Bundy Acquittal Isn’t Just Shocking—It’s Part of a Pattern of Arrogant Bungling

[Coyotl]

The Bundy Acquittal Isn’t Just Shocking—It’s Part of a Pattern of Arrogant Bungling by the U.S. Attorney for Oregon
Here’s where prosecutors got lost—and Billy Williams probably lost any hope of keeping his job.
BY KARINA BROWN AND NIGEL JAQUISS

U.S. Attorney for Oregon Billy Williams arrived on the ninth floor of the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse on Oct. 27 with a smile on his face.

A jury had taken just six hours to reach a verdict in the biggest case of Williams' career. It was the decisive moment in a 10-month saga that caused $6 million in damage to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and left one man dead.

Trial observers thought a guilty verdict was a foregone conclusion. The only question: Would all seven defendants be found guilty of conspiracy, or just Ammon Bundy, the ringleader of the 41-day refuge takeover?

Williams chatted with Greg Bretzing, FBI special agent in charge of Oregon, and the press like he was at a cocktail party. He invited a half-dozen reporters to a 9 am press conference the next morning at his office.

Williams never showed up for that press conference.

He and Bretzing fled the courtroom as soon as Judge Anna J. Brown read the verdicts: not guilty on all counts, a staggering defeat for the top federal prosecutor in the most high-profile criminal case Oregon has seen this century.

.............

[meow2u3]

1. Either it was jury nullification

or Prosecutor Williams deliberately threw the case to get the Y'all Qaeda off scot-free.

[gratuitous]

2. I was concerned during the trial

While the trial was going on, I was concerned when I heard that the prosecutors hadn't cross-examined Ammon Bundy all that long. According to the story, they spent 15 minutes cross-examining him after three days of friendly testimony elicited by his attorney. Holy Flirking Schnit! How does a prosecutor not take advantage of a chance to cross-examine a defendant?! 15 minutes is about long enough to confirm his name, address and occupation.

This one was on the prosecutors for sure.

It will be interesting to see if the government brings a civil suit against the Bundy Terrorist Gang for the damages they caused, and makes them pay for it, or if it'll fall into the taxpayers' laps again, like so many costs associated with the Bundy Gang.

[former9thward]

4. It was a pattern of arrogant overcharging by prosecutors.

They were trying to use the jury to send a message and the jury decided it did not want to be used.

[Lee-Lee]

5. That article confirms what I have seen elsewhere and is pretty typical

of how US Attorneys often are- arrogant and only wanting cases with big splash and big outcomes.

I can't count all the cases my old department had that were Federal violations that we all but handed the Feds who then never acted because it wasn't big, sexy and headline making.

They went with a conspiracy charge they just couldn't make the case for, including for a few a firearms charge that was depend tang upon guilt on the conspiracy charge, because it carried the most possible jail time. They didn't charge them with any of the numerous other charges possible because they wanted to try and force the jury into a conviction on that charge and not let them skip it to the lower charges- a gamble that blew up in their faces.

[dembotoz]

7. More likely...parts of this land is nuts

What gets u convicted here will not get u convicted there

Justice depends on who and where u r

[Coyotl]

8. I note you are not from here. We are part of the sane part of the country.

[JI7]

9. if they were non white it would have been conviction

[Odin2005]

10. It's just like the Casey Anthony trial.

The persecutor over-charged and thus fucked up.

[UTUSN]

12. R#4 & K n/t