Are you going to tell me that Donald Trump‘s fraternal signalling to hate groups (“Stand back and stand by”) wasn’t a partial driving force behind the mentality of the 13 fanatics who’ve been charged with plotting to kidnap and possibly kill Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer? These bumblefuck bad guys are said to be affiliated with the Wolverine Watchmen, obviously a name that blends two movie franchises.
From 10.8 N.Y. Times story by Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Shaila Dewan and Kathleen Gray: “Authorities in Michigan charged 13 men with a battery of terrorism and conspiracy charges on Thursday, revealing what they said were plans by anti-government extremists to storm the State Capitol building, initiate a civil war to cause society to crumble and kidnap the Michigan governor ahead of the presidential election.
“At least six of the men had talked about taking Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, hostage since the summer, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court and unsealed on Thursday. The men met over the summer for firearms training and combat drills and tried to make explosives; they also gathered several times to discuss the mission, including in the basement of a shop in Michigan that was accessible only through a ‘trap door’ under a rug, the F.B.I. said.
“The men had surveilled Ms. Whitmer’s vacation home in August and September, and they indicated that they wanted to take her hostage before the election in November, Richard J. Trask II, an F.B.I. special agent, said in the criminal complaint. In July, one of the men said the group should take Ms. Whitmer hostage and move her to a ‘secure location’ in Wisconsin for a ‘trial,’ Mr. Trask said.
“He said the F.B.I. believed the men were planning to buy explosives this week for their plot. Court records indicated that at least five of the men had been arrested on Wednesday in Ypsilanti, Mich.; it was not immediately clear if the sixth man had been taken into the custody.
“The state charged an additional seven men, all from Michigan, with providing material support for terrorist activities, being members of a gang and using firearms while committing felonies. The men were said to be affiliated with the Wolverine Watchmen, an extremist group, and have been charged with state crimes, which carry penalties of two to 20 years in prison.
Dana Nessel, the Michigan attorney general, said in a news conference that she was particularly disturbed by messages from politicians that she claimed may have contributed to the violent plot.
“I have watched and have seen and listened over the course of these many months and when we hear the president say, ‘liberate Michigan’ or, ‘there are very fine people on both sides,’ these are not just subtle winks or dog whistles, these are messages to people who want to do harm. These are commands to action.”
