Politics and Money

[lesgetrich]

No law and order twitter excuses for this one...

13 With Ties to Right-Wing Militias Charged in Plots to Kidnap Michigan Governor, Target Police

THIRTEEN MEN WITH TIES to illegal right-wing militias are facing charges in connection with extensive plots to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, attack the state Capitol building and incite a civil war, federal and state officials announced Thursday.

Six men were charged in federal court for plotting to violently kidnap Whitmer at her vacation home with the help of explosives and firearms. The men reached out to and trained with members of an unauthorized militia group, according to an FBI affidavit unsealed Thursday, which did not name the militia group.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel also announced gang- and terrorism-related charges Thursday against seven other men – all members of the unauthorized, far-right militia group Wolverine Watchmen – for planning to target members of law enforcement, attack the Michigan Captiol and instigate a civil war.

Demonstrators, including armed members of anti-government militia groups, stormed the Michigan Capitol on several occasions earlier this year to protest against lockdown measures put in place by Whitmer during the pandemic. President Donald Trump appeared to encourage those demonstrations in mid-April by tweeting "LIBERATE MICHIGAN!"

Federal authorities relied on confidential and undercover sources to uncover and thwart the plots that were revealed Thursday. The FBI first became aware in early 2020 through social media that a group of individuals was planning a violent overthrow of the government, according to the affidavit. The FBI also became aware in March that the unnamed militia group was attempting to obtain the addresses of local law enforcement officers to potentially target and kill them.

Some of the men charged with plotting to kidnap Whitmer met up multiple times with members of that militia group, including at a Second Amendment rally at the state Capitol in June.They also participated in training exercises with that group.

The kidnapping scheme had roots in a gathering in Dublin, Ohio, in June that was attended by more than a dozen people, including two men charged Thursday.

"The group talked about creating a society that followed the U.S. Bill of Rights and where they could be self-sufficient. They discussed different ways of achieving this goal from peaceful endeavors to violent actions," the FBI affidavit said. "Several members talked about murdering 'tyrants' or 'taking' a sitting governor."

Shortly after, a group met in the basement of a Grand Rapid business and discussed assaulting the state Capitol and destroying police vehicles. Several days later, one of the men ultimately charged, Adam Fox, described Whitmer as "this tyrant b----" and complained about the state controlling the opening of gyms during the pandemic, according to the affidavit. He also said at one point that the group would "try" the governor for "treason" ahead of the Nov. 3 election. By the end of July, the plan had loosely evolved into kidnapping Whitmer...

...The governor referenced Trump's comments at the first presidential debate last month when he told the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by" when he was asked to condemn white supremacy.

"Hate groups heard the president's words not as a rebuke but as a rallying cry, a call to action," Whitmer said. She also said that leaders who meet with extremist groups or "stoke and contribute" to hate speech are complicit with those groups.