Trump considers pardoning defendants in Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot

President Donald Trump said that he is considering pardoning the men who are serving prison terms for conspiring to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The President called the convictions a “railroad job.”

“I will take a look at it. It’s been brought to my attention,” Mr. Trump said at a swearing-in ceremony for U.S. Attorney in D.C. Jeanine Pirro. “I did watch the trial. It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job, I’ll be honest with you,” Mr. Trump said. “It looked to me like some people said some stupid things.”

The Justice Department’s new pardon attorney Ed Martin said last week he will take a “hard look” at the Whitmer kidnapping case. During Mr. Trump’s first term in 2020, federal prosecutors charged six people with conspiring to kidnap Whitmer, a Democrat who was facing backlash at the time for the state’s COVID-19 policies.

Two of the six defendants — Barry Croft and Adam Fox — were found guilty at trial and sentenced to over a decade in prison, after a hung jury at an initial trial. Two others pleaded guilty and were also sentenced to prison terms, and two were acquitted at trial.

Defense attorneys argued the men weren’t serious about the plot, casting them as wannabees who enjoyed “playing army” and ranting about the government but were not going to act on their rhetoric. They also argued the men were entrapped by undercover FBI agents and confidential informants.

Several other people were convicted in state court of links to the plot against Whitmer, often raising similar entrapment defenses. Mr. Trump is not able to pardon people on state charges.

President Trump has already pardoned people who he considers to have been unfairly targeted by the left wing. He drew the ire of the left wing and mainstream media by pardoning most people who participated in the January 6th Capitol riots.