LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy has decided to pay for his defense lawyer after he initially told a judge he might want taxpayer help defending himself from charges related to a 2014 armed standoff at his ranch.

Bundy told U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Leen Thursday that he needs public help paying for a lawyer ahead of his February trial on charges of conspiracy, threatening officers and more. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports Bundy then changed his mind and told the judge he'd pay for his own attorney because he doesn't want "government handouts."

Leen approved after Bundy showed he has about $300,000 in assets. Bundy is among 19 people accused of organizing a standoff that stopped federal agents from rounding up cattle from public land near his ranch. Bundy denies U.S. government authority over rangeland around his property.

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