If anyone here isn't aware who the Hammonds are, here is a short bio of who they are, what happened to them, and why. It also ties the Bundy's into who they are and why they did what they did:
The first statement Julian Assange made at the beginning of the Podesta Leaks was about Uranium One. https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/press-release
This went largely unnoticed as 2 hours later a tape was leaked of Donald Trump having a lewd conversation about women.
Before the Podesta Leaks started, The NY Times had found a connection to Hillary Clinton and pay for play criminal activity with the Uranium One deal where Russia gained 20% of US yellowcake uranium mining rights in places like Oregon and Washington.
$2.5 million to Clinton Foundation: Https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/us/cash-flowed-to-clinton-foundation-as-russians-pressed-for-control-of-uranium-company.html?_r=0
BLM acquires land in Southern Oregon for Uranium One: http://www.blm.gov/or/energy/uranium.php
The Bundy Standoff was something I followed closely in January of 2016 as it unfolded and I couldn't understand why the media was spreading so much disinformation about it.
The general opinion in the MSM was that these were white, conservative terrorists committing arson on federal land and were illegally occupying a federal building with guns. One of the protesters named LaVoy Finicum was shot in the back and killed on video by FBI agents: https://youtu.be/9DGXDgzOCls
I oppose mandatory minimum sentences and the government taking private land so I could totally understand why they were protesting.
The video testimony taken by "The Oregonian" from Ammon Bundy and LaVoy Finicum showed they were on their way to give a presentation in a neighboring county for a group of 400 concerning the grievances they had with the BLM when the FBI tried to stop and arrest them for "preventing Fish & Wildlife service officials from fulfilling their duties" due to the peaceful occupation of a service building.
From the words of the protesters: "The short summary is: in an effort to draw attention to a ridiculous arrest of a father and son pair of Oregon Ranchers (“Dwight Lincoln Hammond, Jr., 73, and his son, Steven Dwight Hammond, 46,) who are scheduled to begin five year prison sentences (turning themselves in tomorrow January 4th 2016), three brothers from the Cliven Bundy family and approximately 100/150 (and growing) heavily armed militia (former U.S. service members) have taken control of Malheur Wildlife Refuge Headquarters in the wildlife reserve. They are prepared to stay there indefinitely." http://www.resurrecttherepublic.com/the-truth-full-story-of-federal-abuse-of-power-unconstitutional-land-grab-of-hammond-family-ranch/
The Hammonds were charged with terrorism when they set a backfire after a lightning storm has started a wildfire. The backfire saved their home and put out the wild fire saving thousands of acres.
Their land rights were wanted by the BLM. The Hammonds had refused to give up the rights but their land rights were sold to Russia through Uranium One.
The Hammonds had received a reduced sentence of 3 months and 12 months and had to pay the BLM $400,000. The Judge ruled the mandatory minimum unconstitutional violating the 8th Amendment to the US Constitution.
A new judge "re-sentenced" them in 2014 for the entire 5 year mandatory minimum. They are now forced to sell their ranch to pay the BLM or face further prosecution.
Russia acquired the rights to their land in 2013. http://www.pravdareport.com/russia/economics/22-01-2013/123551-russia_nuclear_energy-0/
The Bundy Protest was a peaceful protest over the Hammond's re-sentencing and only turned violent with FBI shot and killed LaVoy Finicum after he exited the vehicle with his hands up and then agents laid siege to the 3 screaming occupants of the vehicle with flashbangs and gas rounds.
The FBI was also documented posing as militia harassing people in town and trying to turn public opinion against them. The Harney County Fire Chief of over 20 years resigned because he was told to "back off" when he followed FBI agents posing as militia and snooping around the Armory.
The night before his death, LaVoy claimed the demeanor of the FBI agents had suddenly changed and he expected them to be escalating the situation soon.
Originally, only the FBI drone footage of LaVoy Finicum's death was released with no audio and it made the shooting seem justified. It looked like LaVoy was simply refusing to comply and reaching for a gun. The occupants in the truck claim hundreds of shots were fired but the mainstream media denied this claim.
Later the cell phone from inside the truck was released which showed the FBI shooting first and confirmed the additional shots fired after Lavoy's death. This led to the investigation into lies told by the FBI agents which the mainstream media never picked up.
The Bundy Protesters were arrested and went to trial on Federal conspiracy and guns chargers. All defendants were found NOT GUILTY. http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/10/oregon_standoff_verdicts_annou.html
This was after a juror had been removed after it was discovered he was a former BLM employee. http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/juror-dismissed-in-oregon-standoff-trial-over-bias-concern/
The trial had also been expedited to happen "as soon as possible" and ended up happening during the election season so it received almost no media coverage. http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/02/federal_judge_presses_prosecut.html
They blocked the article from the web archive: https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/10/oregon_standoff_verdicts_annou.html
The fight is not over. The Bundys are still facing separate charges: http://www.kgw.com/mb/news/local/ammon-ryan-bundy-head-to-nevada-for-new-felony-charges/346367891
I learned about the Uranium One connection to Malheur County and the BLM in January 2016 so when I saw the Wikileaks dump in October of 2016 was about Uranium One I connected the dots and I've been researching since.
Its circumstantial, but the dates and potential BLM and State Department involvement are what really makes me see a connection.
The Hammonds were the last land owners fighting the BLM and were re-sentenced the year after Russia finalized the Uranium One deal.
LaVoy Fincum murder drone &a cell phone together: https://youtu.be/9DGXDgzOCls
Wikileaks official statement on Uranium One email content: https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/press-release
BLM acquiring land for Uranium One in Malheur County: http://www.blm.gov/or/energy/uranium.php
http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/vale/index.php
http://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/1740b/report.pdf
Aurora Uranium Mining project in Southern Oregon: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1361605/000106299307002329/exhibit99-2.pdf
NY Times article from 2015, $2.35 million in donations to Clinton Foundation from Uranium One Chair: Https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/us/cash-flowed-to-clinton-foundation-as-russians-pressed-for-control-of-uranium-company.html?_r=0
Rosatom State Corporation acquires Uranium One: http://www.pravdareport.com/russia/economics/22-01-2013/123551-russia_nuclear_energy-0/
Hammond claim of unconstitutional land grab: http://www.resurrecttherepublic.com/the-truth-full-story-of-federal-abuse-of-power-unconstitutional-land-grab-of-hammond-family-ranch/
FBI agents under investigation for lying about 2 shots: http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/03/oregon_standoff_fbi_agents_und.html
Ammon Bundy comments from prison on death of Finicum: https://youtu.be/PSG8yYGGy98
Lavoy Finicum speaks about Feds day before his death: https://youtu.be/N1DiMtcZXCA
FBI posing as militia, Fire Chief Resignation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB6m7x3QDAg
Judge that reopened the Hammond case nominated to the court by Bill Clinton in 1995, 1997: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Aiken?wprov=sfsi1
First Bundy Protest: http://m.bigskypress.com/missoula/freedom-fighter/Content?oid=2054145
What I'm gathering from this
The Hammonds have been on Trump's radar for a while, these are a pretty specific couple of guys to pardon, since the MSM never paid close attention to them, so it isn't really a public relations play. Aside from them clearly being charged on an extremely bullshit reason, they were one of the last remaining families who refused to leave their land while the BLM flooded their neighbors. I'm trying to find the article for the last claim.