President Donald Trump said this week he would look into whether pardons are warranted for men convicted of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, reviving national interest in a high-profile case that raises questions on whether FBI malfeasance led to their radicalization and alleged entrapment.
“I did watch the trial. It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job,” Trump told reporters Wednesday, referencing the convictions of two of the plot’s main defendants. In August 2022, Barry Croft Jr. and Adam Fox were convicted of conspiring to kidnap Whitmer from her vacation home, plotting to destroy a nearby bridge, and hopefully spark a second civil war. Prosecutors described them as anti-government extremists bent on political violence, while defense attorneys argued they were manipulated by a sprawling FBI sting operation involving undercover agents and informants.
