In two letters drafted yesterday, Governor Kate Brown of Oregon requested direct and immediate help from the White House and Department of Justice to end the militia standoff in her state, calling them “armed criminals” and “[insisting] on a swift resolution” to the occupation.

The letters, obtained by Oregon Public Broadcasting and published on Twitter, make repeated references to the criminality of the militiamen, who themselves claim to be fighting to end illegal federal ownership of grazing lands. So far this effort has consisted mostly of standing around, blowing horns, petty vandalism, and feuding with one another.

In the letter to President Obama, Brown refers to “the harm that is being done to the citizens of Harney County by the occupation, and the necessity that this unlawful occupation end peacefully and without further delay from federal law enforcement.” Brown’s letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and FBI Director James Comey is even more forceful:

Since the beginning of the year, the militants have been allowed to occupy the federal building with virtually no interference or opposition from law enforcement, local or federal. Their supply of snacks has grown large.

You can read the letters in their entirety below.

Photo: Getty

Contact the author at biddle@gawker.com.
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