Malheur Refuge Employees To Testify About Life During The Occupation

Prosecutors in the trial of seven people who occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge have one main goal: to prove that the defendants conspired to obstruct federal employees from doing their jobs through force, intimidation or threats. During the first week of the trial, the prosecution focused on the build up to the occupation and the initial takeover. Through testimony from Harney County Sheriff David Ward and occupation sympathizer Butch Eaton, the prosecution laid out their series of events up to and during the first moments of what would become a 41-day seizure. As the trial enters its second week, the prosecution turns to the occupation itself. To do so, the government will rely on the testimony of refuge employees, several of whom are scheduled to testify Monday. While this may seem boring on the surface, it’s arguably the most important part of the government’s case. The seven defendants are accused of preventing federal employees’ from doing their jobs. Prosecutors aim to illustrate just how the occupiers did that...more