Date: 2024-04-29 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00019696
State of the USA
Disconcerting
National Security ... FBI: Whitmer plotters also discussed kidnapping Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam
Peter Burgess
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Date: 2024-04-29 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00019696 | |||||||||
State of the USA | |||||||||
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Burgess COMMENTARY Peter Burgess | |||||||||
| National Security ... FBI: Whitmer plotters also discussed kidnapping Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam speaks during a news conference in Richmond over the summer. (Steve Helber/AP) GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Accused conspirators charged in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also discussed 'taking' Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, an FBI agent testified at a court hearing Tuesday. During the hearing here in Grand Rapids to discuss the charges filed last week against members of a self-proclaimed militia accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan’s Democratic governor, FBI Special Agent Richard Trask revealed that months ago some of the suspects met in Dublin, Ohio, where Northam, also a Democrat, was discussed as a potential target. “At this meeting they discussed possible targets, taking a sitting governor, specifically issues with the governors of Michigan and Virginia, based upon the lockdown orders,” Trask told the court, referring to state-mandated restrictions implemented to combat the spread of coronavirus. FBI charges six who it says plotted to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, as seven more who wanted to ignite civil war face state charges No one has been charged with plotting to kidnap Northam, but like Whitmer, Virginia’s governor was the target of intense criticism from some conservatives over the summer. President Trump has been sharply critical of both governors, tweeting all-caps demands that their states be “liberated.” Northam spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky said the FBI “alerted key members of the Governor’s security team throughout the course of their investigation,” but to keep tight control of information about such a sensitive matter, neither the governor nor other members of his staff were told. “At no time was the Governor or his family in imminent danger,” said Yarmosky, adding that extra security measures “have been in place for Governor Northam and his family for quite some time, and they will remain.” The spokeswoman also faulted Trump for fueling anger. “Here’s the reality: President Trump called upon his supporters to ‘LIBERATE VIRGINIA’ in April — just like Michigan. In fact, the President regularly encourages violence against those who disagree with him. The rhetoric coming out of this White House has serious and potentially deadly consequences. It must stop,” said Yarmosky. Tuesday’s hearing is to determine if some of those charged in the alleged Whitmer plot can be released on bond. Separately, seven others are charged by state authorities in Michigan with providing support to terrorist acts. Trask, the FBI agent, described in great detail how federal agents became concerned about the accused, particularly after a June meeting in Dublin, Ohio, where self-styled militia members from four or five states gathered to discuss possible plans. It was at that meeting, Trask said, that the notion of grabbing governors was raised, specifically mentioning the governors of Virginia and Michigan. One of the suspects, Adam Fox, then returned to Michigan and began recruiting possible accomplices for such a kidnapping, Trask said. Accused leader of plot to kidnap Michigan governor was struggling financially, living in basement storage space Fox and others conducted surveillance on the governor’s lakeside vacation home, Trask said, and at one point Fox told the others that he wanted to abduct the governor, take her away from the home by boat, and then “leave her out in the boat” so others would have to come rescue her, according to testimony at the hearing. Another option discussed was to take Whitmer to a secret location where they would put her “on trial,” Trask said, possibly in Wisconsin. From left, Kaleb James Franks, 26; Daniel Joseph Harris, 23; Brandon Caserta, 32; Adam Dean Fox, 37; Ty Gerard Garbin, 24. All are charged with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. From left, Kaleb James Franks, 26; Daniel Joseph Harris, 23; Brandon Caserta, 32; Adam Dean Fox, 37; Ty Gerard Garbin, 24. All are charged with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. (Kent County Sheriff/Handout/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock) The hearing began with five of the defendants being led into the courtroom in handcuffs, all but Fox wearing masks due to the coronavirus. Trask also detailed the ways in which the half-dozen suspects repeatedly discussed plans to attack law enforcement. At one point, a member of the group mentioned the possibility of attacking Michigan State Police buildings. At another point, one of the defendants, Brandon Caserta, became irate that he had been pulled over and ticketed for driving without insurance. “An injustice just happened to me,” Caserta messaged the other suspects, according to evidence introduced at the hearing, and he wrote he could find out where the two police officers lived and “tap them,” which the FBI agent said was slang for killing them. Even as the FBI closed in on the group, the defendants became increasingly concerned they might be under investigation by federal agents. At one point, the accused collaborators scanned each other’s bodies for radio signals, to see if anyone was wearing a recording device, the agent said. While the scans turned up nothing, the group’s alleged plot was infiltrated by two informants and two undercover agents, Trask said, and the FBI secretly recorded more than 100 hours of the suspects’ conversations. Laura Vozzella and Gregory S. Schneider in Richmond contributed to this report. Devlin Barrett Devlin Barrett writes about the FBI and the Justice Department, and is the author of 'October Surprise: How the FBI Tried to Save Itself and Crashed an Election.' He was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for National Reporting, for coverage of Russian interference in the U.S. election.Follow | |||||||||