FBI reportedly cancels meeting with Jerry DeLemus over ‘fears for its safety’
As rumors circulate of pending arrest warrants for participants in the armed confrontation at Cliven Bundy’s ranch in Nevada and the takeover of a wildlife refuge in Oregon, speculation has centered on the fate of New Hampshire Tea Party leader Jerry DeLemus who was present at both incidents. Those questions escalated this week amid reports of an aborted meeting between DeLemus and FBI agents.
The events were reportedly set into motion when the FBI requested a meeting with DeLemus to discuss an individual who was present at the wildlife refuge. The conversation was originally scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Thursday morning at a local restaurant. DeLemus planned to take his wife, state Rep. Susan DeLemus, and asked a colleague to stream live video of the encounter.
The FBI was a no-show. “Delemus being a marine had them outnumbered so the feds ran away,” one friend reported.
In a Facebook message, DeLemus related the details of a subsequent phone call he had with the FBI. “I told the FBI agent if it was his intention to arrest me I would go peacefully and I was completely unarmed,” he wrote. “They did not want the meeting recorded or my wife and NH State Representative there. I told him people are nervous after what has happened and you should understand why.”
“I was assured they weren’t looking to arrest me and I inquired if they were going to fly me to Oregon or Nevada and he said no,” DeLemus continued. “All of the intrigue coming from their side is unsettling. … I am not lawless and have acted righteously regarding Oregon and Nevada.”
The FBI rescheduled the meeting for 1:00 p.m. that afternoon. That meeting was eventually cancelled, reportedly because the FBI agents feared for their safety. Hearing that, former state representative and congressional candidate Bob Giuda (R-Warren) was moved to write a long, open letter to the FBI defending DeLemus and denouncing a “government run amok.”
“The FBI motto is ‘Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity.’ I find it worrisome that it canceled its meeting because agents were ‘fearful for their safety.’ “ he wrote. “When Jerry DeLemus gives his word, it is unimpeachable…. I know that Jerry DeLemus does not lie, but I also know that the same cannot be said for agents of government. And I know that in the instance of property rights, it is the government that has done all of the violence and all of the killing, for the heinous crime of trespassing.”
“So now,” Giuda concluded, “America, ask yourself: What is the real motivation behind the FBI telling Jerry and Susan DeLemus it ‘fears for its safety,’ in the sanctity of their home?”