News

Actions

Jury hears man discuss plan to abduct Mich. Gov. Whitmer

Gretchen Whitmer
Posted at 6:56 PM, Mar 10, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-10 19:03:33-05

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Prosecutors have played covertly recorded audio for jurors in which a man charged in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer specifically mentions abducting the Democrat.

In the recording made in mid-July 2020 in Wisconsin, Barry Croft Jr. describes the possibility of using explosives to “rain down” fire on law enforcement “with a team standing by” to grab Whitmer. He adds without providing details about any plan, that they should execute “a quick precise grab.”

Four men are on trial in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the alleged plot.

Michigan Governor Kidnapping Plot Charges Explainer
FILE - This combination of photos provided by the Kent County Sheriff and the Delaware Department of Justice shows, top row from left, Brandon Caserta and Barry Croft; and bottom row from left, Adam Dean Fox and Daniel Harris. The four members of anti-government groups are facing trial in March 2022 on federal charges accusing them in a plot to abduct Michigan's Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020. Jury selection begins Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in a trial the presiding judge at the U.S. District Court courthouse in Grand Rapids, Mich., said could take over a month. (Kent County Sheriff, Delaware Department of Justice via AP File)

Prosecutors say they were angry about pandemic restrictions Whitmer imposed.

Defense attorneys say the men were big talkers who were entrapped by government informants and FBI agents.