It's not a conservative stance for people to "wrap themselves around" the cause of Nevada cattle rancher Cliven Bundy and his dispute with the federal government over grazing rights, talk show host Joe Scarborough said.
Bundy stared down 200 federal agents of the Bureau of Land Management over the weekend, as he watched agents seize 400 head of his cattle. The proper way to handle the issue was through the court system, Scarborough said Tuesday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
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"Anybody that calls himself conservative and tries to wrap themselves around this cause where the federal government has land, you go to the courts, you do it legally, and every court decides that you don't have a right to graze on federal land without paying the United States government for that right is not conservative," Scarborough said.
People should "attach another label to it" if they defend Bundy's actions, Scarborough said. It's not a conservative position to "ignore one judge after another judge after another judge after another ruling after another ruling," he said.
Scarborough, a former Florida congressman, said the dispute was a cut-and-dried choice between paying the federal government money or having cattle seized.
The standoff intensified April 9 when Bundy's son, Ammon, was allegedly tased by federal agents. The rancher's sister also said she was knocked to the ground by a car driven by a federal parks ranger.
Federal officials backed down over the weekend, but Bundy told
Fox News Channel's "Hannity" Monday his ultimate goal was to disarm federal bureaucrats.
Scarborough said it was possible the government went too far, but maintained the decision in the courts should prevail.
"Did the federal government overreach? Perhaps they did in their reaction. There was an overreaction to this. But, at the same time, the courts have decided," he said.
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