Cliven Bundy to pay for own lawyer in Nevada case

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy has decided to pay for his defense lawyer after he initially told a judge he might want taxpayer help defending himself from charges related to a 2014 armed standoff at his ranch.

Bundy told U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Leen Thursday that he needs public help paying for a lawyer ahead of his February trial on charges of conspiracy, threatening officers and more.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports (http://bit.ly/2efUNkp ) Bundy then changed his mind and told the judge he’d pay for his own attorney because he doesn’t want “government handouts.”

Leen approved after Bundy showed he has about $300,000 in assets.

Bundy is among 19 people accused of organizing a standoff that stopped federal agents from rounding up cattle from public land near his ranch.

Bundy denies U.S. government authority over rangeland around his property.

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Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal, http://www.lvrj.com