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Members of an anti-government group accused of hatching a plan to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer claim they were set up by more than a dozen FBI agents who had infiltrated the organization and played a key role in the plot, according to a new report.
Fourteen members tied to the paramilitary militia group Wolverine Watchmen were arrested in connection to the 2020 scheme to kidnap the Democratic governor after she refused to loosen coronavirus restrictions in the state. The plan was brainstormed at a militant-group training camp in August. Within a few short weeks, the defendants began surveilling Whitmer s vacation house and drew a map that noted approximate distances from the home to police first responders, according to an indictment.
Did FBI Informants Thwart or Encourage the Plot to Kidnap Gretchen Whitmer?
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FBI agent in Gov Whitmer kidnap bust accused of attacking wife: report
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July 20, 2021
4:32 PM ET
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The FBI allegedly played a much “larger role” in the plot to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, according to a BuzzFeed News report. The defense had originally planned to argue that the alleged plotters were “induced or persuaded” by the FBI.
At least 12 FBI informants and undercover FBI agents were involved with gathering information against the anti-government militia members who allegedly planned to kidnap Whitmer. BuzzFeed claimed that the FBI played a greater role than was previously known. The months-long investigation eventually led to the arrest of 14 individuals in connection to the plot to kidnap Whitmer, and 13 of them have pleaded not guilty, according to BuzzFeed.
Were Gov. Gretchen Whitmer s would-be kidnappers victims of FBI entrapment? How feds had at least TWELVE informants in Michigan militia gang who ENCOURAGED bizarre failed plot
The October arrest of 14 people involved in a Michigan plot is raising questions about the FBI s use of informers and the limits of their power
At least 12 informants were involved in the Michigan scheme, devised by a group calling itself the Wolverine Watchmen to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer
One of the 14 has pleaded guilty; the others will go on trial in October, and several of their lawyers are planning on arguing entrapment
At least one of the FBI informants paid for their planning meetings and was encouraged to recruit others to the plot