Ammon Bundy: I was going to blow off my arraignment — but God told me not to

Far-right militia leader Ammon Bundy says that he almost skipped out on his arraignment in an upcoming case involving an Idaho hospital, and fled the state, according to The Daily Beast — but God told him not to.

“It is hard for me to know what God wants me to do right now, therefore, I have not yet decided if I will be attending the hearing today," he reportedly said.

"Bundy ... is facing two lawsuits from St. Luke’s Health System," reported Kelly Weill. "The Idaho-based hospital group says Bundy and his activist organization, the People’s Rights network (PRN), defamed doctors by falsely accusing them of child trafficking. Bundy did not participate in the defamation lawsuit, and was ordered to pay $26 million after he lost a default ruling this summer. St. Luke’s sued Bundy a second time this month, accusing him of hiding assets to avoid paying the default."

In the midst of his efforts to avoid engaging with the lawsuit, Bundy, who plans to represent himself in the lawsuits, was arrested and charged with contempt of court. He faced being re-arrested and loss of his $10,000 bond if he had absconded.

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Bundy, whose father Cliven gained national attention after an armed standoff with federal agents at his ranch in Nevada, first rose to prominence after he and his followers forcefully occupied a wildlife refuge in Oregon to protest the arrest of a pair of ranchers who were illegally setting controlled fires without a permit.

Ultimately, Bundy was acquitted of all charges in that incident, and former President Donald Trump went on to pardon the ranchers who sparked the whole controversy.

Bundy, who also ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor of Idaho in 2022, remains defiant in the face of his current legal troubles, claiming that he is the victim of a "political prosecution" and that St. Luke's is only suing him because he "exposed them."