Trump pardons ranchers who inspired 2016 occupation of Oregon wildlife refuge

Trump pardons Hammonds.
(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

President Trump on Tuesday pardoned two cattle ranchers who were convicted of arson on public lands in 2012 and inspired an armed protest in Oregon in 2016, The Associated Press reports.

The White House announced that Dwight Hammond, 76, and his son Steven Hammond, 49, would be granted full presidential clemency and pardoned from their "overzealous" sentencing. The two men were sentenced to five years in prison in 2015, which the White House called "unjust."

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Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.