In recent months, Ammon Bundy has made a name for himself as the de-facto leader of the anti-mask, health-freedom movement in Idaho. But it's his past actions that are giving some additional cause for concern in the waning days of the Trump presidency.
Four years ago, before Bundy took a stand against government health orders aimed at reining in the coronavirus, he led an armed occupation of an Oregon wildlife refuge. Prior to that, he participated in his father's armed stand-off with federal authorities on the family’s Nevada ranch. Those events, and the law enforcement’s response, bear a striking resemblance to what happened last Wednesday when far right extremists laid siege to the U.S. Capitol. This Friday at 11 a.m., we’ll talk about Bundy’s ongoing antigovernment agenda, his uniquely Western sensibilities and how they are fueling some far right ideology.
GUESTS
- Michael Ames | @mirkel, political and environmental reporter and the co-author of American Cipher; Bowe Bergdahl and the U.S. Tragedy in Afghanistan. [IndieBound|Amazon|Audible| Bookshop]
You can read his New Yorker article “How Ammon Bundy Helped Foment an Anti-Masker Rebellion in Idaho” here. - Betsy Quammen | @betsygquammen writer, environmental historian and conservationist. She’s the author of American Zion: Cliven Bundy, God and Public Lands in the West. [IndieBound|Amazon| Bookshop]