Guilty: Idaho jury convicts Ammon Bundy on misdemeanor trespassing, resisting charges

Right-wing activist Ammon Bundy, a Republican candidate for Idaho governor, was found guilty Thursday of misdemeanor trespassing and misdemeanor resisting or obstructing officers after short deliberations by an Ada County jury.

A four-day trial began Monday in connection to an incident at the Idaho Capitol on Aug. 25, 2020, during a special session of the Idaho Legislature, when Bundy refused to leave the Lincoln Auditorium, was placed under arrest and went limp, forcing Idaho State Police troopers to wheel him out of the Statehouse in a chair.

Bundy was sentenced to three days in jail but got credit for time served, so he’ll have no additional jail time. He also was sentenced to 48 hours of community service and a $750 fine by Magistrate Judge David Manweiler.

A second defendant, Aaron Schmidt of Coeur d’Alene, was also found guilty of misdemeanor trespassing. He was sentenced to three days in jail as well but also got credit for time served, and must pay a $500 fine as well as court costs.

The jury came back after deliberating for barely an hour.

“You’re a clever and sophisticated man,” Manweiler said of Bundy. “You have the ability to wield great political power because of the people that believe in you.”

Manweiler said he took issue with Bundy’s way of protesting but didn’t think the result of the trial would alter Bundy’s beliefs.

“There’s a way to protest, there’s a way to voice your displeasure with your government,” Manweiler said.

Bundy was offered the opportunity to address the court by Manweiler, but he declined.

The prosecution asked for a more severe punishment for Bundy, recommending that he be sentenced to 25 days in jail.

Ammon Bundy avoided convictions in Oregon, Nevada. His winning streak ended in Idaho

“Mr. Bundy is a leader,” deputy prosecuting attorney Whitney Welsh told the court. “People who follow leaders look to what happens when they take action. … No one is trying to silence Mr. Bundy, but in Idaho right now the laws apply and the laws are enforced.”

In a video posted to Twitter on Thursday night, a defense attorney for Bundy, Sam Bishop, said he thought his client had been unlikely to escape a conviction.

“I know several jurors had their minds made up before we started the trial,” he said in the video. “That’s all there is to it.”

Hours after his conviction and sentence, Bundy released a statement over Twitter and through his People’s Rights network. He described the ruling as a dangerous precedence being set “for anyone who may disagree with the presiding officers of the legislature.”

“However, it is out of my hands now,” Bundy said in the statement. “I have no intention to appeal this decision. The people of Idaho have spoken and I will serve my sentence as ordered.”

Less than two weeks ago, Bundy officially announced his candidacy for governor of Idaho at a rally in Meridian. His campaign platform includes eliminating most state taxes, which he calls “immoral,” as well as bringing federal lands, which make up nearly two-thirds of the state’s land, under local control.

Bundy and members of his family are known for militant and brazen resistance to federal authority. In 2016, Bundy led an armed band of protesters who took over a wildlife refuge in Malheur, Oregon. The standoff with police lasted for six weeks, and one occupier was killed.

Bundy was eventually acquitted on federal charges.

Bundy’s father, Cliven, is known for his decades-long refusal to pay over $1 million in federal grazing fees on land he ranches in southern Nevada. In 2014, he initiated a standoff with federal authorities who attempted to seize his cattle over the unpaid fees. After a weeklong standoff, which included Bundy supporters aiming firearms at federal agents, the agents stood down.

Though Ammon Bundy is running as a Republican, he is a polarizing figure for the party. In early June, Idaho Republican Party Chairman Tom Luna essentially said that Bundy wasn’t welcome. “We do not support his antics or his chaotic political theater. That is not the Idaho Republican Party, and we will not turn a blind eye to his behaviors,” Luna said in a statement.

However, during this trial, Republican Reps. Judy Boyle, Chirsty Zito and Tammy Nichols testified in Bundy’s defense. During the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Boyle and fellow GOP Rep. Heather Scott went to the site.

Ammon Bundy avoided convictions in Oregon, Nevada. His winning streak ended in Idaho

Bundy was found guilty of trespassing at Idaho Capitol. Here’s what some Idahoans said.