13 men charged in plot against Michigan governor

Six men conspired to buy explosives and tactical gear, capture Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, and try her for “treason,” according to a Thursday federal criminal complaint. They first considered rounding up about 200 men to storm the capitol building in Lansing before settling on a plot focused on Whitmer’s vacation home. Michigan state court separately charged seven men with the Wolverine Watch paramilitary group for planning to storm the Michigan court and seek a “civil war.” The two groups trained together.

What was the plot supposed to accomplish? The conspirators believed many state coronavirus lockdowns violated the U.S. Constitution. An FBI source quoted alleged conspirator Adam Fox saying Whitmer had exercised “uncontrolled power.” The FBI caught the six men training with firearms and conducting combat drills. Whitmer said supremacists groups viewed President Donald Trump’s lack of criticism at last week’s debate with Joe Biden as a “call to action,” although the criminal complaint does not say the conspirators were inspired by Trump. In a series of Twitter posts, Trump said he does not tolerate any extreme violence but criticized Whitmer’s response to the pandemic.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Steve West’s report in Liberties on protests over COVID-19 lockdowns.

Editor’s note: WORLD has updated this report since its initial posting.