GRAND RAPIDS, MI – AUGUST 02: Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer waits to speak at a canvass kickoff on Michigan Primary Election Day on August 2, 2022 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
OAN’s James Meyers
4:40 PM – Monday, August 21, 2023
After almost three years since the failed plot to kidnap Michigan’s Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer, defendants who allegedly took part in the activity went on trial on Monday.
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This comes after the planned militia plot was halted by the FBI, with 14 men who were involved being arrested weeks before the November 2020 election.
The three who took the stand on Monday were Eric Molitor and brothers William Null and Michael Null.
Prosecutors claimed that they were anti-government extremists, enraged by Whitmer’s (D-Mich.) COVID-19 policies, which forced schools and businesses to be closed down.
Furthermore, prosecutors alleged that the men on trial were a part of a “right-wing gang” and were plotting to attack the State Capitol, with hopes of igniting a civil war.
Currently, nine of the 14 men have already been convicted, with four entering guilty pleas and two others being acquitted.
Molitor and the Null brothers were allegedly planning to kidnap Whitmer at her vacation residence at Lake Michigan and take her hostage before the 2020 election.
However, the three defendants claimed that they were set up by the government and are currently charged with material support for terrorist acts and illegally possessing firearms.
If the defendants are convicted they could face up to a maximum of 20 years in prison.
“These cases are very important in light of the times we live in,” said Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. attorney in Michigan. “Acts of political violence have no place in a democracy.”
Opening arguments for the trial are scheduled to begin Wednesday.
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