Related Injustice: The Bundy and Trump Investigations

In late March, the Department of Justice (DOJ) moved again against Cliven Bundy’s family, this time requesting dismissal of Ryan Bundy’s lawsuit against several government officials arising from the government’s handling of the so-called “Bunkerville Standoff.” [i]

Bundy’s lawsuit – filed last year – names former Attorneys General Jeff Sessions, Loretta Lynch and Eric Holder and former BLM Director Neil Kornze as well as ex-FBI Director James Comey. The suit accuses them of “illegal search and seizure and excessive force, but also subsequent meritless illegal and malicious prosecution.”

In DOJ’s filing, DOJ Civil Division Trial Attorney Siegmund Fuchs asks a U.S. District Court judge to throw out the “malicious prosecution” lawsuit, as:

• he argues “It is clear that Plaintiff seeks to hold Defendants Comey and Kornze liable simply because they were the directors of their respective agencies at the time of the standoff,” writing, “That is just a blatant attempt to pursue vicarious liability … something the Supreme Court has rejected.”
• he asserts that Bundy’s claims about “search and seizure and excessive force” had exceeded a statute of limitations and that the lawsuit “fails to plead clearly established constitutional violations.”
• he also argues – ironically, in light of allegations against President Trump and officials in his administration – that the three former attorneys general are “entitled to absolute immunity on all claims brought against them,” while both Comey and Kornze are “entitled to qualified immunity because the complaint fails to sufficiently allege their personal participation in any alleged wrong.” … and
• he also asks the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to dismiss the complaint ‘with prejudice,’ meaning Bundy would be prohibited from filing a new case on similar grounds. 

Bundy’s case parallels the much-higher profile case involving President Donald Trump. 

Consider: The Mueller Report found no evidence of collusion between President Trump and the Russians, despite two years of non-stop investigations and baiting a breathless media into reporting to the contrary. The government appointed a special prosecutor – despite its failure to identify a specific crime – in direct violation of the law requiring a particular crime before a special prosecutor.is appointed. 

Lessons from the Bundy “Protest” and Trump investigations are simple: The government – or what some call “The Deep State” – finds a way to pursue those they choose to pursue, and can always find a crime if that’s their primary purpose. Such pursuit of their ‘enemies’ is not unique: it is their standard operating procedure. 

Much as with President Trump, the government pursued Cliven Bundy and his sons attempting to find a crime. 

As I detailed in Cliven Bundy, American Patriot, the government even created “Operation Longbow,” sending in a team of FBI agents masquerading as film-journalists to get Cliven to confess to committing a crime. As Cliven told me, “All of them were FBI, sent in to …” (his voice rising in emphasis) “… trick us into saying somethin’ incriminat’n against ourselves! Yeah, it was all a big lie. The Longbow production crew pretended to be helping us in order to put us in trouble and destroy the grass roots movement that’s begun.” 

The government also infiltrated 11 paid informants into the Protest to incite criminal behavior and once done, they came after Bundy with a myriad of charges, including ‘carrying a gun.’ In other words, where no crime existed, they attempted to manufacture one and its supporting “evidence.” As they did with the Steele Dossier against Donald Trump. 

One other parallel is how the media played/plays along in both the Trump and Bundy cases by spinning and pushing the government-approved narrative forward, twisting it to jibe with the facts when it didn’t/doesn’t. The pattern is the same: Paid informants, overstated narratives, ignored evidence, created/manipulated/phony documents, intimidated witnesses, and innocent people dragged into the narrative – hoping they will “flip” on the intended target. 

The good news – as it relates to both the Bundy and Trump cases – is that Americans are waking up to the government’s methods and their double standard regarding those they pursue. With much talk about “changing the system” or “draining the swamp,” what is really needed is justice reform, a return to the old-style American justice system of “innocent until proven guilty,” and to producing all the facts and so a judge or jury can decide innocence or guilt. 

To learn more about the on-going Bundy ordeal, keep on reading these blogs. To go deeper, get your copy of Cliven Bundy American Patriot. Stay tuned. 

About Michael Stickler

Mike is an author, radio host, ex-felon, and a highly sought after conference speaker. His best-selling book, A Journey to Generosity, is widely acclaimed throughout the Christian community. He is the publisher of Generous Living Magazine and writes for the Christian Post, 'A Generous Life' column. (MikeStickler.com)