Lawyers say Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot was just talk

(10 Mar 2022) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4370102 Attorneys for four men charged with planning to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are telling jurors they were swayed by informants and federal agents who targeted them for their anti-government views. They have portrayed the men as big talkers, wannabes and, in one case, a pot-smoking "misfit" influenced by an FBI informant. Four men face trial: Barry Croft Jr., Adam Fox, Brandon Caserta and Daniel Harris. Prosecutors said in federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Wednesday that the men plotted to snatch Whitmer in 2020 because they were angry about pandemic restrictions and that they went well beyond talking. "Prosecutors have said that the defendants were furious with the governor's COVID policies," said Michael Tarm, a reporter with The Associated Press who was inside the courtroom for the opening statements. "They're saying that's what motivated them. That's what inspired them to come up with this plot to kidnap her." The government said jurors during the trial -- which is expected to last more than a month -- will see social media posts and hear secretly recorded conversations full of angry, vulgar and sexist language about violence and plans to take down a "tyrant." And jurors will hear from two critical insiders, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, who pleaded guilty to the conspiracy and will testify for the government. Eleven women and seven men were selected Tuesday to serve as jurors. Six are alternates, although they won't know until the end of trial.   In 2020, Whitmer was trading taunts with then-President Donald Trump over his administration's response to COVID-19. Her critics, meanwhile, were regularly protesting at the Michigan Capitol, clogging streets around the statehouse and legally carrying semi-automatic rifles into the building. The FBI said it thwarted the kidnapping plot with the arrests of six men in October 2020. Garbin and Franks insist no one acted because of excessive influence by agents or undercover informants. Whitmer, a Democrat who is seeking reelection this year, rarely talks publicly about the case and isn't expected to attend the trial. She has blamed Trump for stoking mistrust and fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn hate groups and right-wing extremists like those charged in the plot. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...