Gov. Whitmer Targeted In Alleged Kidnapping Plot By Militia Group
[guest post by Dana]
Six men were charged today for allegedly conspiring to kidnap Michigan’s Gov. Whitmer, according to a federal criminal complaint, and the Michigan attorney general charged seven individuals for their involvement:
Federal agents said Thursday they thwarted a plot to violently overthrow the government and kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — a conspiracy that included visits to her home in northern Michigan and training with explosive devices.
The alleged plot involved conspirators who met during a Second Amendment rally at the Capitol in Lansing in June and reached out to members of a Michigan militia known as the Wolverine Watchmen for reinforcements, according to state and federal officials.
The court filing alleges the conspirators twice conducted surveillance at Whitmer’s personal vacation home in northern Michigan and discussed kidnapping her to a “secure location” in Wisconsin to stand “trial” for treason prior to the Nov. 3 election.
“Several members talked about murdering ‘tyrants’ or ‘taking’ a sitting governor,” an FBI agent wrote in the affidavit. “The group decided they needed to increase their numbers and encouraged each other to talk to their neighbors and spread their message.”
A bit of detail:
At a meeting in July, allegedly attended and recorded by one of the informants, the men “discussed attacking a Michigan State Police facility, and in a separate conversation after the meeting, Garbin suggested shooting up the Governor’s vacation home,” authorities said.
Then at a July 27 meeting, Fox and an informant discussed a possible kidnapping of Whitmer, with the defendant allegedly saying: “Snatch and grab, man. Grab the f—ing governor. Just grab the b—-. Because at that point, we do that, dude — it’s over.”
After Whitmer thanked law enforcement for their work on her behalf, she lit into President Trump for not fully condemning white supremacists and hate groups last week:
Just last week, the President of the United States stood before the American people and refused to condemn white supremacists and hate groups like these two Michigan militia groups. ‘Stand back and stand by,’ he told them. ‘Stand back and stand by.’ Hate groups heard the President’s words not as a rebuke, but as a rallying cry, as a call to action. When our leaders speak, their words matter. They carry weight.”
Anyway, it’s a crazy story. And yet, 2020 has been nothing if not crazy. Oh, and here is Team Trump adding their own special brand of crazy to the mix today:
Trump campaign official Jason Miller is on Fox News attacking Gretchen Whitmer, the victim of a kidnapping plot: "If we want to talk about hatred, then Gov. Whitmer, go look in the mirror — the fact that she wakes up everyday with such hatred in her heart for President Trump." pic.twitter.com/sMXv7mgBfa
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 8, 2020
–Dana
Hello.
Dana (292df6) — 10/8/2020 @ 2:02 pmBut whatabout antifa and stuff?
Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0) — 10/8/2020 @ 2:03 pmAP is saying 13 have been charged, so far (6 federal, 7 state). That’s a decent number of folks.
Paul Montagu (6ea092) — 10/8/2020 @ 2:05 pmRight, Paul Montagu. I originally had the 6 federal, but have now included the 7 state too.
Dana (292df6) — 10/8/2020 @ 2:10 pmGood. Throw the books at them.
whembly (c30c83) — 10/8/2020 @ 2:10 pmYeah, if Trump had only accomplished the impossible task of denouncing Proud Boys to the Left’s satisfaction, this never would’ve gotten off the ground.
beer ‘n pretzels (042d67) — 10/8/2020 @ 2:15 pmWere they wearing masks, and social distancing? Don’t leave out the important details.
beer ‘n pretzels (042d67) — 10/8/2020 @ 2:18 pmHere’s the actual complaint.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/8/2020 @ 2:20 pmThis was a different domestic terror plot. There’ve always been lone kooks. But a group this size plotting to kidnap / bomb a governor feels different. It’s a major crime. It’s organized. And some of the overt acts (surveilling her house and building practice bombs) are hard to explain away.
But that would take grace Trump and his team have never shown. Maybe they’ll get there eventually.
I’m hearing that the # arrested is at 17, and the state charges relate to a plot to take over the capitol.
It’s not surprising, but is disappointing, that the administrations response was “Boo Hoo stop picking on me.” instead of “Domestic terrorists stalking a governor and planning to kidnap or bomb her is vile. We condemn it in the strongest terms and our proud that the FBI was able to arrest these terrorists before they could cause more harm. We look forward to their full and fair trial.”
Time123 (d1bf33) — 10/8/2020 @ 2:25 pmTrumpdom defined. To hate Trump is to be beyond the pale.
nk (1d9030) — 10/8/2020 @ 2:29 pmWhat will #RESIST mean once Biden takes over? I’m sure it’ll suddenly transform into one of those banned tags.
beer ‘n pretzels (042d67) — 10/8/2020 @ 2:33 pmSee this thread:
whembly (c30c83) — 10/8/2020 @ 2:37 pmhttps://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1314281015591022592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1314281015591022592%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fpolitical%2Ffbi-claims-it-foiled-plot-kidnap-michigan-governor
OT: huh
https://twitter.com/TrackingCovid/status/1314296202335342593
@TrackingCovid
37,720 people in Tennessee died between Nov 2017 and March 2018 (most recent flu epidemic).
32,918 people died in Tennessee from April to August 2020
whembly (c30c83) — 10/8/2020 @ 2:45 pmDisassociating the Michigan 17 from Republicans or Trump is fine, but it will be remembered when they try to tie BLM or Antifa to the Democrats.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/8/2020 @ 2:45 pmHe’s not a Republican, he’s an anarchist.
So? Trump is not a Republican, either.
nk (1d9030) — 10/8/2020 @ 2:46 pm17 should be 13.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/8/2020 @ 2:46 pmbut it will be remembered when they try to tie BLM or Antifa to the Democrats.
I’m sure Trump staffers are bailing these guys out as we speak. More likely they’re not, but you really wish they would so your analogy won’t sound ridiculous.
beer ‘n pretzels (042d67) — 10/8/2020 @ 2:51 pmThe never trumpers being on Hanoi Janes team with their compassion to harvest baby parts right before killing the baby is so Bidenesque. HuH/2020
mg (8cbc69) — 10/8/2020 @ 2:54 pmHeh…
@JohnWHuber
·
7m
Amy Coney Barrett should just refuse to answer any Democrat question in her Senate hearing by saying you’ll know my position on that after the confirmation vote
She could even call it The Biden Standard
whembly (c30c83) — 10/8/2020 @ 3:03 pmWhembly changing the subject again.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/8/2020 @ 3:12 pmCaserta could easily pass for one of those Boogaloos.
Paul Montagu (6ea092) — 10/8/2020 @ 3:21 pmThe important numbers are the excess deaths, which are 1,266 in the former period and 2,966 in the latter. The number of reported CV19 deaths in TN is 2,705, which should tell you that Covid deaths are being under-reported.
Paul Montagu (6ea092) — 10/8/2020 @ 3:29 pmTrump’s base tries to kidnap a woman, Trump’s campaign responds with “That’s what she gets for hating Trump”, all of Trump’s supporters rush to deflect (because it’s indefensible). Welcome to Trump’s Great America!
nk (1d9030) — 10/8/2020 @ 3:31 pmOne could use Venn Diagrams to analyze the political beliefs of the militia and Republicans and compare to the same between Antifa/BLM and Democrats. The latter would have much more overlap. And deaths.
Hoi Polloi (acf0e3) — 10/8/2020 @ 3:32 pmHarvest those parts – HUH/2020
mg (8cbc69) — 10/8/2020 @ 3:33 pmHarvest those embryonic cells to make medicine for Trump:
nk (1d9030) — 10/8/2020 @ 3:59 pmAntibody treatment Trump touts relied on testing with cells derived from fetal tissue.
nk (1d9030) — 10/8/2020 @ 4:03 pmCan you imagine how terrifying it must be for her and her family to know that that many people were actively planning to kidnap her and had gotten that far in planning? Even if she never says so, this has probably changed her viewpoint of being out in public, possibly for the rest of her life. Most people go through life generally vaguely casual about people around them, at least during daylight hours and she and her family have lost that luxury.
Nic (896fdf) — 10/8/2020 @ 4:11 pmI’m pretty sure the ringleader of this group is a member of the Proud Boys.
Jerryskids (702a61) — 10/8/2020 @ 4:31 pmI am amazed at how good the FBI is at getting assets inside criminal groups. It should be commended.
norcal (a5428a) — 10/8/2020 @ 4:37 pm@12, I’m humble about what I think we know here. It’s early and I think we’ll learn more. I’m open to them being any sort of crazy. But here’s some more information. I don’t think the daily beast is very reliable so let me know if this is contracted in other place.
But Fox, who was central to this, sounds like a lot of far right kooks as do some of the others.
Time123 (53ef45) — 10/8/2020 @ 4:41 pmThe language Don’s minions use has congealed around the word ‘hate’. It isn’t that anyone thinks his policies are wrong, or that he’s unbalanced, out of his depth and dangerous, or even that he’s an ill-mannered lout.
No, if you don’t support him, that’s because your heart is full of The Hate. You hate him and you’re hateful and hate hate hate.
I mean, I get the political/linguistic game – evangelicals are all he has left, and the word carries special significance to that demographic. But yeah, they got nuthin.
And the debate hoo-rah – I can’t believe Don fell for such an easy trap. I mean, not like he’s smart, but trapping weaker people into no-win situations is his only talent – he really should have seen it coming.
But maybe he’s following his dreams. I know he genuinely loves those rallies, and given that he won’t get many more of those, maybe he’d really rather go throw a Covid Party.
john (cd2753) — 10/8/2020 @ 4:42 pmWHITE HOUSE: KIDNAPPING TARGET GRETCHEN WHITMER IS “SOWING DIVISION”
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/8/2020 @ 4:45 pm……
In response to the news of her own planned kidnapping, Whitmer criticized Trump for “stoking distrust” and “giving comfort to those who spread fear and division.” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who recently tested positive for COVID-19, hit back with her own statement, writing, “President Trump has continually condemned white supremacists and all forms of hate. Governor Whitmer is sowing division by making these outlandish allegations. America stands united against hate and in support of our federal law enforcement who stopped this plot.” ……
……..
… and Putin smiled.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 10/8/2020 @ 4:47 pmMore info, apparently some of the arrested were at the anti-lockdown protest in the MI Capitol earlier this year.
https://twitter.com/ZachGorchow/status/1314330815250259977
Time123 (36651d) — 10/8/2020 @ 4:57 pmMost people go through life generally vaguely casual about people around them, at least during daylight hours and she and her family have lost that luxury.
Well, most people aren’t governors, so that breaks down a bit. Presidents have had this problem for quite some time. I suspect that the Governor has an armed police detail 24/7, and I can’t imagine anyone really wants to target an ex-governor.
The treat being made wasn’t to her, except as a symbol of authority. Or maybe just because she’s a woman. As terrible as this apparently was, I don’t think there’s much to be extrapolated here.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 10/8/2020 @ 6:34 pmThere is some history in Michigan of similar charges, mass arrests, and trials that ended in acquittal on all but ancillary charges.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutaree#Criminal_investigation
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/30/michigan.militia.arrests/index.html
Most seized items were returned, including weapons and ammunition, except for the Stones’ illegal weapons, which had been destroyed.
The arrests made news for several days, and was used to show just how dangerous all these militia groups and their guns were. It turned out that there was very little evidence.
So, when I hear the same thing again, I wonder just how much truth there is this time.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 10/8/2020 @ 6:46 pmTrump’s base: The president is a “tyrant” and an “enemy.”
scrutineer (5daa50) — 10/8/2020 @ 6:50 pmRobby Starbuck
@robbystarbuck
This is a video of Brandon Caserta, one of the ringleaders of the group of men arrested for a plot where the group planned to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Caserta has an anarchist flag behind him and in YouTube videos trashes police. He’s not a Republican, he’s an anarchist.
https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1314267058339819520?s=20
harkin (7fb4c9) — 10/8/2020 @ 9:30 pm__ _
I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that Trump calls out to LIBERATE MICHIGAN, and not much later a group of nut jobs plot to “liberate” Michigan
Paul Montagu (ae5011) — 10/8/2020 @ 10:49 pmAs long as law enforcement doesn’t use agent provocateurs to drum up business. The first shot fired at kent state was by government agent provocateur terry norman to fool the national guard into thinking they were being fired on by students. There are people rotting in jail who never were terrorists and paid informants had to con them into breaking one of the many anti-terrorist conspiracy laws usually by offering to pay them a lot of money to conspire to break the law. On several occasions these dupes were penniless homeless people with mental problems. Don’t get paid to induce people to break the law as too many informant and under cover agents are.
asset (b6ffdb) — 10/8/2020 @ 11:25 pm