Trump Could Pardon Whitmer Kidnapping Conspirators, Says He's 'Going To Take A Look At It'

MICHIGAN — President Donald Trump is considering pardoning the men convicted of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, according to reports.

Trump told reporters at the Oval Office on Wednesday that he is "going to take a look at it."

"I did watch the trial. It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job, I'll be honest with you. Some people said some stupid things, you know, and were drinking," Trump said Wednesday.

Whitmer told a News 8 reporter Thursday that she was "very disappointed" when she heard the news.

"(I’m) very disappointed that they are even considering it, frankly," Whitmer said. "When the president was shot at in Pennsylvania, I was one of the first people on either side of the aisle to condemn it. We have to condemn political violence, no matter who it comes from, no matter who it is aimed at. It does a disservice to everyone if we do anything short of that."

Prosecutors said a group of men planned the kidnapping plot out of frustration with the COVID-19 restrictions Whitmer had put in place during the early months of the pandemic. They planned to capture her at her vacation home near Elk Rapids and use weapons of mass destruction to blow up a bridge to hinder responding police, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors also said the men held training exercises and tried to buy explosives, but the sellers were undercover FBI agents.

Federal agents then busted the plot in October 2020 before Whitmer was harmed and arrested 14 people.

Prosecutors said Barry Croft Jr. and Adam Fox were the leaders in the plot and were both convicted of conspiracy in federal court in Grand Rapids in 2022. Croft, 49, was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison and and Fox, 42, was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Croft and Fox appealed their sentence, arguing they were entrapped by government informants and agents, but a federal court disagreed and upheld their convictions.

Two others, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, pleaded guilty to federal kidnapping conspiracy charges and testified as the government's star witnesses. Garbin served a 2 1/2-year prison term, while Kaleb Franks was given a four-year sentence.

Five other suspects were acquitted, including William Null, twin brother Michael Null and Eric Molitor, who were found not guilty.

Since taking office in January, Trump has granted numerous pardons to those he claims were victims of political weaponization of the justice system, including pardoning those who were convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol attack. Earlier this week, he made news by pardoning Todd and Julie Chrisley, a reality TV couple convicted of a $36 million fraud.