Ammon Bundy's Lawyers Cleared by Ethics Board

The Oregon State Bar has cleared Ammon Bundy's lawyers in relation to two complaints filed with the office.

There were two complaints suggesting that Mike Arnold and Lissa Casey may have "improperly solicited" Bundy as a client when he was involved in the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

"We conclude that there is no sufficient basis to warrant a referral to Disciplinary Counsel for further review," Arnold and Casey were told by email Tuesday morning,

The complaint centered on the decision by Arnold and Casey to travel to the refuge with a letter that they asked to be delivered to Bundy.

The lawyers gave investigators a copy of the letter, which was on letterhead.

The letter was marked as "LAWYERS ADVERTISING MATERIAL" and had the subject line: "Offer of Discussion re Possible Pro Bono Legal Services."

The letter said:

"The purpose of this letter is to request a meeting with you to discuss whether the attorneys of Arnold Law may be of any assistance to you, on a pro bono basis, in finding a resolution to the situation in Harney County, Oregon.

"As Oregon lawyers, we cannot assist or advise you to engage in criminal or illegal conduct.

"Nonetheless, we are genuinely interested in attempting to resolve this situation and believe we are well qualified to listen to your concerns and help present them to the government.

"We therefore hope that you would be willing to sit down and speak with us in order to see if we can be of help to you on a pro bono basis."

Arnold and Casey told investigators that they were retained by Bundy after his arrest and "they expect financial compensation for that defense."

A spokesman for Arnold and Casey praised the decision.

"People may disagree with Ammon, what he did, or the cause he stands for, but no American should disagree that everyone has the right to due process," said Shawn Vincent. "Frivolous concerns, like this one, distract from our ability to fight for due process.

"There have been other concerns raised to the bar, and we know there will be more in the future, and we are confident they will be, likewise, dismissed."

Among the complaints still pending against Arnold and Casey are that they have acted improperly by "crowd-sourcing" the defense, using Facebook to chase down leads.