US Justice Department pardon lawyer pledges ‘hard look’ at plot to kidnap Michigan governor

DETROIT AP The U S Justice Department s new pardon attorney explained he is going to take a hard look at two men who are serving long prison terms for leading a conspiracy to kidnap Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer On the pardon front we can t leave these guys behind Ed Martin Jr commented this week on The Breanna Morello Show In my opinion these are casualties just like January Martin explained referring to people pardoned by President Donald Trump for crimes related to the Jan attack on the U S Capitol The arrests of Barry Croft Jr Adam Fox and other anti-government extremists rocked the home stretch of the presidential ballot Bureaucrats mentioned the cabal wished to grab Whitmer a Democrat at her vacation home and start a civil war Croft and Fox were portrayed as leaders of the scheme They were convicted of conspiracy in federal court in Grand Rapids Michigan in Croft a trucker from Delaware was also unveiled guilty of a weapons charge Croft was sentenced to nearly years in prison while Fox a Grand Rapids man got a -year term They are being held at a prison in Colorado the majority secure in the federal system Whitmer was never physically harmed Martin called it a fed-napping plot not a kidnapping plot apparently referring to the numerous undercover FBI agents and informants who had infiltrated the group and built the scenario He commented it looked like the weaponization of authorities I have complete confidence that we re going to get a hard look at it The president will want to know the facts about it Martin mentioned pledging to get on it as quick as I can I promise An email seeking comment from Whitmer s office wasn t right now returned Friday In she blamed Trump for stoking mistrust and fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn right-wing extremists Later when he was out of office Trump cast doubt on the kidnapping scheme calling it a fake deal Source