AG Lynch, in Portland, on refuge takeover: ‘No one is above the law’

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said on a visit to Portland Thursday she is taking prosecution of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupiers “very seriously,” adding that “no one is above the law.”

The actions by the occupiers “were unlawful, they were criminal, and they will be dealt with in a court of law,” Lynch told reporters.

She said more federal charges will be coming against Ammon Bundy and others who took part in the takeover.

“The documents we filed in court accurately convey our view of the Bundy group and their actions,” Lynch said.

Lynch did not provide details on additional charges against the occupiers but said they will follow “very soon.”

A federal judge warned an assistant U.S. attorney last week that if he was going to file more charges against standoff leader Ammon Bundy and others charged in the occupation, he had best do it soon because the jailed defendants have a right to a speedy trial.

She also thanked Oregon and Harney County law enforcement agencies for their work to resolve the 41-day standoff as well as the residents of Burns and Harney County.

Lynch gave credit to those “who, through their understandable frustration, kept a peace and a calm and did not give in to what the occupiers seemed to provoke.”

Lynch acknowledged the frustration of many residents that the occupation didn’t end sooner.

“We tried to balance all the equities there,” Lynch said. “The most important one was public safety.”

Lynch, in Portland to recognize its work in community policing, noted the improvement that its officers have made in dealing with the mentally ill.

The nation’s top prosecutor was visiting a middle school where police officers teach skills to help students resist gangs and violence. She also visited a Boys & Girls Club.

Portland is part of Lynch’s six-city tour of places seen as successful in implementing aspects of good policing that were identified in a White House report last year.