Governor Gretchen Whitmer Kidnapping Attempt

Submission 4,125

Overview

The Governor Gretchen Whitmer Kidnapping Attempt was thwarted by authorities on October 7th, 2020. Federal and state officials charged 13 men in the plot to abduct Michigan Gov. Whitmer and overthrow the government. The group, which includes members of far-right extremist groups, including the violent militia group the Wolverine Watchmen, blamed Whitmer for the coronavirus restrictions, which they believe were unconstitutional.

Background

On October 8th, 2020, the Detroit News^[1] reported that Federal agents "thwarted a plot to violently overthrow the government as well as kidnap and harm Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer" the night prior The plot involved 13 conspirators with "elaborate plans" for the kidnapping. Six were charged by the state for conspiracy to kidnap, and seven were charged with a variety of firearm and terror charges.^[2]

In FBI affidavit,^[9] the suspects discussed "attacking the state Capitol building, storming a police facility, and kidnapping Whitmer outside her vacation home before Election Day."^[3] The affidavit continues:

Several members talked about murdering ‘tyrants’ or ‘taking’ a sitting governor. The group decided they needed to increase their numbers and encouraged each other to talk to their neighbors and spread their message.

Developments

Governor Whitmer's response

That day, Governor Whitmer delivered a press conference about the incident (shown below). In her remarks, she thanked law enforcement for their response to the plot. She also blamed President Donald Trump, who she says, "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."

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. "'Stand back and stand by,' he told them. 'Stand back and stand by.' Hate groups heard the President's words not as a rebuke, but as a rallying cry, as a call to action. When our leaders speak, their words matter. They carry weight.

President Trump responded on Twitter. ^[8] He wrote, "Governor Whitmer of Michigan has done a terrible job. She locked down her state for everyone, except her husband’s boating activities. The Federal Government provided tremendous help to the Great People of Michigan. My Justice Department and Federal Law Enforcement announced today that they foiled a dangerous plot against the Governor of Michigan. Rather than say thank you, she calls me a White Supremacist--while Biden and Democrats refuse to condemn Antifa, Anarchists, Looters and Mobs that burn down Democrat-run cities I do not tolerate ANY extreme violence. Defending ALL Americans, even those who oppose and attack me, is what I will always do as your President! Governor Whitmer--open up your state, open up your schools, and open up your churches!" The inital tweet received more than 135,000 likes and 70,000 retweets in less than 24 hours (shown below).

Suspects

The state charged seven people with firearm and terror charges. The people include Paul Bellar, 21, Shawn Fix, 38, Eric Molitor, 36, Michael Null, 38, William Null, 38, Pete Musico, 42, Joseph Morrison, 42. The federal government charged six people: Adam Fox, 37, Ty Garbin, 24, Kaleb Franks, 26, Daniel Harris, 23, Brandon Caserta, 32, and Delaware resident Barry Croft, 44.^[2]

According to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, authorities linked seven of the suspects to the Wolverine Watchmen, and were attempting a terrorist attack on the capitol to "instigate a Civil War."

The social media accounts of one of the suspects, Brandon Caserta, featured numerous pieces of misinformation, praise for Kenosha, Wisconsin shooter Kyle Rittenhouse, coronavirus conspiracy theories, the hashtag "Save Our Children" and images about human-trafficking conspiracy theories, which have been tied to the QAnon conspiracy theory.^[10]

Caserta's TikTok page also featured videos of him wearing a Hawaiian shirt, which some speculate is in affiliation with the Boogaloo movement, a militia group with aims of starting a Civil War.

Online Reaction

The kidnapping attempt sparked intense conversation online. A megathread on the /r/politics^[4] subreddit received more than 84,000 points (91% upvoted) and 6,200 comments in less than 24 hours. Severla other threads in /r/politics^[5]^[6]^[7] earned more than 10,000 points.

This Is The Home Joseph Morrison

On October 8th, 2020, journalist Walker Bragman tweeted, "This is the home of Joseph Morrison, one of the Michigan men recently arrested for his plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Can we acknowledge that maybe economic circumstances play a role in radicalizing people?" They included pictures of Morrison's home. The tweet received more than 9,000 retweets and 5,500 likes in less than 24 hours (shown below).

Some took offense with Bragman's framing of the situation that economic problems and not radicalization influenced Morrison's decisions. People mocked the tweet by captioning images of absurd and frequently meme'd houses, like Groverhaus, with Bragman's tweet (examples below).

Media Coverage

Virtually all news outlets reported on the attempt, including CNN,^[2] Daily Beast,^[3] Daily Dot, ^[10] USA Today,^[11] Fox News, ^[12] New York Times,^[13] and more.