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Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Trump weighs pardons of people convicted for Whitmer's 2020 kidnapping plot
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is considering pardons for the people involved in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020. Trump insinuated that the trial had not been handled correctly by the legal system while taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office, describing it as potentially being a 'railroad job.' 'I will look at it — take a look at it,' he said when asked if he is considering pardons. 'It's been brought to my attention, 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.' 'They were drinking and I think they said stupid things but I'll take a look at that, and a lot of people are asking me that question from both sides actually,' he continued. 'A lot of people think they got railroaded.' The kidnapping plot against the Michigan Democrat rattled the final weeks of the 2020 election and marked an incident of anti-government extremism that prosecutors said was intended to ignite a civil war. The leaders, Barry Croft Jr. and Adam Fox, were convicted in 2022 of conspiring to abduct the Democratic governor from her vacation home. Croft, a former truck driver from Delaware, also faced weapons charges and received a nearly 20-year prison sentence. Fox, from Grand Rapids, was sentenced to 16 years. A spokesperson for Whitmer declined to comment on Trump's remarks. The president was not the first member of his administration to question the charges. Ed Martin, who was tapped to serve as the pardon attorney at the Justice Department after Trump pulled his nomination to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, compared Croft's and Fox's cases to the January 6 pardons last week. 'In my opinion these are victims just like January 6,' Martin said during an interview on 'The Breanna Morello Show,' referencing the roughly 1,600 people either pardoned by Trump for crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol or who saw their cases dropped. Trump's remarks also come as he builds a working relationship with Whitmer. The two have shared several cordial moments in recent months, with Whitmer defending her appearances alongside Trump as key to scoring major wins for her home state, while underscoring their sharp policy differences. 'This is one of those moments where as a public servant, you're reminded your job is to put service above self, and that's what it was all about,' she said in a recent 'Pod Save America' interview. Zack Stanton contributed to this report.

Politico
5 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Trump weighs pardons of people convicted for Whitmer's 2020 kidnapping plot
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is considering pardons for the people involved in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020. Trump insinuated that the trial had not been handled correctly by the legal system while taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office, describing it as potentially being a 'railroad job.' 'I will look at it — take a look at it,' he said when asked if he is considering pardons. 'It's been brought to my attention, 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.' 'They were drinking and I think they said stupid things but I'll take a look at that, and a lot of people are asking me that question from both sides actually,' he continued. 'A lot of people think they got railroaded.' The kidnapping plot against the Michigan Democrat rattled the final weeks of the 2020 election and marked an incident of anti-government extremism that prosecutors said was intended to ignite a civil war. The leaders, Barry Croft Jr. and Adam Fox, were convicted in 2022 of conspiring to abduct the Democratic governor from her vacation home. Croft, a former truck driver from Delaware, also faced weapons charges and received a nearly 20-year prison sentence. Fox, from Grand Rapids, was sentenced to 16 years. A spokesperson for Whitmer declined to comment on Trump's remarks. The president was not the first member of his administration to question the charges. Ed Martin, who was tapped to serve as the pardon attorney at the Justice Department after Trump pulled his nomination to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, compared Croft's and Fox's cases to the January 6 pardons last week. 'In my opinion these are victims just like January 6,' Martin said during an interview on 'The Breanna Morello Show,' referencing the roughly 1,600 people either pardoned by Trump for crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol or who saw their cases dropped. Trump's remarks also come as he builds a working relationship with Whitmer. The two have shared several cordial moments in recent months, with Whitmer defending her appearances alongside Trump as key to scoring major wins for her home state, while underscoring their sharp policy differences. 'This is one of those moments where as a public servant, you're reminded your job is to put service above self, and that's what it was all about,' she said in a recent 'Pod Save America' interview. Zack Stanton contributed to this report.


New York Post
26-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Ex-Obama advisor warns Democrats are in a ‘huge bit of trouble' if they don't make this change
Ex-Obama senior advisor Dan Pfeiffer warned on Friday that there is 'no path' for Democrats to win elections unless they address their rapidly declining Latino vote. Pfeiffer brought this up with former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau on the 'Pod Save America' podcast as they looked over 2024 election exit data which showed former Vice President Kamala Harris losing ground with both young voters and minority voters. Pfeiffer added that the Democratic Party had been losing Latino voters since 2016. 'The main story of this is that Democrats are in a huge bit of trouble,' Pfeiffer said. 'There's no way to look at this without recognizing the massive scale of our problems. And you can kind of tell yourself that things might be kind of okay by looking at just the shift from 2020 to 2024. But if you really want to assess where we are as a party, you have to look at the shift from 2016 to 2024. And it is particularly true with Latino voters.' Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures during a campaign rally at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on November 4, 2024. AFP via Getty Images He pointed out that Latinos have shifted 17 points towards Republicans since 2016. While Democrats still took a majority of Hispanic voters, Pfeiffer showed concern over this trend. 'Latinos are the fastest-growing population in the country. They are particularly politically powerful because of how the population is distributed in electoral-rich sunbelt states like Texas, Florida, Arizona, Nevada, et cetera. And so, they are becoming more of the electorate, and we are losing more of them at a very fast rate. If that trend continues, there is no path to Democrats winning elections,' Pfeiffer said. Regarding young voters, Pfeiffer pointed out that Harris only got about half of new voters compared to President Donald Trump. Pfeiffer added that the Democratic Party had been losing Latino voters since 2016. Courtesy of Sen. Ileana Garcia 'If that trend continues, we're in huge trouble,' Pfeiffer said. 'The message I take from this is anyone who thinks that we can get away with just tinkering around the edges just hoping that Donald Trump becomes unpopular or they nominate some yahoo in 2028 or we're going to ride the wave of tariffs and inflation to a narrow House victory is just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. We have to be willing to ask very hard questions.' Since the 2024 election, other former Obama officials have criticized the Democratic Party for failing to appeal outside the elite. 'The only group they won among – Democrats won among – were people who make more than $100,000 a year,' former Obama advisor David Axelrod said in November. 'You can't win national elections that way.'
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Obama advisor says Dems in 'huge bit of trouble' if they can't win Latinos back
Ex-Obama senior advisor Dan Pfeiffer warned on Friday that there is "no path" for Democrats to win elections unless they address their rapidly declining Latino vote. Pfeiffer brought this up with former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau on the "Pod Save America" podcast as they looked over 2024 election exit data which showed former Vice President Kamala Harris losing ground with both young voters and minority voters. Pfeiffer added that the Democratic Party had been losing Latino voters since 2016. "The main story of this is that Democrats are in a huge bit of trouble," Pfeiffer said. "There's no way to look at this without recognizing the massive scale of our problems. And you can kind of tell yourself that things might be kind of okay by looking at just the shift from 2020 to 2024. But if you really want to assess where we are as a party, you have to look at the shift from 2016 to 2024. And it is particularly true with Latino voters." Former Obama Advisors Tell 'The View' Dems Hurt Party By Taking Too Long To Admit Biden Couldn't Win He pointed out that Latinos have shifted 17 points towards Republicans since 2016. While Democrats still took a majority of Hispanic voters, Pfeiffer showed concern over this trend. Read On The Fox News App "Latinos are the fastest-growing population in the country. They are particularly politically powerful because of how the population is distributed in electoral-rich sunbelt states like Texas, Florida, Arizona, Nevada, et cetera. And so, they are becoming more of the electorate, and we are losing more of them at a very fast rate. If that trend continues, there is no path to Democrats winning elections," Pfeiffer said. Regarding young voters, Pfeiffer pointed out that Harris only got about half of new voters compared to President Donald Trump. "If that trend continues, we're in huge trouble," Pfeiffer said. "The message I take from this is anyone who thinks that we can get away with just tinkering around the edges just hoping that Donald Trump becomes unpopular or they nominate some yahoo in 2028 or we're going to ride the wave of tariffs and inflation to a narrow House victory is just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. We have to be willing to ask very hard questions." Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture Since the 2024 election, other former Obama officials have criticized the Democratic Party for failing to appeal outside the elite. "The only group they won among – Democrats won among – were people who make more than $100,000 a year," former Obama advisor David Axelrod said in November. "You can't win national elections that way."Original article source: Former Obama advisor says Dems in 'huge bit of trouble' if they can't win Latinos back


Time of India
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Former Obama aide reveals why he stayed silent on Joe Biden's health decline: 'Wanted him to win...'
Ex-Obama aide on Biden's health decline Former Obama speechwriter and 'Pod Save America' host Jon Lovett has admitted that he held back concerns about Joe Biden 's health during the 2024 campaign because he wanted Biden to win re-election. Speaking on Jon Stewart's 'The Weekly Show' podcast, Lovett said he was worried about the president's physical and cognitive state but chose not to talk about it publicly. 'I remember feeling I want to talk about this as a huge liability. To talk about this is something Joe Biden can overcome, but I'm not going to go so far as to say, 'I think Joe Biden must drop out. He is too old to be president,'' Lovett said. He added, 'A, because I didn't know exactly what was going on behind the scenes, but B, if Joe Biden is the candidate, I want him to f—king win.' Lovett admitted he feared that any criticism from the left would be used by Biden's political enemies. 'It was about being honest about Joe Biden's age as a liability while knowing that if he is the nominee, I want to be clear that I thought it was important to make sure we did everything we could to reelect him,' he said. He explained his reluctance further: 'Having the words we're saying taken out of context and all of a sudden be part of the case against Joe Biden from the right — that would use any person criticising Joe Biden from the left as a weapon against him.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Carcelen: Descubre cómo Amazon CFD puede ayudarte a invertir como un pro Empezar ahora Subscríbete Undo The issue of Biden's health has been drawing more attention, especially following the release of the book Original Sin by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios's Alex Thompson. The book claims the White House deliberately tried to downplay concerns about Biden's decline. Lovett himself features in Original Sin, in an anecdote describing a meeting with Biden on April 26, 2024, alongside co-hosts Jon Favreau and Dan Pfeiffer. According to the book, the trio were left 'deeply disturbed' after the meeting, reportedly finding Biden 'rambling' and 'incoherent.' US President Donald Trump has also criticised Biden's physical and mental decline. Last week, Biden, who is 82 years old, was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Doctors have described the form of cancer as 'aggressive'.