Franklin Graham joins effort to end Oregon standoff

Evangelist Franklin Graham this week telephoned four protesters occupying an Oregon wildlife refuge in an effort to help end the month-long standoff. The Oregonian reported the occupiers asked Graham to help them negotiate their departure from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge where they remain holed up, protesting the federal government’s land-use policies.

The FBI and Oregon State Police arrested group leader Ammon Bundy and seven others after a Jan. 26 confrontation that ended with the shooting death of protest spokesman Robert “LaVoy” Finicum. His funeral service is Friday at the Kanab Utah Kaibab Stake of the Mormon Church.

“He believed that the Constitution of the United States was inspired by God, and he was willing to, and did, die while defending our freedoms,” claimed his obituary in a Utah newspaper, The Spectrum & Daily News.

But the Mormon church denounced the armed seizure in a statement last month, saying it is “deeply troubled by the reports that those who have seized the facility suggest they are doing so based on scriptural principles.”

Finicum’s family said law enforcement was unjustified in killing him, but the FBI released a video that shows Finicum moving his hand as if reaching for a weapon.

Why the four holdouts asked for Franklin Graham is unclear, as is any role he might play in negotiations. A Graham spokeswoman confirmed with WORLD that Graham had spoken to the four but did not offer any further information.