Senators who co-sponsored a 1996 anti-terrorism and death penalty law used by federal prosecutors to put two Oregon ranchers convicted of arson back in prison, won’t say whether or not this is a misuse of a law meant to fight terrorism.
The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to several lawmakers who co-sponsored the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 to see if they thought it was being appropriately used to put ranchers, not terrorists, in jail after already serving prison time.
Despite having days to respond, three of the four current and former senators wouldn’t reply to TheDCNF. Only former Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl responded to TheDCNF’s request, but only did so to say he was declining to comment on whether or not the terrorist law was being misused.
The anti-terrorist act was introduced by then-Sen. Bob Dole in the 1990s to fight terrorism and create an effective death penalty, but it’s now being used to lockup two Oregon ranchers for arson on federally-owned land. The ranchers are by no means terrorists, and their re-incarceration sparked militiamen to take over a building on federal lands. The bill
had eight co-sponsors,
four of whom TheDCNF reached out to for comment. Reporters sought
comment from Kyl, former Oklahoma Republican Sen. Don Nickles, and
current Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah, a Republican, and Dianne Feinstein of
California, a Democrat...
more
No comments:
Post a Comment