NonilexSep 15, 2023

#Michigan jury #acquits 3 men in plot to #kidnap Gov. #GretchenWhitmer

A MI jury acquitted 3 men on Fri of state charges related to Gov. #GretchenWhitmerKidnappingPlot in 2020, capping multiple #legal proceedings that centered on #RightWing #extremism & the dangers facing the country’s political leaders.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/09/15/gretchen-whitmer-kidnapping-aquittal/

Michigan jury acquits three men in plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

The plot, which FBI informants helped disrupt, involved plans to capture Whitmer (D) at her home, detonate a bridge and ignite an armed rebellion ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

The Washington Post
Show threadNonilexSep 15, 2023
The not-guilty #verdicts were read out in a northern #Michigan courtroom following a 2-wk #trial involving #EricMolitor & twin brothers #WilliamNull & #MichaelNull, all of whom faced charges of providing material support for a #terrorist act & illegally possessing #firearms. When the #verdict was announced, people in the courtroom gasped while the 3 men cried & hugged supporters, the AP reported.
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During the #trial, state prosecutors had argued that #Molitor and the #NullBrothers had participated in military-style drills & cased Whitmer’s vacation property in #AntrimCounty in northern #Michigan. The plot, which #FBI informants helped disrupt, involved plans to capture #Whitmer (D) at the home, #detonate a #bridge & ignite an #ArmedRebellion ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Sep 15, 2023 at 7:48pmWeb
Show threadNonilexSep 15, 2023
But attorneys for #Molitor, 39, & the #NullBrothers, 41, argued that the men did not actively take part in the plot & did not consider it to be a serious #threat to #Whitmer. Molitor & William Null both testified in their defense, & Null told jurors he wished he had called #police when he overheard others talking about acquiring explosives (but he didn’t).
Show threadNonilexSep 15, 2023
The #acquittals follow several earlier #trials where defendants were #convicted of their roles in the #WhitmerKidnappingPlot. Several of the defendants were members of #WolverineWatchmen, a #FarRight #paramilitary group. At the time, the members of the #antigovernmental group were upset that Whitmer had endorsed preventive measures to slow the spread of the #coronavirus. (& this happened after #Trump tweeted, “Liberate Michigan”)