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Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Gov. Whitmer Responds as Trump Considers Kidnap Plot Pardon
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer after arriving at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan on April 29, 2025. Credit - Jim Watson—Getty Images Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan has expressed her disappointment after President Donald Trump said he would 'take a look at' pardoning the men who were convicted of plotting to kidnap her in 2020. 'I'm disappointed that they're even considering it, frankly,' Gov. Whitmer, a Democrat, said in an interview with WOOD-TV on Thursday. Whitmer said she intends on expressing these feelings to the White House, also. She went on to condemn political violence as a whole—something Trump was also a victim of in July 2024 after an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Penn. 'You know, when the President got it in Pennsylvania, I was one of the first people on either side of the aisle to condemn it,' Whitmer said. 'We have to condemn political violence, no matter where it comes from, no matter who it's aimed at. It does a disservice to everyone, if we do anything short of that.' Trump's comments were made in the Oval Office on Wednesday when he swore in Jeanine Pirro as D.C.'s interim U.S. attorney. 'I will take a look at it. It's been brought to my attention,' Trump told reporters when asked if he would pardon the men. '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.' In October 2020, during Trump's first term in office, the federal government revealed its bust of the elaborate conspiracy to kidnap Whitmer, who had been criticized by right-wing politicians, including Trump, over her COVID-19 policies. The investigation resulted in the charging of over a dozen people linked with a local rightwing militia group, the Wolverine Watchmen. In the end, there were nine combined convictions and guilty pleas and five acquittals in the case. Read More: 'A Perfect Storm.' The Michigan Plot Lays Bare the Dangers of Ignoring the Far-Right Threat The same day that the Department of Justice announced the initial arrests made in relation to the plot to kidnap Whitmer, Trump criticized her via social media. 'Governor Whitmer of Michigan has done a terrible job,' he wrote. 'My Justice Department and Federal Law Enforcement announced today that they foiled a dangerous plot against the Governor of Michigan. Rather than say thank you, she calls me a White Supremacist.' Trump's recent assertion that he'll consider pardoning the men who plotted the kidnap come after his new pardon attorney, Ed Martin Jr., stated on The Breanna Morello Show podcast that he wants to take a 'hard look' at the Whitmer case, particularly the two ringleaders—Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr.—who are serving longer sentences. 'On the pardon front, we can't leave these guys behind,' Martin Jr. More: A Stark Look at the Recent History of Political Violence in America Many consider Whitmer as a potential 2028 contender to run for President. Michigan is often regarded as a key swing state in the presidential race—with close margins in the past election and 15 electoral votes up for grabs. The second-term Governor also has a strong approval rating—63% according to the results of an Impact Research poll published in May. Whitmer has been a key Democrat who has spoken about working with Trump, rather than against him, leading some to see her as a diplomatic choice for the 2028 election, amid ongoing efforts to bridge political divides. Whitmer has yet to confirm that she plans to run for President—in fact, she denied she has any intention of running in 2028 when asked during a July 2024 interview with the Detroit Free Press. "I have no plans. I have no plans to run for President, not this year, not in the foreseeable future. I'm not making any plans on that front," she said. Contact us at letters@
Time Magazine
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ‘Disappointed' as Trump Considers Pardoning Men Who Plotted to Kidnap Her
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan has expressed her disappointment after President Donald Trump said he would 'take a look at' pardoning the men who were convicted of plotting to kidnap her in 2020. 'I'm disappointed that they're even considering it, frankly,' Gov. Whitmer, a Democrat, said in an interview with WOOD-TV on Thursday. Whitmer said she intends on expressing these feelings to the White House, also. She went on to condemn political violence as a whole —something Trump was also a victim of in July 2024 after an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Penn. 'You know, when the President got it in Pennsylvania, I was one of the first people on either side of the aisle to condemn it,' Whitmer said. 'We have to condemn political violence, no matter where it comes from, no matter who it's aimed at. It does a disservice to everyone, if we do anything short of that.' Trump's comments were made in the Oval Office on Wednesday when he swore in Jeanine Pirro as D.C.'s interim U.S. attorney. 'I will take a look at it. It's been brought to my attention,' Trump told reporters when asked if he would pardon the men. '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.' In October 2020, during Trump's first term in office, the federal government revealed its bust of the elaborate conspiracy to kidnap Whitmer, who had been criticized by right-wing politicians, including Trump, over her COVID-19 policies. The investigation resulted in the charging of over a dozen people linked with a local rightwing militia group, the Wolverine Watchmen. In the end, there were nine combined convictions and guilty pleas and five acquittals in the case. The same day that the Department of Justice announced the initial arrests made in relation to the plot to kidnap Whitmer, Trump criticized her via social media. 'Governor Whitmer of Michigan has done a terrible job,' he wrote. 'My Justice Department and Federal Law Enforcement announced today that they foiled a dangerous plot against the Governor of Michigan. Rather than say thank you, she calls me a White Supremacist.' Trump's recent assertion that he'll consider pardoning the men who plotted the kidnap come after his new pardon attorney, Ed Martin Jr., stated on The Breanna Morello Show podcast that he wants to take a 'hard look' at the Whitmer case, particularly the two ringleaders—Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr.—who are serving longer sentences. 'On the pardon front, we can't leave these guys behind,' Martin Jr. said. : Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is often considered to be a potential 2028 candidate for the Democratic Party Many consider Whitmer as a potential 2028 contender to run for President. Michigan is often regarded as a key swing state in the presidential race—with close margins in the past election and 15 electoral votes up for grabs. The second-term Governor also has a strong approval rating—63% according to the results of an Impact Research poll published in May. Whitmer has been a key Democrat who has spoken about working with Trump, rather than against him, leading some to see her as a diplomatic choice for the 2028 election, amid ongoing efforts to bridge political divides. Whitmer has yet to confirm that she plans to run for President—in fact, she denied she has any intention of running in 2028 when asked during a July 2024 interview with the Detroit Free Press. "I have no plans. I have no plans to run for President, not this year, not in the foreseeable future. I'm not making any plans on that front," she said.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Trump says he'll ‘take a look' at pardoning convicts in Gov. Whitmer kidnapping plot: ‘A railroad job'
President Trump revealed he is considering pardoning the men convicted of plotting to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, likening their trial to 'a railroad job.' 'I'm going to take a look at it,' Trump told reporters Wednesday when asked if he would consider pardoning ringleaders Barry Croft Jr. and Adam Fox, who were sentenced in 2022 to more than 19 years and 16 years, respectively. '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,' the president said of the conviction of the Wolverine Watchmen. 'It looked to me like some people said some stupid things. You know, they were drinking and I think they said stupid things.' Barry Croft Jr., left, and Adam Fox, who were convicted of leading a plot to kidnap Michigan's governor in 2020 AP Trump said 'a lot of people' from 'both sides' have asked him about pardoning the conspirators. Trump's comments come after Department of Justice's new pardon attorney, Ed Martin Jr., said on 'The Breanna Morello Show' last week that he was taking a 'hard look' at the Croft and Fox's cases, and likened them to hundreds of Jan. 6 convicts the president pardoned on his first day in office. Trump said he will 'take a look' at pardoning the men convicted of plotting to kidnap Gov. Whitmer. Getty Images Fourteen people were initially charged in the plot to kidnap the Democratic governor from her Elk Rapids vacation cottage in 2020, according to The Detroit Free Press. The conspirators — part of a paramilitary group known as the Wolverine Watchmen — were enraged over Whitmer's statewide COVID-19 restrictions as well as what they saw as threats to legal gun ownership. The crew had staked out the Democratic governor's home and conducted field training exercises to practice combat tactics to prepare for the ambush, prosecutors said. They were arrested after four of them met with an undercover FBI agent to buy $4,000 in explosives for the scheme. Prosecutors maintained that their ramblings were proof that they wanted a civil war. Croft, a truck driver from Delaware, and Fox, of Michigan, were convicted on charges of kidnapping conspiracy, as well as conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. Ty Garbin — who cooperated with prosecutors at trial — received a reduced 2½-year sentence for his involvement in the plot, while Kaleb Franks was sentenced to four years behind bars. Whitmer, who's reportedly among Democrats eyeing a presidential run in 2028, has been accused of 'cozying up' to Trump since he retook the White House after she spoke at a celebratory event to mark his first 100 days in office. Weeks earlier, the governor hid her face behind a stack of binders while walking by photographers in the Oval Office, where she was waiting for Trump to meet with her to discuss the future of an air base.
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Trump says he'll look at pardoning Whitmer kidnapping plot convicts
The Justice Department charged 14 people from an anti-government group called the Wolverine Watchmen in a plot to kidnap Whitmer for her role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, and nine were convicted or pleaded guilty. Barry Croft Jr., 47, of Bear, Delaware, described as a ring leader of the group, got the longest prison sentence at more than 19 years. "I'll be honest with you," said Trump. "It looked to me like some people said some stupid things, you know, they were drinking and I think they said stupid things." Defense lawyers for Croft and Adam Fox, who is serving a 16-year prison sentence for kidnapping conspiracy and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, have accused the FBI of engaging in entrapment by infiltrating the group as informants and undercover agents. Last week, the Justice Department's new pardon attorney, Ed Martin, said he is going to take a "hard look" at the prison terms of Croft and Fox and describing the incident as "fed-knapping." "On the pardon front, we can't leave these guys behind," Martin said during an interview with The Breanna Morello Show. "In my opinion, these are victims just like January 6." On his first day in office for his second term, Trump pardoned more than 1,500 of his supporters who attacked the U.S. Capitol during a deadly riot on Jan. 6, 2021, aimed at stopping the certification of the 2020 presidential election won by Joe Biden. Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Trump will 'take look' at pardons in Whitmer kidnapping plot
May 28 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump told reporters Wednesday that he will consider pardoning four men convicted of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020 because of tough COIVD-19 restrictions in the state. When asked in the White House's Oval Office, Trump said: "I'm going to look at it. 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." Trump added: "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. A lot of people think they got railroaded, and probably some people don't." On Oct. 8, 2020, the Justice Department arrested 13 people from an anti-government group called the Wolverine Watchmen in a plot to kidnap Whitmer. One week later, a 14th suspect was arrested and charged in Michigan state court. Six suspects were charged in federal court. The others can't be pardoned or have their sentences commuted by Trump because they are state cases. Typically, the Office of the Pardon Attorney reviews and investigates applications for clemency submitted to the Justice Department. The DOJ's new pardon attorney, Ed Martin Jr. said last week that he will take a "hard look" at two men serving long prison terms in this case: Barry Croft Jr. serving 20 years and Adam Fox serving 16 years. They are being held in a prison in Colorado. "On the pardon front, we can't leave these guys behind," Martin, who previous was one of Trump's personal attorneys, said on The Breanna Morello Show. "In my opinion, these are victims just like January 6." On his first day in office on Jan. 20, Trump pardoned more than 1,500 of his supporters who attacked the U.S. Capitol during a deadly riot on Jan. 6, 2021. They wanted to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election won by Joe Biden. Testimony during the federal trial revealed Fox, Croft and others, including FBI informants, went to northern Michigan, where they "cased" Whitmer's vacation home. The two men were convicted of conspiracy in federal court in 2022. Croft, a truck driver from Delaware who was considered the ringleader, also was convicted of a weapons charge. Defense lawyers for Croft and Fox have accused the FBI of engaging in entrapment by infiltrating the group as informants and undercover agents. In April, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed sentences for the two men. Other federal sentences were for Ty Garbin for 2 1/2 years and Kaleb Franks for four years. Bradon Caserta and Daniel Harris were found not guilty. Three others were convicted in state court in 2022 -- Paul Bellar, Joseph Morrison and Pete Musico. Bellar, who is the son-in-law of Musico, was given a seven-year sentence. Musico's sentence was 12 years and Morrison's 10 years. Two others pleaded guilty: Brian Higgins was given was a three-year sentence and Shawn Fix a minimum of three years. Not guilty were Eric Molton, Michael Null and William Noll in state court. Whitmer has not commented on the possible pardons. In 2020, Whitmer blamed some of the men's actions on Trump's rhetoric during his first term. She said Trump "refused to condemn white supremacists and hate groups like these two Michigan militia groups" during a debate with Biden. The Democrat met with Trump at the White House on March 13 to discuss jobs. Trump praised her for "doing an excellent job." They also appeared a few weeks later to announce a new fighter jet mission at Selfridge Air Force Base, in Macomb County, Mich.
