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Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son Steven Hammond were granted executive grants of clemency by Trump, according to a White House statement. The father-son duo are cattle ranchers and were convicted in 2012 of committing arson on federal lands in Oregon.
“Justice is overdue for Dwight and Steven Hammond, both of whom are entirely deserving of these Grants of Executive Clemency,” the statement read.
The Trump White House took aim at the Obama administration as well, adding that it filed an “overzealous appeal” that led to the two men’s five-year prison sentence: “This was unjust.”
Dwight Hammond has served approximately three years in prison, and his son Steven has served four years, according to the White House.
“The jury convicted both of the Hammonds of using fire to destroy federal property for a 2001 arson known as the Hardie-Hammond fire, located in the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area,” Department of Justice said in a statement in January 2016.
The perceived unjust sentence for the Hammonds inspired Ammon Bundy to lead an armed standoff in early 2016, when a group of armed men broke into the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.
At the time, Bundy told CNN that he wanted the federal government to relinquish control of the wildlife refuge so “people can reclaim their resources.” He also wanted an easier sentence for Dwight and Steven Hammond, who had both previously rejected his assistance.
Correction: The spelling of LaVoy Finicum’s name has been corrected.
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