretary “shall offer a contract to appropriate local officials having law enforcement authority” to achieve “maximum feasible reliance” upon such local officials.

“Yet, at the Bundy farm, on the federal law enforcement front line were BLM Law Enforcement Rangers and BLM Special Agents. The Sheriff of Clark County has been on the sidelines,” Stockman wrote.

“Until this possible violation of federal law can be more fully investigated, and the statute requiring reliance on local law enforcement followed in both letter and spirit, the federal government must not only stand down, but remove all federal personnel from anywhere near the Bundy ranch,” Stockman continued.

Bundy’s fight with the BLM began about two decades ago when the agency altered his grazing rights on federal lands to protect the desert tortoise, which had been listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act in 1990. In 1998, Bundy was ordered to remove his cattle from federal lands in Gold Butte, Nevada.

Bundy refused and began another legal battle with the federal government. He lost in 2013 and was again ordered to remove his cattle from federal lands. Bundy didn’t comply and federal agents began removing his cattle earlier this month, which sparked a massive protest that drew people in from across the country.

Armed militia members also came to Bundy’s defense, ready to fight federal agents if they tried to use force against Bundy or his supporters. Bundy’s allies became particularly outraged when the BLM tried to limit their protests to “First Amendment zones.”

Finally, on April 12, the BLM called off its cattle removal operation over safety concerns for its agents and civilian protesters.

“Based on information about conditions on the ground, and in consultation with law enforcement, we have made a decision to conclude the cattle gather because of our serious concern about the safety of employees and members of the public,” said BLM director Neil Kornze in a statement.

But federal agents are still in the area, and some media outlets have reported that federal officials are gearing up for a raid on the Bundy ranch. Bundy himself travels with a contingent of armed guards.

“They’re just there, trying to make sure something crazy doesn’t happen to him,” Ammon Bundy, Bundy’s son, told KLAS-TV Las Vegas.”There were snipers on the hills and armed guards and you know, military forces with cameras all over.”

Follow Michael on Twitter and Facebook

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

PREMIUM ARTICLE: Subscribe To Keep Reading

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign Up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
BENEFITS READERS PASS PATRIOTS FOUNDERS
Daily and Breaking Newsletters
Daily Caller Shows
Ad Free Experience
Exclusive Articles
Custom Newsletters
Editor Daily Rundown
Behind The Scenes Coverage
Award Winning Documentaries
Patriot War Room
Patriot Live Chat
Exclusive Events
Gold Membership Card
Tucker Mug

What does Founders Club include?

Tucker Mug and Membership Card
Founders

Readers,

Instead of sucking up to the political and corporate powers that dominate America, The Daily Caller is fighting for you — our readers. We humbly ask you to consider joining us in this fight.

Now that millions of readers are rejecting the increasingly biased and even corrupt corporate media and joining us daily, there are powerful forces lined up to stop us: the old guard of the news media hopes to marginalize us; the big corporate ad agencies want to deprive us of revenue and put us out of business; senators threaten to have our reporters arrested for asking simple questions; the big tech platforms want to limit our ability to communicate with you; and the political party establishments feel threatened by our independence.

We don't complain -- we can't stand complainers -- but we do call it how we see it. We have a fight on our hands, and it's intense. We need your help to smash through the big tech, big media and big government blockade.

We're the insurgent outsiders for a reason: our deep-dive investigations hold the powerful to account. Our original videos undermine their narratives on a daily basis. Even our insistence on having fun infuriates them -- because we won’t bend the knee to political correctness.

One reason we stand apart is because we are not afraid to say we love America. We love her with every fiber of our being, and we think she's worth saving from today’s craziness.

Help us save her.

A second reason we stand out is the sheer number of honest responsible reporters we have helped train. We have trained so many solid reporters that they now hold prominent positions at publications across the political spectrum. Hear a rare reasonable voice at a place like CNN? There’s a good chance they were trained at Daily Caller. Same goes for the numerous Daily Caller alumni dominating the news coverage at outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, Daily Wire and many others.

Simply put, America needs solid reporters fighting to tell the truth or we will never have honest elections or a fair system. We are working tirelessly to make that happen and we are making a difference.

Since 2010, The Daily Caller has grown immensely. We're in the halls of Congress. We're in the Oval Office. And we're in up to 20 million homes every single month. That's 20 million Americans like you who are impossible to ignore.

We can overcome the forces lined up against all of us. This is an important mission but we can’t do it unless you — the everyday Americans forgotten by the establishment — have our back.

Please consider becoming a Daily Caller Patriot today, and help us keep doing work that holds politicians, corporations and other leaders accountable. Help us thumb our noses at political correctness. Help us train a new generation of news reporters who will actually tell the truth. And help us remind Americans everywhere that there are millions of us who remain clear-eyed about our country's greatness.

In return for membership, Daily Caller Patriots will be able to read The Daily Caller without any of the ads that we have long used to support our mission. We know the ads drive you crazy. They drive us crazy too. But we need revenue to keep the fight going. If you join us, we will cut out the ads for you and put every Lincoln-headed cent we earn into amplifying our voice, training even more solid reporters, and giving you the ad-free experience and lightning fast website you deserve.

Patriots will also be eligible for Patriots Only content, newsletters, chats and live events with our reporters and editors. It's simple: welcome us into your lives, and we'll welcome you into ours.

We can save America together.

Become a Daily Caller Patriot today.

Signature

Neil Patel