A community group that Ammon Bundy helped to create has asked him and his followers to abandon their armed occupation at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
The Harney County Committee of Safety was formed with the goal of limiting federal authority on county land.
Ammon Bundy helped create the group — but its board is made of local community members.
At a public meeting Friday night, the board split with its co-founder. Board member Melodi Molt shared a letter the group sent Bundy asking him to leave the county.
After thanking him for drawing attention to the county’s land use issues, they criticized the occupation at the refuge.
"We feel that any good which may come out of this event has reached its full potential," Molt said. "We ask that you organize your people, explain that your point has been made and leave in a peaceful, honorable fashion."
The group says it hasn’t heard back from Bundy. But earlier Friday, he suggested he would be interested in having the committee take over the cause.
