Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer blames kidnap plot on Trump’s rhetoric
The FBI busted a coordinated effort by members of an anti-government group to storm the state capitol.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has reacted to the foiled plot by militia members to kidnap and possibly kill her.
The FBI announced Thursday (Oct. 8) that the agency busted a coordinated effort by thirteen members of an anti-government group to storm the state capitol or Whitmer’s vacation home as part of their plan to ignite a civil war, NPR reports.
Whitmer confirmed in a statement that domestic terrorists “were preparing to kidnap and possibly kill me.”
Six people with ties to the extremist group Wolverine Watchmen are facing federal kidnapping offenses, and at least seven others have been hit with various state charges, Detroit Free Press reports. The FBI paid confidential informants as part of the investigation into the kidnapping plot, according to the affidavit.
Read More: FBI halt organized plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
On Thursday, Gov. Whitmer condemned racism and bigotry from her Capitol office.
“Let me say this loud and clear: Hatred, bigotry and violence have no place in the great state of Michigan,” she said.
Whitmer also thanked law enforcement for uncovering the alleged kidnapping plot, noting her hope that it will lead to convictions “bringing these sick and depraved men to justice.”
The governor also took aim at President Donald Trump for not denouncing white supremacists and right-wing hate groups. Whitmer has criticized his “stand back and stand by” comment about the Proud Boys. She said hate groups heard his remarks at the first Trump-Biden debate “not as a rebuke, but as a rallying cry,” and ” a call to action.”
“When our leaders speak, their words matter.” she said. “They carry weight.”
In an interview on NPR’s All Things Considered, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said that “multiple white supremacy groups and militia groups have been acting in accordance with one another.”
Read More: Up to 800,000 Michigan residents may lose unemployment benefits
Whitmer said she’s known about the alleged kidnapping plot for several weeks.
“I’ll be honest, I never could have imagined anything like this,” she shared on Thursday.
A federal kidnapping charge has been filed against: Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta.
Whitmer believes Trump is “complicit” in their kidnapping scheme due to his racist rhetoric.
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