Six men plotted to try to kidnap Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at her vacation home, according to a criminal complaint unsealed today in federal court.
Four of the six men had planned to meet Wednesday to “make a payment on explosives and exchange tactical gear,” the FBI says in the court filing.
The FBI quotes one of the accused as saying Whitmer “has no checks and balances at all. She has uncontrolled power right now. All good things must come to an end.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks during a news conference in Lansing, Mich., May 21, 2020 (Michigan Office of the Governor via AP, Pool)
The government used informants and undercover agents to thwart the alleged plot.
The criminal complaint says the plan involved Whitmer and her second home in northern Michigan.
Whitmer has been praised but also deeply criticized for the state’s response to the coronavirus. She put major restrictions on personal movement throughout the state and on the economy, although many of those limits have been lifted.
Through electronic communications, two of the alleged conspirators “agreed to unite others in their cause and take violent action against multiple state governments that they believe are violating the US Constitution,” the FBI says.
— AP
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