Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot
On October 8, 2020, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation announced the arrests of 13 men suspected of orchestrating a domestic terror plot to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, and otherwise using violence to overthrow the state government. Some have labeled the attempt as an example of stochastic terrorism, where violent rhetoric by prominent figures inspired the plot. Half of the suspects were tied to a paramilitary militia group that called themselves the Wolverine Watchmen. Six of the suspects were charged in federal court, while the other seven were charged with state crimes. A week later, a fourteenth suspect was arrested and charged in state court.
Two men pleaded guilty and offered to testify on behalf of the prosecution as part of a favorable plea deal, while two men were acquitted at trial. Two other men, who had received a hung jury at the first trial, were later convicted of kidnapping conspiracy and conspiracy to possess weapons of mass destruction. One of those men was also convicted of another explosives charge.
Three other men were later convicted of felony counts of gang membership, providing material support to terrorism, and illegal weapons possession in the first state trial stemming from the case. Two more defendants pleaded guilty at a later trial to providing or attempting to provide material support, whereas three others were acquitted. The defense has argued that this is a case of entrapment, claiming to have identified twelve FBI informants. They contend that the entire plot was fabricated by federal agents.
Background
Prior concerns about militia and far-right groups
Preceding the 2020 United States elections, law enforcement officials, members of Congress, and groups tracking extremism in the country warned about the increasing threat potential from militia and far-right groups. The Anti-Defamation League identified Michigan as a state where the modern militia movement found its roots and where a number of militia groups remain active. However, Jon Lewis, a research fellow at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, said the Wolverine Watchmen group, which the suspects were members of, "flew under the radar", adding, "This is simply not a big group that we'd ever heard of."The Wolverine Watchmen group was reportedly an offshoot of the Michigan Militia. The day after the suspects were arrested, the Michigan Militia issued a statement disavowing the group. Other Michigan-based militia groups also distanced themselves from the plotters' actions and intentions. The Michigan Home Guard, a militia that one of the suspects had once been a member of before being kicked out in 2020, released a statement condemning the Wolverine Watchmen's actions.
The plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer developed from June through September. Within the week preceding the Wolverine Watchmen arrests, there were at least three other state and federal arrest operations linked to the boogaloo movement, to which the Wolverine Watchmen group's ideology closely aligned.
COVID-19 pandemic and mitigation measures in Michigan
Whitmer, the main target of the plot, had seen her political profile elevated over the preceding months due to her early response to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Michigan, in which she enacted strict statewide mitigation measures such as a lockdown of the state. A Democrat, Gov. Whitmer garnered national attention for what some advocacy groups and experts called overly restrictive stay-at-home and social distancing orders. She also became a target of certain local militia groups, while multiple advocacy groups organized protests against lockdowns throughout April and May. President Donald Trump offered his support for the protests, calling Whitmer anti-business and by the moniker, "that woman from Michigan" and tweeting on April 17: "LIBERATE MICHIGAN!" Two weeks later, on April 30, armed protestors entered the Michigan State Capitol.Ultimately, on October 2, 2020, the Michigan Supreme Court made two rulings in response to the executive branch’s approach to shutdown, as the power to exact significant shutdown specifics, e.g. in emergency scenarios, were in contest by interested members representing districts within Michigan’s legislative bodies. The first was a 4–3 ruling that declared a 1945 law—which Whitmer had attempted using—unconstitutional. The second was a unanimous ruling that declared a 1976 act did not give Whitmer the power to enact the measures without legislative approval. Administrative officials in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services – and later, the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration – disagreed with the legislature and circumvented the Supreme Court’s ruling and Legislature by ordering similar measures as Whitmer.
Participants in the plot
The suspected participants were tied to a paramilitary militia group that called themselves the Wolverine Watchmen. The group was co-founded by Pete Musico and Joseph Morrison; the latter is considered the group's "commander". An NBC News investigation into the suspects' social media profiles found links between their ideologies and those of the broader boogaloo movement. The Wolverine Watchmen group recruited members on Facebook from November 2019 until June 2020, when Facebook purged all boogaloo-related material.The suspects named in the federal indictment, charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping, were Adam Fox, Ty Garbin, Barry Croft, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris, and Brandon Caserta. Five of the men were Michigan residents, while the sixth, Croft, was from Delaware. Adam Fox and Barry Croft were accused of being the ringleaders of the plot. The suspects charged with state crimes, including providing material support for terrorist acts, firearm crimes, and gang membership, were Wolverine Watchmen founders Musico and Morrison, along with Shawn Fix, Eric Molitor, Michael Null, William Null, and Paul Bellar. At least four of the 13 suspects had attended prior rallies at the Michigan State Capitol. On October 15, a fourteenth suspect, Brian Higgins of Wisconsin, was charged at the state level with material support of an act of terrorism. Garbin pleaded guilty on January 27, 2021, and agreed to testify against his five alleged co-conspirators.
Adam Fox
Adam Fox was considered the mastermind of the plot. He was born Adam Dean Waggoner but changed his last name to his mother's maiden name in 2014. He was living in the basement of his former employer, a vacuum cleaner repair shop in Grand Rapids. Fox received permission for that living arrangement from the shop's owner who felt empathy towards Fox, as Fox was homeless and had pet dogs. The basement was used to hold multiple meetings discussing the plot.Fox posted a YouTube video in June, mentioning Whitmer's handling of the pandemic as one of his motives for the plot. According to his employer, Fox espoused anti-police and anti-government views, along with support for the boogaloo movement, and had recently become worried about the U.S. becoming a communist country and Democratic politicians taking away his guns. Fox had previously been a member of another militia group called the Michigan Home Guard, but he was kicked out due to "rage issues" and threatening other members on social media.
While under surveillance, Fox was recorded by the FBI as saying "Snatch and grab, man. Grab the fuckin' governor. Just grab the bitch. Because at that point, we do that... it's over" and "I want to have the governor hog-tied, laid out on a table, while we all pose around like we just made the world's biggest goddamn drug bust, bro." Fox was convicted in federal court for kidnapping conspiracy and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction. He faced a maximum sentence of life in prison. On December 27, 2022, he was sentenced to 16 years.
Joseph M. Morrison
Joseph M. Morrison is considered the leader of the Wolverine Watchmen. His home in Munith, which he shared with Musico, was used as a training site. Photographs of the home show a Confederate battle flag and a variation of the U.S. flag with alternating, vertical red and white stripes and a circle of stars surrounding the words "Liberty or Death". Morrison's neighbors told The Daily Beast that the home's residents were "disrespectful" and said large groups regularly gathered there on weekends, whereupon gunfire would be heard. His online alias was "Boogaloo Bunyan".Morrison had served in the U.S. Marine Corps since 2015, most recently with the 4th Marine Logistics Group in Battle Creek, Michigan, with the rank of lance corporal; he was discharged from the Marine Corps Reserve on October 8, the same day as his arrest, for reasons unrelated to the criminal charges. Morrison is the son-in-law of co-defendant Pete Musico. In October 2022, Morrison was convicted in Michigan state court of materially aiding a terrorist and being a member of a gang. On December 15, 2022, he was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison.