President Trump said he will seriously consider pardoning a group of men accused of planning the kidnapping of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, calling the case–which has resulted in two convictions and two guilty admissions–a farce.
“I will take a look at it. It’s been brought to my attention,” Trump said at a swearing-in ceremony for U.S. Attorney in D.C. Jeanine Pirro.
“I did watch the trial. It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job, I’ll be honest with you,” he added, “It looked to me like some people said some stupid things.”
During Trump’s first term in 2020, federal prosecutors indicted six people, Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris, and Brandon Caserta, for planning the kidnapping of Whitmer, a Democrat who at the time was coming under intense criticism for state policies related to COVID-19.
The indictment stated that the men staked out Whitmer’s home and hatched a plan for the kidnapping, which included the destruction of a nearby bridge.
Two of the six defendants, Barry Croft and Adam Fox, were sentenced to more than ten years in prison. Two others pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison terms, while the remainder were acquitted at trial.
Their lawyers argued that these individuals were not serious about the plot, describing them as people who enjoyed “playing army” and railing against the government, but at the same time would never put their sinister plans into practice.
They also claimed that the men had been set up by undercover FBI agents and some informants. A federal appeals court reviewed Croft and Fox’s claims that the judge prevented them from presenting an effective defense based on the fact that they were framed, but last month upheld their convictions.
In 2020, Trump had repeatedly criticized Governor Whitmer during protests against the Democrat’s policies to restrict the spread of COVID-19. After the arrests of the six individuals, Trump again attacked the governor for not thanking him.
Since the beginning of his second presidential term, the American leader has granted presidential pardons to more than 1,500 people. These include almost all those who were convicted of the January 6, 2021 assault on Capitol Hill. Now, Whitmer’s would-be kidnappers may be added to the long list.
