Trump Reveals Pardon Plan for New Set of Violent MAGA Thugs
President Donald Trump is entertaining the idea of pardoning those convicted of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020.
Trump said Wednesday he 'will take a look' at pardoning four men convicted on federal charges. That escalates a suggestion from the DOJ's new pardon attorney, Ed Martin, who recently described the case as a 'fed-napping' plot.
'I will take a look at it,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. 'It's been brought to my attention.'
Trump, 78, said he watched the group's criminal trial and that 'it looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job.'
'You know, they were drinking, and I think they said stupid things, but I'll take a look at that,' Trump added.
The suggestion that those involved merely spoke of kidnapping Whitmer during a drunken bender is misleading. Fourteen people were arrested in an October 2020 sting that included the use of informants and undercover FBI agents, who testified that the group planned to capture the governor at her vacation home, blow up a bridge to distract responding cops, and provoke a civil war ahead of the 2020 election.
Whitmer—a Democrat who has been criticized by her own party for cozying up to Trump since his return to the White House—had previously said her targeting was the result of violent and divisive political rhetoric in America, suggesting the men were inspired by Trump. Her office did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
'When our leaders meet with, encourage, or fraternize with domestic terrorists, they legitimize their actions and they are complicit,' she said in 2020, referring to Trump.
Nine suspects were convicted in total, but only four on federal charges. A presidential pardon would only apply to those convicted in federal court, meaning those serving time on state charges in Michigan would not be home free.
Barry Croft Jr., 49, and Adam Fox, 42, were the ringleaders of the scheme. Croft was sentenced to spend nearly 20 years in a federal prison, the longest sentence of the group.
Trump has been on a pardon spree since returning to office. He said on Tuesday he would pardon reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were convicted of defrauding banks out of more than $30 million through fraudulent loans. The day before, he said he would pardon Scott Jenkins, a former Virginia sheriff convicted of corruption-related charges who was set to start a 10-year sentence this week.
The president also pardoned 1,500 Jan. 6 rioters on his first day back in office, including some who were convicted of harming law enforcement. He pardoned Ross Ulbricht, who had been serving a life sentence for running a crypto-based market for drugs like heroin and meth, the following day.
Granting clemency to those who intimately planned to kidnap Whitmer, who is widely viewed as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, would likely be considered among Trump's most controversial pardons.
Martin, who became a MAGA figure for his support of Trump's 2020 'stop the steal' movement, said this month he is taking a 'hard look' at the case. He suggested on his podcast that, if it were up to him, he would wipe away the men's federal charges.
'On the pardon front, we can't leave these guys behind,' Martin said. 'In my opinion, these are victims, just like January 6.'
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