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Associated Press
2 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says Trump told her he would not pardon men convicted in kidnapping plot
MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says President Donald Trump would be going back on his word to her if he pardoned two men who are serving prison sentences for leading a 2020 plot to kidnap her. Whitmer, a Democrat, told Michigan Public Radio on Thursday that Trump asked her about a month ago how she would feel if he pardoned the two men. 'I said, 'I think it would be the wrong decision,'' Whitmer recounted. 'I would oppose it and he said, 'OK, I'll drop it.'' Whitmer, a possible 2028 presidential candidate, recounted the conversation one day after Trump said he was considering a pardon for the men, saying, 'I will take a look at it. It's been brought to my attention.' The Republican president said he followed the men's trial and 'it looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job.' He said the men 'were drinking and I think they said stupid things.' The U.S. Justice Department's new pardon attorney also said this month he would take a 'hard look' at pardoning Barry Croft Jr. and Adam Fox. Croft, 49, and Fox, 42, were portrayed as leaders of the kidnapping scheme. They were convicted of conspiracy in federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 2022. Croft, a trucker from Delaware, was also found guilty of a weapons charge. Croft was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison, while Fox, a Grand Rapids man, got a 16-year term. They are being held at a prison in Colorado — the most secure in the federal system. Whitmer later told an audience following a speech at the Detroit Regional Chamber Mackinac Policy Conference that she plans to talk to Trump again about the pardoning matter. 'We have an ongoing dialogue now ... very different from the first term,' she said about Trump and turned to smile at the audience. The White House did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Whitmer's remarks. Whitmer and Trump clashed publicly during his first term, with Trump referring to her as ' that woman from Michigan.' She has blamed Trump for the political anger that motivated the plot to kidnap her right before the 2020 presidential election. Whitmer also hinted Thursday at anger over the possibility of pardons, saying she was disappointed to hear the news he was considering it. 'No one should hesitate to condemn political violence,' she said, noting the arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence and the assassination attempt on Donald Trump last year. Whitmer has faced scrutiny from some Democrats for taking a more collaborative approach to the Trump administration in his second term. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat who has criticized Whitmer for working with and appearing with Trump, said releasing the convicted men is 'no laughing matter.' 'The reward you get for cozying up to Trump is him threatening to pardon the terrorists who plotted to kidnap and murder you,' she said on social media. Whitmer's collaboration with Trump has come with several awkward moments for her this year, including when she was unexpectedly in the Oval Office during a press conference as Trump ordered the Justice Department to investigate two former members of his previous administration who had publicly criticized him. Their new dynamic also led to some wins for her administration, including securing new jets at a military airbase in Michigan and a commitment from Trump to fund a project to protect Lake Michigan from invasive carp.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Michigan Gov. Whitmer says Trump promised not to pardon kidnapping plotters
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) said Thursday that President Donald Trump would be breaking a promise if he went through with pardoning the two men who were convicted of plotting to kidnap her, claiming that he pledged not to do so during a conversation last month. In 2022, Barry Croft Jr. and Adam Fox were convicted of plotting to kidnap Whitmer in 2020 in one of the highest-profile domestic terrorism cases in recent memory. Prosecutors cast the men as violent anti-government extremists who planned to kidnap the governor from her vacation home over what they saw as overly restrictive covid pandemic policies, detonate a bridge to disrupt responding officers and ignite a civil war ahead of the 2020 election. On Wednesday, Trump told reporters that he would 'take a look at' pardoning the men, adding, 'I did watch the trial. It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job.' Responding to Trump's comments, Whitmer told Michigan Public Radio, 'I talked to the President about a month ago and he asked me how I'd feel about this, and I said, 'I think it would be the wrong decision.'' 'And he said, 'Okay, I'll drop it,'' she added. When asked if she thinks Trump is serious about the potential pardons, Whitmer said that wasn't clear. 'When I talked to him before, we had a thoughtful conversation about it, and he said he'd drop it. So, I'm not sure what to make of this new revelation,' she said in Thursday's interview. The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Whitmer, who pointed out that she was one of the first politicians to condemn the assassination attempt Trump faced at a 2024 rally in Pennsylvania, said she would make her thoughts on the issue known to the White House over the weekend. Federal and state officials originally charged multiple people in the plot against Whitmer, arresting the men in an October 2020 sting that involved the use of informants and undercover FBI agents. The officers embedded with the men, who were associates of a militia group known as the 'Wolverine Watchmen.' Among the six men who faced federal charges, two men — Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks — initially pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors ahead of an initial trial. In that initial trial, the jury could not reach a unanimous decision on Croft and Fox but acquitted two other alleged co-conspirators, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta. In a second federal trial, Croft and Fox were convicted on two charges of conspiracy — one related to the kidnapping scheme and another to obtain and use a weapon of mass destruction. Croft also was convicted on another explosives charge. Prosecutors told jurors that Fox compiled a list of tools the group would need to carry out the kidnapping, including handcuffs and a hood to cover Whitmer's head, and plotted where to place explosives to destroy the bridge near Whitmer's home. Jurors saw video of Croft making explosives and heard testimony of how he believed God had given him permission to kill. Jurors in the earlier federal trial seemed to agree, at least in part, with defense lawyers' arguments that FBI agents entrapped the men in the violent plot, pointing to how one of the undercover federal operatives offered explosives to the men. In the wake of the case, Whitmer repeatedly blamed Trump for stoking mistrust and anger over covid restrictions and refusing to condemn extremists like those implicated in the plot. But since Trump has retaken the presidency, she's been one of the rare Democratic politicians who has sought to build a working relationship with him. Their partnership has yielded some results for Whitmer's home state, such as a new fighter mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. But that effort to work together has also posed challenges for the potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, particularly in scenes with Trump where she has seemed to be caught off guard. During a speech at the base to announce the new mission, Trump praised the governor and then invited her to speak at the lectern to deliver remarks she said she was not planning. 'I am so, so grateful that this announcement was made today, and I appreciate all the work,' Whitmer said, without specifically praising Trump. When she went to lobby Trump last month on Selfridge and other state-related issues, she found herself standing in the Oval Office while the president signed executive orders targeting his political opponents. The New York Times later published a photo showing her shielding her face from the camera. (Her office said she was invited into the Oval Office without knowing what Trump was about to do, and clarified that she did not endorse his actions by being there.) During his second term, Trump has deployed pardons in a wide-reaching campaign to recalibrate a justice system he calls corrupt and says has politically persecuted him and those who support him. Shortly after being sworn in, Trump pardoned virtually all of the defendants convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and commuted the sentences of the remaining 14. In front of a conservative crowd in 2022, Trump sought to connect the legal plight of the Jan. 6 rioters with the individuals who plotted to kidnap Whitmer, suggesting that the governor was never in danger. 'Just like those who instigated January 6th,' he said at the time, 'it was a fake deal.' Holly Bailey, Perry Stein, Emily Davies and Patrick Svitek contributed to this report.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Trump Pardons: MSU expert on possible pardons of men who plotted to kidnap Gov. Whitmer
The Brief President Donald Trump teased the idea of pardoning two men who led the plot to kidnap Governor Whitmer. The President said, "I'm going to take a look at it." The attorneys for Croft Jr. and Fox said no comment. LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - President Donald Trump may use his pardoning power to possibly free the two men who led the plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer. What they're saying Trump teased the idea for the first time on Wednesday, mentioning it at a press conference in the Oval Office after being asked by a reporter. The President said, "I'm going to take a look at it," referring to the federal convictions. "This didn't come out of nowhere," Trump said, referring to the new appointee in charge of reviewing presidential pardon cases with the Department of Justice, who was already looking at the federal cases against Barry Croft Jr. and Adam Fox. The backstory Both men were convicted and sentenced on conspiracy charges for a foiled plot to kidnap Whitmer at her vacation home up north, which they allegedly planned in response to pandemic lockdown rules. Croft Jr. was sentenced to 19 years in prison, and Fox was sentenced to 16 years. Dig deeper Professor of Law at Michigan State University, Brian Kalt, spoke to FOX 2 about the President's pardoning power. "The pardon power is the most sort of kingly of all the powers that the President has," he said. "The process is really just the president signs a piece of paper and the person is pardoned." It usually comes with a recommendation from the Office of the Pardon Attorney. "There is a pattern emerging where President Trump is pardoning people who he perceives as being the victim of politically motivated prosecutions," Kalt said. For example, people were pardoned for their role in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. There were seven other men affiliated with the group 'Wolverine Watchmen' who pleaded guilty or were convicted on charges connected to the governor kidnapping plot. Those were state charges, so they would not be eligible for a pardon. "The run-of-the-mill pardons are for guilty people who are being forgiven, but the President does have that power to use it to say you did nothing wrong," Kalt said. The other side The attorneys for Croft Jr. and Fox made no comment when FOX 2 reached out to them. They said it was too early in the process to say anything.
CBS News
4 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Political expert says pardons considered in Whitmer kidnapping plot case has "desensitized people to violence"
In 2020, over a dozen people were arrested for creating a plan to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Most of them are currently in prison. Now, with President Trump saying he will "take a look at" pardoning the group of men, some are wondering the reason behind it. "Even talking about taking people who have been accused of kidnapping a governor and giving them a pardon, I think that desensitized people to violence," said Jeffrey Bernstein, political science professor at Eastern Michigan University. Among those in prison for the derailed kidnapping are Adam Fox and Barry Croft. The two were sentenced to over 15 years in prison. The president says many people from both sides have asked him about the case. "I did watch the trial. It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job," Mr. Trump told reporters on Wednesday. The president's pardon list is growing this week, including reality TV stars and rappers. Experts say it's unusual for presidents to make controversial pardons this early in a term. "The number of people who have donated significantly to the GOP party who have supported Trump and have been pardoned is nowhere near the scale we've seen before," Bernstein said. "The only way presidential pardons could be 'quote' checked in any way would be by impeaching the president who does it. Given the republican majority in the House and Senate, that is not going to happen," experts tell our team. CBS News Detroit contacted Whitmer's team to get the governor's thoughts on this latest announcement.
The Independent
4 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Trump to consider pardon for group convicted of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer
President Donald Trump says he will consider pardoning the extremists convicted in the failed plot to kidnap Michigan's Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2020. 'I'm going to look at it. I will take a look at it. It's been brought to my attention,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Wednesday. 'I did watch the trial. It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job, I'll be honest with you. It looked to me like some people said some stupid things, you know, they were drinking, and I think they said some stupid things,' Trump continued. Fourteen men were charged in the failed kidnapping plot, carried out on the eve of the 2020 election. Of those, nine were convicted, including Barry Croft Jr., 49, and Adam Fox, 42, the ringleaders of the scheme. Croft was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison, while Fox received 16 for the failed kidnapping plot, which involved taking the governor from her vacation home at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and starting a civil war. Whitmer was never harmed in the incident, but the U.S. Justice Department's new pardon attorney also said he would take a 'hard look' at the two men serving the longest terms for the plot. Whitmer's office did not immediately respond to The Independent's request for comment. Whitmer has strayed from the path of Trump avoidance taken by most Democrats since November and has appeared alongside the president several times. The Democrat, who many consider a 2028 presidential contender, has now shared a stage with the Republican president in Michigan weeks after visiting the Oval Office – though both appearances seemingly caught her off guard at the time. Trump started their Oval Office appearance, which seemed to catch Whitmer off-guard as she was there to talk about the impact of his tariff plan, by saying the governor was a "very good person" who has done an "excellent job" She later told the Associated Press that she wasn't thinking about politics: 'My job is to do the right thing for the people of Michigan. I'm not thinking about anything beyond that, and I know it's hard for people to get their head around.' 'I had to be there because this was a big, important thing for the state of Michigan,' she said. 'Now, he is going to go off to the rally and say a lot of things I disagree with, that I'll fight against, and that's fine, but, you know, my job is to do everything I can for the people of Michigan.' Meanwhile, Trump has issued some high-profile pardons in recent days, including pardoning imprisoned reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, whose show Chrisley Knows Best ran from 2014 to 2023. The multimillionaire couple tax evasion and bank fraud in 2022.
