President Donald Trump mentioned he would consider pardoning the individuals found guilty of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, while also questioning the validity of the prosecution.
“I will review it. It has been brought to my attention,” Trump stated during a discussion with reporters in the Oval Office. “I watched the trial, and it seemed to me to be something of a railroad job.”
The president expressed his belief that those convicted in the incident, which took place just before the 2020 election, “were drinking” and “made foolish remarks.”
Fourteen men were charged in the plan to kidnap Whitmer, a Democrat, and nine were convicted. The ringleader of the group, Barry Croft Jr., was given the longest sentence at more than 19 years.
Whitmer’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In 2020, Whitmer placed some of the blame for the kidnapping plot on Trump’s rhetoric.
“Just last week, the president of the United States stood before the American people and refused to condemn white supremacists and hate groups like these two Michigan militia groups,” she said, referring to Trump’s comments at the presidential debate against Joe Biden.
“Hate groups heard the president’s words not as a rebuke, but as a rallying cry,” she added. “As a call to action. When our leaders speak, their words matter. They carry weight. When our leaders meet with, encourage, or fraternize with domestic terrorists, they legitimize their actions and they are complicit.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Jonathan Allen contributed.
