Feds face harassment from extremists related to Oregon takeover

As scandalous as it is that federal employees have been kept from their workplaces because armed intruders have taken over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, now those staffers are being warned they might be victimized by “paper terrorism.” An email sent to agency leaders Friday warned that self-appointed judges associated with the right-wing sovereign citizen movement might “try to issue indictments, serve papers, or arrest local officials and/or federal employees.” Those papers would have no legal authority, but would serve to bully workers. Federal workers in the area also have been harassed while shopping, and their personal information at the refuge has been breached. The email from the Pacific Northwest Region of the Forest Service in Portland said there are “concerns about the potential for ‘paper terrorism,’ where these individuals might attempt to file liens on property belonging to local officials or federal employees.” The information was meant for dissemination to area Forest Service employees, those with the Bureau of Land Management and the Fish and Wildlife Service, which operates the refuge...more